ADVERSE HEALTH RISKS IN ADOLESCENTS WITH BACK PAIN

Campbell, Paul

Abstract

Background Adverse health risk indicators such as substance use and psychological distress are public health priorities for adolescents. They are drivers of long term adverse health and social outcomes. For this reason they are common targets of public health campaigns delivered in schools. Prevalence of back pain rises steeply in adolescence and has significant consequences for many, including: distress, missing school, interference with physical activity, and use of health care services and medication. There is a question as to whether pain forms part of a cluster of behaviours and factors indicative of poor adolescent health. The aim was to assess whether adolescents that experience back pain more frequently are also more likely to report health risk behaviours and poor mental health. Methods Two cross-sectional samples of 14-15 year-olds. One from across Australia (n=3,896), and one from the Newcastle area (n=1,831). Participants were asked how frequently they experienced back pain in the past 6 months, and about smoking, alcohol consumption, missed school, and depression and anxiety. Test-for-trend analyses were conducted to determine whether experiencing back pain more often was associated with adverse health behaviours and feelings of anxiety and depression. Results In total, 3.2% and 9.3% of participants had drunk alcohol in the two samples, and 4.4% and 12.6% had smoked. Alcohol consumption and smoking in both samples increased steadily with more frequent back pain. Of those who reported pain every day; 12.2% and 21.3% had drunk alcohol, and 12.7% and 20.8% had smoked. The same trend for increased prevalence of feelings of anxiety and depression with increasing back pain frequency was evident, although absolute differences between strata were small. Discussion There was the same, consistent relationship between frequency of back pain and adverse health risk indicators in two independently-collected samples of adolescents. These data indicate that frequent back pain is part of a picture of poor health and adverse health risk. These findings have implications for identifying a population at-risk of poor health, and indicate a need for more integrated services for adolescents with back pain.

Citation

Williams, C., Kamper, S., Michaleff, Z., Campbell, P., Wiggers, J., Hodder, R., & Dunn, K. (2018, August). ADVERSE HEALTH RISKS IN ADOLESCENTS WITH BACK PAIN. Poster presented at 15th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine

• Presentation Conference Type: Poster
• Conference Name: 15th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine
• Start Date: Aug 14, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jun 20, 2023
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12529-018-9740-1