Home Medicine Chronic pain in high school students is associated with physical activity and sleeping hours but not with screen time
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Chronic pain in high school students is associated with physical activity and sleeping hours but not with screen time

  • Anabela G. Silva EMAIL logo , Pedro Sá Couto , Alexandra Queirós , Maritza Neto and Nelson P. Rocha
Published/Copyright: June 17, 2017

Abstract

Background

Existing studies on the association between physical activity (PA), screen based time and sleeping show conflicting results.

Objective

This study investigates the association between chronic pain at different body regions and self-reported PA, screen based time and sleeping hours in high school students.

Subjects

A total of 969 students aged 13–19 years old.

Methods

Participants completed a questionnaire on chronic pain, time spent in moderate and vigorous PA, screen based time watching televivsion (TV)/digital versatile discs (DVD), playing, using mobile phones and computers and sleeping hours. Univariate and multivariate associations between pain and PA, screen based time and sleeping hours were investigated.

Results

In the univariate model time spent in moderate and vigorous PA, in screen based activities and sleeping were associated with pain in at least one body site. In the multivariate model, screen based activities were not associated with pain; sleeping 7 h or less and increased time in moderate PA were associated with pain at almost all body sites [odds ratio (OR) between 2.69–3.66 and 1.06–1.10, respectively].

Conclusion

Time spent in PA and sleeping increased the risk of chronic pain in almost all body regions and might confound the association between screen based time and pain.

Acknowledgment

The PSC’s work was supported in part by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), through CIDMA - Center for Research and Development in Mathematics and Applications, within project UID/MAT/04106/2013. Authors would like to thank the Direction of Agrupamento de Escolas de Ílhavo, the Physical Education teachers and the Centro de Saúde de Ílhavo.

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Received: 2017-01-27
Accepted: 2017-03-06
Published Online: 2017-06-17

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