Is low-back pain prevalent among Kuwaiti children and adolescents? A governorate-based study.
OBJECTIVE
To measure the magnitude of the problem of low-back pain among 10- to 18-year-old Kuwaiti schoolchildren in Hawalli Governorate.


METHODS
A cross-sectional multistage stratified random sample of 400 schoolchildren (199 males and 201 females) of ages 10-18 years were selected from two junior and two high schools in Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait. Data on age, gender and characteristics of low-back pain such as duration, location and frequency were collected through personal interviews using a questionnaire. Low-back pain was defined as pain in the back from the 12th rib to the buttock area.


RESULTS
According to our definition, reported lifetime prevalence of low-back pain was found to be 57.8% (50.8% in male and 64.7% in female students), while the point prevalence was 35% (20.6% in male and 39.3% in female students). More female students reported low-back pain than male students, and the prevalence of low-back pain was found to increase with age in both sexes. The age of onset of low-back pain was 14 years in males and 13 years in females. The majority of students (92.1% in males, 84.6% in females) reported pain in the low back. Almost 46% of students related their low-back pain to accidents. A significantly higher proportion of male students (58.4%, compared to females 36.2%) reported low-back pain caused by accident or with duration of recovery less than a week (21.8% for males as compared to 16.2% for female students). Female students reported more recurrent or continual low-back pain.


CONCLUSIONS
Low-back pain is common among Kuwaiti students in Hawalli Governorate. Prevalence of low-back pain increased with age in both sexes. Female students reported more frequent low-back pain than male students.
Shehab
Dia
D
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait. kiaa@hsc.kuniv.edu.kw
Al-Jarallah
Khaled
K
Al-Ghareeb
Fatima
F
Sanaseeri
Shamel
S
Al-Fadhli
Mariam
M
Habeeb
Seham
S
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007730:Kuwait / Q000453:epidemiology; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires