The researchers analyzed data from an epidemiologic sample of 3,669 children and adolescents with an average age of 14 years and an average body mass index of 21.6 kilograms per square meter.
Five things to know about back pain among American youth:
1. Back pain in the previous year was reported by 33.7 percent of respondents, and 4.8 percent of these respondents reported current back pain.
2. Back pain incidence was significantly associated with age — for each increasing year, approximately 4 percent more youth reported back pain in the previous year.
3. Significantly more girls than boys reported back pain in the previous year — 38.3 percent versus 29 percent, respectively.
4. Of the 1,236 respondents who experienced back pain, 68.9 percent reported having lumbar pain.
5. Reports of back pain in the evening were more common than in the morning, and 15.1 percent of respondents reported that back pain woke them up overnight.
More articles on spine:
Humana launches bundled payments for spinal fusions at 4 practices, expands joint replacement program
29 spine, neurosurgeons on the move this year so far
Is price transparency positive or negative for spine? 3 surgeons weigh in
