Lifetime Prevalence of Nonspecific Low Back Pain in Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Epidemiologic Survey.
Stefano Masiero, Fabio Sarto, Manuela Cattelan and 4 others
PMID 33605577WHAT IT FOUND
48.98% of adolescent students in Veneto, Italy reported nonspecific low back pain.
Female sex, not playing sports regularly, shorter sleep, and family history were linked; sitting and device use also tracked with pain.
Key findings
0148.98% of the 5204 analysed students reported one or more nonspecific low back pain episodes.
02Multivariate analysis showed significant effects of sex, age, sport, sleep, and family history on low back pain.
0328.36% of the 2549 students reporting low back pain had disabling pain.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The questionnaire was designed for this survey, so the results are difficult to compare with studies using other definitions or instruments. The study was cross-sectional and self-reported, so it cannot show that sport, sleep, sitting, device use, or family history caused low back pain. Lifetime pain relied on recall, and the questionnaire captured only one pain location, excluding students with neck pain or unspecified back pain. The sample came from schools selected by odd zip codes in one Italian region, so it does not represent all adolescents. Smoking, backpack perception, number and duration of pain episodes, and psychosocial factors were not measured.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the associations with sport, sleep, sitting, device use, or family history as proof that changing these habits prevents or treats low back pain. This was a cross-sectional self-report survey, so it shows links at one time point, not causes.