Risk Factors for Headache in Children

Background: 10% to 30% of all children worldwide suffer from headaches at least once a week, potentially constituting a serious health problem that may lead to impairment in multiple areas. Therefore, one aim of the epidemiological longitudinal study "Children, Adolescents, and Headache" (KiJuKo) is the study of potential risk factors for the development of recurrent headaches. Methods: In the first survey (2003), questionnaires were sent to 8800 households with a child between 7 and 14 years of age. Three further surveys followed, one each year from 2004 to 2006. A number of predictors having to do with family characteristics and leisure activities were identified on the basis of the first survey and were then studied in the second survey (n = 2952) with respect to their influence on the new occurrence of headaches. Results: The risk of developing recurrent headaches between the first and the second survey was elevated by a factor of approximately 1.8 for boys who experienced quarrels in the family more than once per week, and by a factor of 2.1 for boys who only "sometimes" had free time for themselves. The risk of developing recurrent headaches was 25% higher in girls whose parents' behavior towards the child positively or negatively reinforced the occurrence of headaches. Conclusions: These findings are in accordance with those of other studies showing that, for boys, the frequency of quarreling in the family and the extent of leisure time are major factors in the development of recurrent headaches. For girls, the manner in which the parents respond to the child's headache seems to be important.