Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Reproducibility of a low back pain questionnaire in Tunisian adolescents

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Clinical Rheumatology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of a 28-item survey questionnaire for back problems in Tunisian adolescents. A test-retest design was used to investigate the reproducibility of the results obtained using the said 28-item survey questionnaire. Participants were recruited from two schools in Monastir. Seventy-two adolescents from the seventh, eighth, and the ninth grade participated in the inquiry. They have a mean age of 14.01 years (SD 1.67, range 11–19). High levels of reproducibility were found for items that evaluated perceived characteristics of back problems and functional limitation (kappa coefficient=0.71–1.00). The results suggest that the questionnaire used in the present study provided reproducible information and can be used as a survey tool for the investigation of low back problems in adolescents.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Balagué F, Dutoit G, Waldburger M (1988) Low back pain in schoolchildren—an epidemiological study. Scand J Rehabil Med 20:175–179

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Combs JA, Caskey PM (1997) Back pain in children and adolescents: a retrospective review of 648 patients. South Med J 90:789–792

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kristjánsdóttir G (1996) Prevalence of self-reported back pain in school children: a study of sociodemographic differences. Eur J Pediatr 155:984–986

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Leboeuf Y de C, Kyvik KO (1998) At what age does low back pain become a common problem? Spine 23:228–234

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Salminen JJ (1984) The adolescent back. A field survey of 370 Finnish school children. Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl 315:1–122

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Troussier B, Davoine B, de Gaudemaris R, Foconni J, Phelip X (1994) Back pain in school children. Study among 1178 people. Scand J Rehabil Med 26:143–146

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Balagué F, Troussier B, Salminen JJ (1999) Non-specific low back pain in children and adolescents: risk factors. Eur Spine J 8:429–438

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Balagué F, Skovron ML, Nordin M, Dutoit G, Waldburger M (1995) Low back pain in schoolchildren. A study of familial and psychological factors. Spine 20:1265–1270

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Salminen J, Pentti J, Terho P (1992) Low back pain and disability in 14-year-old schoolchildren. Acta Paediatr 81:1035–1039

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Fairbank JCT, Pynsent PB, Van Poortvliet JA, Phillips H (1984) Influences of anthropometric factors and joint laxity in the incidence of adolescent back pain. Spine 9:461–464

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Swärd L, Erikson B, Petersen L (1990) Anthropometric characteristics, passive hip flexion, and spinal mobility in relation to back pain in athletes. Spine 15:376–382

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Duggleby T, Kumar S (1997) Epidemiology of juvenile low back pain: a review. Disabil Rehabil 12:502–512

    Google Scholar 

  13. Wedderkop N, Leboeuf-Yde C, Andersen LB (2001) Back pain reporting pattern in a Danish population-based sample of children and adolescents. Spine 26:1879–1883

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Burton AK, Clarke RD, McClune TD, Tillotson KM (1996) The natural history of low-back pain in adolescents. Spine 20:2323–2328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Taimela S, Kujala U, Salminen J, Viljanen T (1997) The prevalence of low back pain among children and adolescents. A nationwide, cohort-based questionnaire survey in Finland. Spine 22:1132–1136

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Tesnière C (1996) Influence du Mobilier Scolaire Ergonomique sur les rachialgies. Thesis, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble

  17. Ehrmann-Feldman D (1998) Risk factors for the development of low back pain in adolescents. Thesis, McGill University, Montreal

  18. Zitting P, Rantakallio P, Vanharanta H (1998) Cumulative incidence of lumbar disc diseases leading to hospitalization up to the age of 28 years. Spine 23:2337–2344

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Goodman JE, McGrath PJ (1991) The epidemiology of pain in children and adolescents: a review. Pain 46:247–264

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Brattberg G (1994) The incidence of back pain and headache among Swedish school children. Qual Life Res 3:S27–31

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Staes F, Vervaet L, Stappaerts K, Everaert D (1995) Low back pain in Flemish adolescents: a preliminary study. Musculoskelet Manag 1:93–98

    Google Scholar 

  22. Gunzburg R, Balagué F, Nordin M, Szpalski M, Duyck D, Bull D et al (1999) Low back pain in a population of school children. Eur Spine J 8(6):439–443

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Troussier B, Marchou-Lopez S, Pirodeau S, Alais E, Grison J, Prel G et al (1999) Back pain and spinal alignment abnormalities in schoolchildren. Rev Rhum Engl Ed 66(7–9):370–380

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Landis RJ, Koch GG (1977) A one-way components of variance model for categorical data. Biometrics 33:671–679

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Staes S, Stappaerts K, Vertommen H, Everaert D, Coppieters M (1999) Reproducibility of a survey questionnaire for the investigation of low back problems in adolescents. Acta Paediatr 88:1269–1273

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Mehta TB, Thorpe DE, Freburger JK (2002) Development of a survey to assess backpack use and neck and back pain in seventh and eighth graders. Pediatr Phys Ther 14:171–184

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Kara-Terki R, Troussier B, Bosson JL, Phélip X, Juvin R (2001) Les facteurs de risque des lombalgies communes de l’adolescent: validation d’un autoquestionnaire. Rev Rhum Ed Fr 68:975 (Abstract C.23)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Roach KE, Brown MD, Dunigan KM, Kusek CL, Walas M (1997) Test–retest reliability of patient reports of low back pain. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 26:253–259

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rheumatology, EPS Monastir, 5000, Monastir, Tunisia

    Ismail Bejia, Nabiha Abid, Kamel BenSalem, Mongi Touzi & Naceur Bergaoui

Authors
  1. Ismail Bejia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nabiha Abid
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kamel BenSalem
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mongi Touzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Naceur Bergaoui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ismail Bejia.

Appendix

Appendix

Low back pain questionnaire in adolescents

Age:

 

 

 

Sex:

1 Male

2 Female

 

1. Past medical history?

1: Yes

2: No

 

If yes, to specify:

   

2. Past surgical history?

1: Yes

2: No

 

If yes, to specify:

   

3. Were your parents or brothers and sisters treated for rachialgia or sciatica?

1: Yes

2: No

 

4. Were your parents or brothers and sisters operated for a herniated disc?

1: Yes

2: No

 

5. Have you in the last 12 months missed school or sports activity because of:

   

 (1) Cervicalgia

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (2) Dorsalgia

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (3) Low back pain

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (4) Abdominal pain

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (5) Headaches

1: Yes

2: No

 

6. How many hours of sport do you have per week at school?

Hours/week

  

7. Do you play sport out of school?

1: Yes

2: No

 

If yes:

   

 (1) 1: Hobbies

2: Professional

  

 (2) How many hours per week?

Hours/week

  

 (3) Type of sport

1:

2:

 

8. Are you glad to go to school?

1: Yes

2: No

 

9. Did you already stay down for a year?

1: Yes

2: No

 

10. How do you go to school (means)? (by feet, car…)

   

11. How long do you put to come to school (in minute)?

Minutes

  

12. What is the number of home-to-school journeys per day?

   

13. How do you carry the satchel?

1: With hand

2: On the shoulders

 

14. How do you write?

1: Right-hand side

2: Left-hand side

 

15. Are you satisfied with the comfort and height of your school furniture?

1: Yes

2: No

 

16. You complain from?

   

 (1) Anxiety

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (2) Asthenia

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (3) Sleeplessness

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (4) Depression

1: Yes

2: No

 

17. Do you smoke?

1: Yes

2: No

 

If yes, how many cigarettes on average per day?

Less than 5

Between 5 and 20

More than 20

18. Do you watch television?

Never

Less than 2 h/day

More than 2 h/day

19. Did you suffered from rachialgia and/or a sciatica?

1: Yes

2: No

 

If not, stop answering.

   

If yes, thank you to answer the following questions:

   

20. These pains are with type of:

   

 (1) Cervicalgia

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (2) Dorsalgia

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (3) Low back pain

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (4) Sciatica

1: Yes

2: No

 

21. You feel these rachialgia when you:

   

 (1) Are lying?

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (2) Are seated?

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (3) Are upright?

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (4) Walk?

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (5) Practice sport?

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (6) Make a physical effort?

1: Yes

2: No

 

22. Do these rachialgias appeared following a traumatism?

1: Yes

2: No

 

If yes:

   

 (1) Type of the traumatism (road accident, sporting accident…)

   

 (2) Level of the traumatism (back, legs...)

   

 (3) What was your age at the time of the traumatism?

   

 (4) Were you hospitalized for this traumatism?

1: Yes

2: No

 

23. Do you have rachialgias for the last 7 days?

1: Yes

2: No

 

24. These rachialgias occurred:

   

 (1) During the last month?

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (2) During the last 12 months?

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (3) More than 1 year ago?

1: Yes

2: No

 

25. These rachialgias

   

 (1) Lasted less than 1 week?

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (2) Lasted less than 1 month?

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (3) Lasted between 1 and 3 months?

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (4) Lasted more than 3 months and they return regularly (=1 time/week)

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (5) Lasted more than 3 months and they return regularly (>1 time/week)

1: Yes

2: No

 

 (6) Are permanent

1: Yes

2: No

 

26. Have you seen a doctor for your rachialgias?

1: Yes

2: No

 

27. Did you miss sport because of your rachialgias?

1: Yes

2: No

 

28. Did you miss school because of your rachialgias?

1: Yes

2: No

 

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bejia, I., Abid, N., BenSalem, K. et al. Reproducibility of a low back pain questionnaire in Tunisian adolescents. Clin Rheumatol 25, 715–720 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-005-0150-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-005-0150-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation