Article Text
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Context
Pain-related conditions affect an estimated 15–25% of children. These conditions are twice as prevalent as asthma and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with a similar prevalence to obesity. Unlike the three other conditions which are known to impose a heavy economic burden on families and society, little is known about the economic impact of paediatric pain-related conditions. The objectives of this study, therefore, are twofold: (1) to assess the impact of paediatric pain-related conditions on national healthcare expenditures and (2) to compare incremental healthcare expenditures associated with paediatric pain-related conditions relative to asthma, ADHD and obesity in children.
Methods
This cross-sectional study linked two large, nationally representative databases: the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and 2008 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Different years were used because …
Footnotes
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.