A pilot survey of pain prevalence in schoolchildren

The present survey analyzed the prevalence of pain and its etiology in a sample of Spanish schoolchildren in relation to age and gender. The survey considered 571 students (57.8% girls) 6 to 15 years of age from two schools. A questionnaire was used to ask children about their present pain, their worst pain experience and the causes of both. Pain prevalence was 27.1% and no gender difference was seen but the younger group had a higher prevalence (32.7%). Most children (72.9%) were able to describe their present pain etiology, which was often related with medical illnesses (79.6%). Almost all children (90.5%) described their worst pain event and statistical differences (p < 0.001) were seen between younger (77.6%) and older children (95.6%). These differences by age were observed both in boys (p < 0.001) and girls (p < 0.05). The cause of the worst pain was significantly related with age (p < 0.001), and surgery and trauma events were more frequent in boys (p < 0.05). In conclusion, pain is a common everyday experience in children and most of them, even the younger children, were able to remember a painful event. This preliminary study suggests that pain is a common experience for many healthy children and also an early and remembrance experience.