Table 2 Psychosocial and physical characteristics of 100, 8–19-year old care-seeking children and adolescents with musculoskeletal pain. N = 100. All numbers equals percentages because of the total population of 100

Pain outside school hours (n)

97

Nervous (n)

Often/sometimes: 34

Seldom/never: 66

Worried or anxious (n)

Yes: 33, No: 32, I don’t know: 35

Low self-esteem (n)

Yes: 7, No: 78, I don’t know: 15

Believe in God (n)

Yes: 36, No: 35, I don’t know: 29

Difficult to fall asleep because of pain (n)

38

Tired during the day (n)

57

Have a job (n)

33

Know the cause of pain (n)

58

Expect the GP to prescribe pain medication (n)

8

Pain affects my concentration (n)

58

Take pain medication for pain (n)

33

Frequency of pain medication (n)

Once/month: 13

Once/week: 12

More than once/week: 6

Every day 1

Know the name of pain medication, n = 26

Paracetamol: 17

NSAID^a: 1

Paracetamol and NSAID: 8

Physical active besides school hours times/week, n = 80^b

0: 0

1: 11

2–3: 39

4–6: 16

> 6: 5

Screen time/other activities mostly sitting down outside school hours hours/day^c (n)

0: 2

1–2: 36

3–6: 49

>/= 7: 7

Pain disturbs (separate questions) (n):

a walk longer than 1 km: 70

my spare time activities: 88

Pain makes it difficult to (more than one option could be ticked) (n):

stand in a queue for 10 min.: 36

carry my school bag to school 22

sit on a chair for a 45-min. Lesson 31

bend down to put on my socks: 33

do sport activities at school 79

run fast to catch a bus: 67