'Musculoskeletal complaints (MSC) are common among children, often persist into adolescence, and increase the risk of MSC in adulthood. Knowledge regarding determinants of MSC among children is limited,' investigators in Utrecht, Netherlands report (see also Mental Health).
'The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of MSC at age 11 years and to examine associations with sociodemographic factors, growth and development factors, mental health, tiredness, and lifestyle. Data from a Netherlands birth cohort study, the Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy (PIAMA) Study (n = 2,638), were used (1996-2009). MSC were defined as complaints about the back, an upper extremity, a lower extremity, or any of these sites. Logistic regression analyses using a forward stepwise procedure were performed on multiply imputed data. The 1-year period prevalences of back, upper extremity, and lower extremity complaints that lasted at least 1 month were 2.8%, 4.8%, and 10.9%, respectively. Only poorer mental health was consistently associated with all 3 types of complaints. Poorer mental health, daytime tiredness, early pubertal development, being physically active at age 11 years, and weight-for-height z score were associated with having any MSC,' wrote G. Hulsegge and colleagues, University Medical Center.
The researchers concluded: 'This study showed that MSC, especially lower extremity complaints, are common among 11-year old-children and that only poorer mental health status is associated with MSC at all anatomic sites.'
Hulsegge and colleagues published their study in American Journal of Epidemiology (Musculoskeletal Complaints Among 11-Year-Old Children and Associated Factors. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2011;174(8):877-884).
For additional information, contact G. Hulsegge, University of Med Center Utrecht, Julius Center Health Science & Primary Care, Utrecht, Netherlands.
The publisher of the American Journal of Epidemiology can be contacted at: Oxford University Press Inc., Journals Dept., 2001 Evans Rd., Cary, NC 27513, USA.
Keywords: City:Utrecht, Country:Netherlands, Region:Europe
This article was prepared by Mental Health Weekly Digest editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Mental Health Weekly Digest via NewsRx.com.
