Prevalence of back pain and the knowledge of preventive measures in a cohort of 11619 Polish school-age children and youth—an epidemiological study

Abstract

The study sought to characterize back pain (BP) (in the period of 12 months) in children and youth aged 10 to 19 from eastern Poland. The study included 11619 children and youth (6254 girls and 5365 boys) aged 10 to 19 from eastern Poland. An original questionnaire was applied as a research tool. Before the study, the reliability of the questionnaire had been assessed. The Kappa coefficient value for all the analyzed variables was equal to or higher than 0.91. Over 74.4% of the respondents admitted that within the last 12 months, they had experienced BP which was usually located in the lumbar spine (55.8%). The percentage of individuals reporting BP increased with age of participants. Girls reported BP more often than boys (82.8% vs 64.3%). The main circumstances in which BP occurred included lifting heavy objects, carrying school backpack and maintaining a sedentary position (70.7% vs 67.4% vs 67.8%). Over 67% of the respondents declared they did not know ergonomic principles. High prevalence of BP was noted. The declared BP was mainly located in the lumbar spine. Girls reported BP more often than boys. The students presented a very low level of knowledge about ergonomics. Therefore, the appropriate education should be included at school.

Einfluss des Schulrucksackgewichtes bei Grundschulkindern: Gang, Muskelaktivität, Haltung und Stabilität

“…Als alternativer Kompensationsmechanismus gilt der Rundrücken, wobei das Becken aufgerichtet und die Lendenlordose aufgehoben wird und bei vorgeschobenem Kopf ein nach vorne gewölbter thorakaler Rundrücken entsteht. Für beide Mechanismen, die Hohlkreuzhaltung als auch der thorakale Rundrücken, sollte eine Stärkung der Rückenmuskulatur als Präventionsmaßnahme gegen Rückenschmerzen diskutiert werden [ 19 ]. Auch das Design des Schulrucksacks in Bezug auf Ergonomie und Passgenauigkeit an der Rückenpartie sowie die Tragegewohnheiten, insbesondere die symmetrische Verteilung der Last auf beide Schultern, spielen eine Rolle [ 2 , 26 ].…”

Physical activity and low back pain in children and adolescents: a systematic review

“…Epidemiological data have shown that low back pain (LBP) is not only a health problem for adults but is also frequently reported by schoolchildren [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. The prevalence of LBP in children and adolescents increases with subjects' age [13][14][15], and females demonstrate its higher occurrence [2,7,16,17].…”

“…The prevalence of LBP in children and adolescents increases with subjects' age [13][14][15], and females demonstrate its higher occurrence [2,7,16,17]. A recent study found that the self-reported prevalence of LBP was 31%, 51.9% and 71.2% among children aged 10-13, 14-16 and 17-19 years, respectively [11]. Back pain during this period of life may have health implications in adulthood [18,19].…”

Non-specific low back pain: cross-sectional study of 11,423 children and youth and the association with the perception of heaviness in carrying of schoolbags

“…The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed. The Kappa coefficient value for all the analysed variables was equal to or higher than 0.91 ( Kędra et al, 2019 ).…”

“…A questionnaire was applied as a research tool ( File S2 ) ( Kędra et al, 2019 ). The questionnaire was completed in the presence of one of the authors of the paper.…”