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Healthcare service use in adolescents with non‐specific musculoskeletal pain
Author(s) -
Masiero Stefano,
Carraro Elena,
Sarto Diego,
Bonaldo Lara,
Ferraro Claudio
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2010.01770.x
Subject(s) - medicine , referral , health care , physical therapy , healthcare service , population , musculoskeletal pain , musculoskeletal disorder , low back pain , back pain , family medicine , alternative medicine , medical emergency , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , environmental health , pathology , economics , economic growth
Aim: To estimate occurrence of non‐specific musculoskeletal pain in a wide population sample of Italian adolescents, and to investigate their use of healthcare services (seeking of medical attention, referral for diagnostic tests and treatment use). Methods: We investigated 7542 high‐school adolescents (aged between 12 and 16 years) by a structured questionnaire and consisting of personal data, presence of pain, health provider consulted, referral for diagnostic tests and compliance with the prescribed treatments. Results: In 3399 (45.1%) reported musculoskeletal pain (the most affected sites being the spine and knees), 2525 (74.2%) of whom had sought medical attention. Of the 2525 subjects who had sought healthcare, 1061 (42.0%) had consulted more than one health provider, 2410 (95.4%) had been referred for diagnostic tests, and some form of treatment had been recommended for 2445 (96.8%), but only 1694 (69.2%) had complied with prescribed therapies. The most important factors linked to health seeking behaviour were pain intensity, pain lasting longer than 3 months, injury, interruption to or absence of physical activity and localization in the spine and knee. Conclusion: Non‐specific musculoskeletal pain is a frequent event in Italian adolescents and that a large number of these subjects consult a healthcare service.