Although information is available about the prevalence of pain in older adults in Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian countries, very little is known about older adults in other parts of the world. This study reports the prevalence of pain in a randomly selected sample of older adults living in the Mediterranean region of Catalonia. Besides studying the existence of pain at the time of interview, the authors investigated several characteristics of the participants' pain experience: pain onset, number and location of pain sites, intensity of pain, number of days in pain, severity of pain, the extent to which pain interfered with daily life, and expressed needs in relation to pain. A cross-sectional survey was conducted of adults aged 65 years and over living in Catalonia. A total of 592 individuals participated in the study, and data was collected through personal interviews with participants. The prevalence of any pain was 73.5%, and similar across age groups but higher in females than in males. Among individuals suffering from pain, 94.2 were experiencing chronic pain (i.e., pain of three months' duration or more). The mean number of painful areas (out of 10) was 4.48. No clear pattern of the prevalence of regional pain was observed, although joints were the most frequently reported painful place. Pain interfered in the life of a considerable number of participants (35.5%), but no differences in the level of expressed needs was detected between those that were affected and those that were not. This study provides new evidence that pain is an important problem for the older adult, one that severely impacts on their health status, causing disability and reduced ability to function, particularly in older women.

Resumen: En este trabajo se presentan datos sobre la estr uctura factorial, fiabilidad y validez del cuestionario PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) en personas mayores. Participaron un total de 436 personas con edad igual o superior a los 65 años (rango de edad: 65-91). Los resultados confirman la estructura de dos factores del cuestionario. Más aun, corroboran la fiabilidad (alfa de Cronbach) y validez, tanto convergente como discriminante, por sus relaciones con la ansiedad estado e intensidad de dolor.Palabras clave: PANAS; personas mayores; afecto positive; afecto negativo; salud.Abstract: This work provides information on the factorial structure, reliability and validity of the PANAS scales (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) when used with the elderly. The participants in this study were 436 senior citizens aged 65 or older (age range: 65-91). Results conf irm the original 2-factor structure of the questionnaire. Fur thermore, they corroborate good reliability (Cronbach's alpha) and validity, both convergent and discriminant, on account of its relationships with state anxiety and pain intensity.

ObjectivesTo assess the reproducibility of an educational intervention EdAl-2 (Educació en Alimentació) programme in ‘Terres de l'Ebre’ (Spain), over 22 months, to improve lifestyles, including diet and physical activity (PA).DesignReproduction of a cluster randomised controlled trial.SettingTwo semi-rural town-group primary-school clusters were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group.ParticipantsPupils (n=690) of whom 320 constituted the intervention group (1 cluster) and 370 constituted the control group (1 cluster). Ethnicity was 78% Western European. The mean age (±SD) was 8.04±0.6 years (47.7% females) at baseline. Inclusion criteria for clusters were towns from the southern part of Catalonia having a minimum of 500 children aged 7–8 year; complete data for participants, including name, gender, date and place of birth, and written informed consent from parents or guardians.InterventionThe intervention focused on eight lifestyle topics covered in 12 activities (1 h/activity/session) implemented by health promoting agents in the primary school over three academic years.Primary and secondary outcomesThe primary outcome was obesity (OB) prevalence and the secondary outcomes were body mass index (BMI) collected every year and dietary habits and lifestyles collected by questionnaires filled in by parents at baseline and end-of-study.ResultsAt 22 months, the OB prevalence and BMI values were similar in intervention and control groups. Relative to children in control schools, the percentage of boys in the intervention group who performed ≥4 after-school PA h/week was 15% higher (p=0.027), whereas the percentage of girls in both groups remained similar. Also, 16.6% more boys in the intervention group watched ≤2 television (TV) h/day (p=0.009), compared to controls; and no changes were observed in girls in both groups.ConclusionsOur school-based intervention is feasible and reproducible by increasing after-school PA (to ≥4 h/week) in boys. Despite this improvement, there was no change in BMI and prevalence of OB.Trial registration number:Clinical Trials NCT01362023.

This study examined the associations between specific pain-related beliefs and both mental health and pain interference in elderly patients with chronic pain. A total of 139 patients completed validated questionnaires assessing pain domains (i.e., intensity, duration and location), psychological functioning, pain interference and demographic variables. Pain-related beliefs were related with poorer mental health (Disability = -.27; Harm = -.23; Solicitude = -.24; Control = .18; Emotion = -.29) and greater interference in daily activities (Disability =.41; Harm =.13; Solicitude =.29; Control = -.31). Our findings are consistent with a biopsychosocial model of chronic pain which goes beyond physical variables in an attempt to understand and promote patients' adjustment to chronic pain problems.