Musculoskeletal Multisite Pain and Patterns of Association After Adjusting for Sleep, Physical Activity, and Screen Time in Adolescents

Study Design. Cross-sectional. Objective. This study aims to describe how pain at multiple body sites is associated after controlling for other predictive factors such as age, sex, sleeping hours, time spent in physical activity, and time spent in screening based activities in adolescents aged 13 to 19 years. Summary of Background Data. The prevalence of multisite pain in adolescents is high, but studies investigating the patterns of association between painful body sites are scarce. Methods. Pain for the last 3 months was assessed using Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. In addition, data on time spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity, sleeping, and in screen based activities were also assessed. Results. In univariable analysis of associations, there is a significant association between most painful body sites (odds ratio [OR\ between 1.52 and 3.73, P < 0.05). After controlling for age, sex, physical activity, sleep and screen time, most of the previous associations remain significant (OR between 1.50 and 3.07, P < 0.05). Conclusion. This study's results seem to suggest that pain at one body site is more important in determining multiple painful body sites than demographic or lifestyle factors. Longitudinal studies exploring the association and chronology of multisite pain are needed. Level of Evidence: 3