title: The epidemiology of low back pain in an adolescent population.
abstract: We assessed the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) in a cohort of 1242 adolescents (aged 11 through 17) currently participating in a 4-year prospective study of medically treated injuries. Overall, 30.4% of the adolescents reported LBP. The impact of LBP in adolescents was considerable, with one third resulting in restricted activity and 7.3% seeking medical attention. Life-table analysis demonstrated that by age 15, the prevalence of LBP increased to 36%. There were few differences by gender or race. These results suggest that LBP in adolescents is a serious public health problem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pa 15261.
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Dearwater
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kriska
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cauley
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Aaron
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: LaPorte
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D001416:Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015993:Life Tables; D008297:Male; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People