Prevalence of chronic pain and associated factors in a small town in southern Brazil

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic pain represents a relevant public health problem due to its high global prevalence, high costs of medical care, complexity of the treatment and loss of productive capacity. In Brazil, there are few population-based studies regarding chronic pain and associated factors, thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and factors associated with chronic pain among residents of urban and rural regions of the city of Irani-SC. METHODS: Cross-sectional population study, with random sampling, stratified by sex and age, in which 409 residents participated. Data was collected by individual interview, sociodemographic and clinical questionnaires, and application of a lifestyle profile instrument. RESULTS:The prevalence of chronic pain was 56% of the population. The most frequent associated factors were: female sex, being married, living in urban area, older age, more years of work, a higher number of children, fewer vacation periods in the last year, low schooling, higher body mass index, low coffee consumption and a higher number of comorbidities when compared to the group without chronic pain (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between groups regarding lifestyle. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of chronic pain was high when compared to that found by other studies. Chronic pain was more prevalent in women, married, white, and urban residents. Possible predictors of this condition were age, years of work, number of children, vacation days in the last 12 months, number of cups of coffee consumed per day, body mass index and number of comorbidities.