Poster 245: Prevalence of Low Back Pain in 7542 School Children Between 13 and 15 Years

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) in adolescent subjects. Design: Screening program with questionnaire interview. Setting: Secondary school in Padova, Italy. Participants: 7542 adolescent subjects (3777 boys, 3765 girls; age range, 13−15y; average age, 14.8±1.1y). Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Prevalence of LBP and correlated factors. Results: 1180 subjects (15.6%) (429 boys, 751 girls) reported 1 or more episodes of LBP; of these, 324 (27.3%) requested further medical investigation. LBP was more frequent in girls (P<.000) and in subjects with familiarity with this problem (P<.000), with long sedentary periods during the day (P=.003), and who lacked regular sports activities (P<.000). In the subjects who practiced sports, aerobics activities correlated with LBP (P=.000), but no significant correlations were found with volleyball, basketball, soccer, and swimming, or with length of training (number hours per week) (P range, .323−.063). No significant correlation was found with height, weight, body mass index, smoking, or degree of academic gratification (P range, .323−.063). Conclusions: LBP is a frequent event in the adolescent population, particularly among girls.