Cent Eur J Public Health 2024, 32(2):95-100 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8007

Predictors of children's headaches during the second COVID-19 pandemic wave in the country with long-lasting lockdown

Roma Jusienė¹, Lina Lisauskienė^{1, 2}, Edita Baukienė¹, Ilona Laurinaitytė¹, Rūta Praninskienė^{1, 3}, Vaidotas Urbonas^{1, 3}

¹ Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania

² Centre for Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hospital of Vilnius University Clinics of Santaros, Vilnius, Lithuania

³ Clinic of Children's Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania

Objectives: The current study examined the links and interactions among headaches, screen-based media use, physical activity, sleep, and the family environment in Lithuanian school-aged children during the second COVID-19 lockdown.

Methods: The study comprised data of 541 children aged 7-14 years from different Lithuania regions, and without chronic health conditions or developmental disorders. Information about the child was provided by their parents or caregivers who filled questionnaire on child's screen time, sleep duration and quality, physical activity, parental distress, parent-child relationship, history of child's headaches and infectious diseases.

Results: During the study period, 54% of the children had headaches, and the frequency was positively associated with child's age, screen time and parental distress, as well as negatively related to physical activity (PA), sleep quality, and the parent-child relationship. Parental education was related to child's PA, screen time and sleep quality. The results of binary logistic regression analysis and path analysis revealed that sleep quality and parental distress were significant predictors of headaches in children.

Conclusions: Family and child or adolescent education and lifestyle modification aiming to improve sleep hygiene and PA, and to reduce screen-based sedentary behaviour should be provided. Family centred approach for more effective coping with distress and improvement of parent-child relationship is also important in treating child and adolescent headache.

Keywords: children, COVID-19 pandemic, headache, screen-based media use, parenting behaviours

Received: August 9, 2023; Revised: June 28, 2024; Accepted: June 28, 2024; Published: June 30, 2024  Show citation