Pain Prevalence, Management and Interference Among University Students in South Korea: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study

Figures & data

Table 1 General Characteristics of Participants (N = 404)

Characteristics	Pain (n = 297)	No Pain (n = 107)	Total (n = 404)	χ^2 or t	p
	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)
Age, mean (SD), range	22.7 (2.90)	21.8 (2.04)	22.43 (2.73), 17–45	3.04	0.003
Gender
Male	98 (62.40)	59 (37.60)	157 (38.96)
Female	198 (80.49)	48 (19.51)	246 (61.04)	16.04	<0.001
Year in school
Freshman	67 (59.82)	45 (40.18)	112 (27.79)
Sophomore	81 (71.05)	33 (29.95)	114 (28.29)
Junior	40 (74.07)	14 (25.93)	54 (13.4)
Senior	89 (86.41)	14 (13.59)	103 (25.56)
Graduate school	19 (95.00)	1 (5.00)	20 (4.96)	24.65	<0.001
Major
Health related	91 (81.25)	21 (18.75)	112 (28.28)
Not health related	200 (70.42)	84 (29.58)	284 (71.72)	4.83	0.028
Frequency of physical activity lasting more than 30 minutes
None	158 (75.24)	52 (24.76)	210 (52.63)
1–2 times/week	97 (76.98)	29 (23.02)	126 (31.58)
3 or more/week	40 (63.49)	23 (36.51)	63 (15.79)	4.36	0.113

Table 2 Pain Duration, Areas, and Intensity of University Students Who Experienced Pain in the Past 6 Months (N = 297)

Characteristics	n	%	95% CI
Prevalence of pain	297	73.5	0.689, 0.776
Duration of pain
Less than one day	64	21.69	0.173, 0.287
1–7 days	160	54.24	0.485, 0.598
8–30 days	26	8.81	0.060, 0.126
1–3 months	22	7.46	0.049, 0.111
More than 3 months	23	7.79	0.052, 0.115
Painful body area	Frequency		Pain intensity (0–10 scale)
	n	%	M	SD
Shoulder	164	55.2	4.34	1.97
Head	136	45.8	4.74	1.96
Neck	127	42.8	4.42	2.07
Dysmenorrhea related	138	46.5	5.74	2.49
Abdomen	83	27.9	5.07	2.20
Stomach	75	25.3	4.60	2.40
Ankle	70	23.6	4.33	2.38
Wrists	68	22.9	3.82	1.88
Knee	68	22.9	4.57	2.22
Lower back	55	18.5	4.66	1.97
Legs	39	13.1	4.83	2.35
Chest	31	10.4	4.34	2.32
Upper back	31	10.4	4.34	2.10
Arms	20	6.7	4.48	1.57
Elbow	15	5.1	5.07	2.27
Malleolus	13	4.4	4.67	2.46
Others (eg, jaw, oral, ear, eyes, fingers, toes)	21	7.1	4.40	2.73

Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; IQR, interquartile range.

Table 3 Methods of Pain Management and Perceived Effectiveness Among University Students Who Reported Experiencing Pain in the Past 6 Months (N=297)

Pain Management Methods	Frequency		Perceived Effectiveness
	n	%	Mean (0–5)	SD
Seeking medical help	98	33.2	–	–
General practitioner	60	20.2	2.68	1.59
Physiotherapist	39	13.1	2.18	1.31
Chiropractor	7	2.4	3.33	1.75
setter	3	1.0	–	–
Traditional Chinese physician	31	10.4	2.20	1.35
Pharmacological Management
Use of any OTC medication	134	45.1	–	–
Pain relief pills (OTC)	167	56.2	3.28	1.17
Topical agents	57	19.2	2.59	1.33
Pain relief patch	95	31.9	2.37	1.28
Oral intake of Chinese Medicine	29	9.7	1.97	1.74
Non-pharmacological method
Any non-pharmacological method	170	57.2	–	–
Rest	109	36.7	3.25	1.19
Massage	88	29.6	3.03	0.98
Acupressure	69	23.2	2.65	0.94
Exercise	54	18.2	2.76	1.13
Heat application	40	13.5	2.80	1.14
Music	37	12.5	2.44	0.94
Acupuncture	36	12.1	3.08	1.16
Deep breathing	35	11.8	2.17	0.96
TENS	27	9.1	2.67	1.11
Cold application	20	6.7	2.40	0.82
Aromatherapy	5	1.7	2.20	1.10
TCM (eg, Cupping therapy, Scarping)	4	1.3	2.00	1.41

Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; TENS, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation; OTC, over-the-counter drug; TCM, traditional Chinese medicine.

Table 4 Pain Interference Among the University Students Who Experienced Pain in the Past 6 Months (N = 297)

Characteristics	Mean (0–5)	SD
Academic performance	0.92	1.32
General activity	2.25	1.50
Mood	2.57	1.62
Walking ability	1.48	1.61
Normal work	1.68	1.55
Relations with others	0.90	1.30
Sleep	1.62	1.63
Enjoyment of life	1.47	1.59
Overall interference	Median (IQR): 3 (1.5–4.5)	Range: 0–9

Abbreviation: IQR, interquartile range.

Table 5 Factors Associated with Self-Reported Negative Impact of Pain Among University Students Who Reported Experiencing Pain During Last 6 Months (N = 297)

Characteristics	Adjusted OR	Standard Error	p	95% CI
Gender (female)	1.17	0.504	0.713	0.504, 2.721
Major (health related)	1.49	0.559	0.281	0.719, 3.109
Painful body areas (>5)	2.98	1.106	0.003	1.442, 6.168
Pain duration*
1–7 days	3.01	1.328	0.013	1.265, 7.146
More than a week	4.46	2.395	0.005	1.555, 12.774
Pain intensity	1.67	0.184	< 0.001	1.346, 2.073
Use of OTC medication	1.54	0.576	0.246	0.741, 3.207

Note: *Reference group: less than one day.

Abbreviations: OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; OTC, over the count.