Characteristics of back pain in Polish youth depending on place of residence

Introduction and objective. Spinal pain (SP) has become a very common problem in contemporary societies and occurs in adults, youths, and even children. The aim of the study was to determine whether the prevalence and characteristics of SP, as well as the determinants leading to SP in Polish youths, vary depending on the place of residence. The determinants considered were out-of-school physical activity (PA) and physical work (PW), time spent at a computer and TV, and the level of psychosocial development expressed as the level of anxiety-trait. The restricting effect of the experienced SP on everyday functioning of youths was also analysed. Materials and method. A cross-sectional, population-based study comprising 502 village residents (VR) and 1,593 city residents (CR) aged 13–19, residing in 3 random Polish provinces. The tools used were a custom-designed survey and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) filled by students during classes. Results. The frequency and localisation of SP, the time and circumstances in which SP episodes occur, as well as the influence of the pain on everyday functioning, are the same in youths living in villages and youths living in cities. Slight differences in the correlation between the prevalence of SP and determinants of SP development related to lifestyle depending on the place of residence were observed. However, in both VR and CR the occurrence of SP is significantly correlated negatively with the level of psychosocial development. Conclusions. At present, the conditions of living in a rural and in an urban environment in Poland pose no specific threat determining the occurrence of SP in youths, and increasing the negative effect of the pain on the functioning of youths.