Leisure activities in adolescents with headache.

AIM: To investigate the association between different types of headache and leisure activities in 13-y-old schoolchildren.
METHODS: A population-based, cross-sectional study was performed through face-to-face interviews with age-matched cohorts with headache and asymptomatic controls. The present study comprised 59 children with migraine, 65 with episodic tension-type headache (TTHA) and 59 headache-free controls. In the interview, besides questions concerning headache, the children were asked open and structured questions about the type and amount of their leisure activities.
RESULTS: Children with migraine spent more time in sports activities than children with episodic tension-type headache or children without headache (test for trend, p<0.01; migraine: OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.9; tension-type headache: OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.7-1.1). The type of leisure activity was not significantly associated with headache type (p>0.05). Children with both migraine and episodic tension-type headache used computers more often than children without headache (test for trend, p<0.05; migraine: OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.5; tension-type headache: OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.5).
CONCLUSION: This study provides additional data on the activity status and headache complaints in adolescents. The results indicate that frequent computer use is associated with both tension-type headache and migraine, and intensive overall sports activities are characteristic of adolescents with migraine.