Pain Among Healthy Young, Middle-Aged, and Elderly Adults

Paper

Saturday, 22 July 2006

This presentation is part of : Strategies to Promote Health to High Risk Populations

Suzanne Prevost, RN, PhD, School of Nursing, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN, USA and Sheila M. Marquart, EdS, MSN, RN, Nursing, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN, USA.

Learning Objective #1: describe the most common types of pain experienced by healthy adults in 3 age groups.
Learning Objective #2: identify pain management interventions that would be perceived as helpful by healthy adults in 3 different age groups.

            The worldwide problem of pain has been studied extensively in care delivery settings. Less is known about pain among healthy people, even though it affects their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to describe pain experiences and interventions among healthy adults.
            We surveyed participants at health fairs held on a university campus and at three senior citizen centers. A descriptive comparative design was used. The sample included 375 participants; 159 under age thirty, 99 between thirty and sixty-five, and 117 over sixty-five. The mean age was 44.5 and 62.2% were females.
            All of the respondents reported experiencing pain during the past year. Of the 14 types of pain reported, headache was the most common among young adults and middle-aged adults. In elders, arthritis was most common, followed by back pain. Arthritis pain was significantly more common in women, and back pain was more common in men. When asked to rate their pain severity, the mean score for young adults was 3.94, vs. 4.35 for middle-aged, and 5.77 for elders. Among elders, 70.6% had seen a provider for pain, compared to 54.1% of the middle-aged, and 38.3% of the young adults. The number of different medications used to treat pain ranged from zero to seven. Acetaminophen was most commonly used by young adults and elders, whereas middle-aged adults used ibuprofen. When asked what type of pain-related services would be helpful, all groups expressed interest in classes on self-management of pain. Elders and young adults were interested in support groups. Middle-aged and young adults were interested in information via email.
            Pain is a problem that plagues people across all age groups. Since pain management is a basic component of nursing care, nurses should use a comprehensive approach to pain assessment with all populations and provide individualized interventions.

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See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)