Scott Gribbon, Rúnar Vilhjálmsson and Guðrún Kristjánsdóttir
Introduction: Leg and arm pain in children and adolescents commonly necessitates frequent outpatient visits. However, child and adolescent pain is often under-recognised entrenching chronicity, impacting emotional, psychological, and physical functioning during childhood and into adulthood. Understanding the epidemiology of extremity pain in children is crucial to developing appropriate management plans. This paper sought to describe the sociodemographic characteristics and prevalence of extremity pain among Icelandic schoolchildren.
Methods: Data were obtained from the Icelandic contribution of the international research network Health Behaviour of School-aged Children (HBSC). The study included all students in Grades 6, 8, and 10 in Iceland, with a participation rate of 84% (n= 11019). Participants completed anonymous standardised questionnaires during a single school lesson.
Results: The overall prevalence of weekly extremity pain was 22.4%, increasing to 40.7% for monthly pain. Girls had a significantly higher prevalence of weekly pain compared to boys (23.3%. vs 21.3% respectively, p=.007). Grade 10 girls reported the highest weekly pain prevalence (27.4%, p=<.001). Among grade 10 children not living with a parent, 18.5% reported daily extremity pain, rising to 36.9% (p=.002) for weekly pain in the same group. Additionally, 24.1% (p=.047) of grade 10 children from a lower socio-economic status reported weekly extremity pain. Older age, non-cohabitation with parents, and lower socio-economic status were associated with higher frequencies of extremity pain.
Conclusion: The high prevalence of extremity pain among Icelandic schoolchildren warrants attention as a public health concern. Health professionals, school administrators, and stakeholders should consider sociodemographic antecedents when formulating pain management strategies.
