The Danish Child and Adolescent Musculoskeletal Pain (ChiBPS) Cohort: Protocol for a Prospective Nationwide Cohort Study in General Practice
Conditions: Musculoskeletal Pain
Sponsor: Aalborg University

The Child and Adolescent Musculoskeletal (ChiBPS) Pain cohort:  
what are the bio-psycho-social prognostic factors for persistent pain?  
Protocol for a prospective nationwide cohort study in general practice 
 
 
Authors 
Pourbordbari N1, Jensen MB1, Olesen JL1, Holden S1, Rathleff MS1 
 
 
Authors and contact information 
Corresponding author Negar Pourbordbari MD,  
Research Unit for General Practice in Aalborg,  
Department of Clinical Medicine,  
Aalborg University,  
Denmark.  
 
 
 
Protocol version 1.12 
Date of final revision: August 20th, 2018 
 
 
Revision history: 
1.0-1.1       Edited by SH. 
1.1-1.2       Edited by MSR. 
1.2-1.3       Edited by MSR. 
 
1.3-1.4       Edited by MBJ, JLO and SH. 
1.4-1.5       Edited by MBJ, JLO, SH, and MSR. 
1.5-1.6       Edited by MSR. 
1.6-1.7       Edited by MBJ, JLO, SH. 
1.7-1.8       Edited by MSR. 
1.8-1.9       Edited by MBJ, SH    
1.9-1.10     Edited by MBJ, JLO, MSR, and SH. 
1.10-1.11   Edited by MBJ, SH, MSR, and JLO. 
1.11-1.12   Edited by MSR. 
 
 
 

 
Introduction 
Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is common among children and adolescents across different 
populations and nationalities with an exponential increase in incidence around the age of 10(1-4). 
A systematic review investigating the prevalence of chronic pain in adolescents reported that 40% 
experienced musculoskeletal pain at some point during the last 6 months(3). Similarly, Rathleff et 
al. reported high prevalence rates in a Danish context, with two out of every three adolescents 
reporting to have had MSK pain at any time(5). The most common pain sites were knee, back, and 
shoulder, with 33% of all adolescents reporting knee pain of whom approximately 2/3 had pain 
weekly or more often than that(6). A two-year prospective cohort study among 1300 11 to 13-
year-old Danish adolescents found that 79% of the female participants had a lifetime prevalence 
of neck pain and 61% mid back pain and that the pain was likely to progress, to more locations, 
higher frequency, and higher pain intensity over a two-year period(7). Musculoskeletal pain can 
have a major impact on the adolescents’ lives and cause them to withdraw from school, social and 
athletic activities(8), (9). The quality of life for adolescents with MSK pain is also lower than of 
adolescents without MSK pain(4, 10). 
Musculoskeletal pain in adolescents is much more persistent than commonly appreciated. It has 
previously been described as a self-limiting condition(11), but several studies indicate otherwise. 
In a cohort study of 564 11-year olds with weekly MSK pain, 50% of the participants still reported 
pain after one year(12). Prospective cohort studies of adults in general practice show that 16-32% 
of patients with knee pain still have pain after a year(11, 13). In accordance with this, Kastelein et 
al. found that 21% of 12 to 35-year-old patients had knee pain six years after initial general 
practitioner (GP) contact(11). Collectively, these studies highlight that a significant proportion of 
adolescents will continue to report pain even years after the initial onset of pain.  
 
Can we identify the adolescents with a high risk of MSK pain at follow-up? Our recent systematic 
review on children and adolescents with MSK pain indicates that female sex, depression, anxiety, 
and parental pain are associated with a higher risk of MSK pain at follow-up(14). However, the 
validity of these prognostic factors may be questioned as they have been tested in single cohorts 
and not validated in new external cohorts. Moreover, in accordance with our results, other studies 
identify emotional problems, psychological symptoms, and frequent exercise associated to a higher 
risk of MSK pain at follow-up(13, 15, 16). Huguet et al. reports low to very low quality of evidence 
for the association between female sex, depressive feelings, frequency of pain, participation in 
sports and type of MSK pain and prognosis(17). Given the paucity of high-quality evidence for 
prognostic factors in childhood and adolescent MSK pain, robust studies are needed to further 
explore prognostic factors in this population(17). We want to follow up on this need and conduct 
a cohort study with a similar aim as in our review; to investigate prognosis in youth MSK pain. In 
this cohort study, we will limit our participant group to those who are 8-19 years old, because our 
participants have to be able to provide self-reported data on a questionnaire. We will not include 
participants aged 0-7 years as they will have difficulties in doing so and because they i) only 
represent 2% of all patients consulting GPs in Denmark, with a musculoskeletal complaint(18) and 
ii) were sparsely represented in our systematic review which included a total of 23.933 
patients(14). 

 
At present we lack age-specific prognostic factors in adolescents with MSK pain, although 
multiple prognostic factors have been identified in adult MSK pain. One systematic review found 
that higher pain severity upon presentation to the GP, longer pain duration, multiple-site pain, 
anxiety and/or depression, higher somatic perceptions and/or distress, low social support, higher 
baseline disability, and greater movement restriction were all associated with a poor prognosis(19). 
Systematic reviews on adult knee pain suggest an association between low/middle education level, 
non-skeletal comorbidity, duration of knee symptoms of > 3 months, bilateral knee symptoms, 
self-reported warm knee, history of non-traumatic knee symptoms, valgus alignment and an 
unfavorable prognosis(20). Similar to findings in patients with adult low back pain, there was high 
evidence that fear-avoidance beliefs and meagre social support at work were associated with an 
poor prognosis(21).   
According to Smith et al. there is a statistically significant association between parental pain 
acceptance on child functional disability, which can be mediated by parent protective behavior and 
child pain acceptance(22). We also know from previous research that parents’ emotional, 
cognitive, and behavioral responses are highly influential upon children’s pain and functional 
outcomes(23-25). What valuable information can we extract from the parents of children and 
adolescents with MSK pain at follow-up? These statements highlight the importance of inclusion 
of parent characteristics including parent pain acceptance when investigating prognostic factors.  
 
If future studies are to tailor and target treatment for the adolescents with the highest risk of long-
standing MSK pain, there is a need to identify prognostic factors for an unfavorable prognosis. 
The aim of this prospective cohort study is to identify the most important prognostic factors for 
adolescents with MSK pain in general practice.  
 
Framing a research question 
To help frame our research question, and re-evaluate its strength and feasibility, we used the PEO 
approach (Population, Exposure, and Outcome) in conjunction with the FINER criteria (Feasible, 
Interesting, Novel, Ethical, and Relevant) (26, 27). 
 
 
PEO 
P 
Population 
 
Children, adolescents, youth, kids, young adults, teenagers 
E 
Exposure 
 
Prognostic factors, prognosis 
O 
Outcome of interest 
MSK pain at follow-up         
 
This leads to the objective of our study: 
The objective of this study is to investigate which descriptive patient variables (exposures) among 
8-19-year-old children and adolescents with self-reported MSK pain (population), collected at 
time of recruitment, are associated to a higher risk of pain (outcome) at follow up. 

 
FINER  
F 
Feasible 
-Adequate no. of subjects: 500 
 
 
 
-Technical expertise: N/A 
-Affordable in time and money: Time: short amount of time spent on 
recruitment per patient and recruitment executed by a GP employee or the 
GP. Money: a minimum cost per patient, according to rates by The 
Committee of Multipractice Studies in General Practice.  
-Manageable in scope: yes 
 
I 
Interesting 
-Yes, high persistence of youth MSK pain and parental child pain   
 
 
 
acceptance 
N 
Novel  
-Yes, lack of knowledge of prognostic factors in youth MSK pain 
 
 
 
and in the setting of general practice  
E 
Ethical  
-Yes, approved by the National Ethics Committee (NVK)(28), without  
 
 
 
cause for further application. 
R 
Relevant 
-To scientific knowledge: yes. 
 
 
 
-To clinical and health policy: yes. 
 
 
 
-To future research: yes. 
 
Methods 
Literature search to inform this study 
Before commencing the planning of this cohort study, we conducted a systematic literature search 
to see if other prospective studies had investigated the same research question or were planning to 
do so. None specifically investigated childhood or adolescent prognostic factors for MSK pain in 
a general practice setting, nor did any of the included studies find any treatment effect 
modifiers(14). The systematic review in mention, has now been completed and this cohort study 
is based on the findings from that review. The prognostic factors found in our review, sparsely 
covered ethnicity, race, parental income, and residence, which will be investigated in this study. 
We furthermore limit our patient group to 8-19 years in order to preserve focus on an age group 
for which only limited knowledge on prognostic factors is available.  
 
Design 
This study is a prospective cohort study. We will use the STROBE guideline to report our study 
findings(29). Below is an illustration of the time line for our study process (figure 1), inspired by 
the guidelines of Prognosis Research, made by the PROGRESS Group(30). For validation of the 
prognostic screening, we will use the Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model 
for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) Statement(31) and The TRIPOD Explanation 
and Elaboration document(32) (Appendix 4).

 
 
(NVK) National Scientific Ethics Committee 
Figure 1 Illustration of the timing of our study up to the point of publication and sharing of results.  
 
Study setting 
General practice clinics in Denmark.  
 
Eligibility criteria for participation of participants and parents 
Participants  
The children and adolescents must have self-reported MSK pain at the time of recruitment and consult 
the GP in relation to their MSK pain. The primary reason for consultation may not necessarily be 
listed as MSK pain, but to be eligible for inclusion, MSK pain must be mentioned during the 
consultation with the GP. We do not have a pre-defined minimum or maximum MSK pain duration 
as a eligibility criteria and patients are eligible whether or not they have previously consulted their 
GP for their current MSK complaint.  
We define MSK pain according to the International Association for the Study of Pain, IASP as: “pain 
arisen from muscle, tendon, bone, and joint”. Pain due to tumor, fracture, infection, or systemic and 
neurological cause will be excluded. Types of pain will be labelled according to the region affected, 
e.g. back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain etc(33).  
 
After consulting the GP in relation to MSK pain, inclusion and exclusion criteria will be applied as 
follows: 
 
Inclusion criteria:  
- 
8 to 19 years 
- 
Self-reported musculoskeletal pain 
 
Traumatic pain caused by soft tissue damage, contusion or otherwise (excluding fracture), will be 
included. 
 
Exclusion criteria: 
- 
0-7 or 20+ years  
- 
Self-reported musculoskeletal pain due to tumor, fracture, infection, or systemic and neurological 
causes. 
 
The inclusion and exclusion criteria will be determined at the following time-points: 
1.  During screening of the time schedule at the GP clinic 
2.  During the consultation with the GP 
3. During a phone call made by the research assistant to either the participant or her/his parent, after 
retrieving their completed questionnaire from the GP clinic.  
 
Parents 
Study 
funding 
approval
Protocol 
compilation
NVK & 
Multidisciplinary 
Committee 
approvals
Protocol 
registration in 
Clinical Trials
Protocol 
publication
Data 
collection
Data 
synthesis

 
 
Parental participation will only be eligible after inclusion of their child. If a child is not eligible, or 
parental consent is not acquired on behalf of the child or adolescent <15 years of age, the parent will 
not be eligible for inclusion.  
 
Declarations of consent 
As mentioned in FINER, this study is approved by the National Ethics Committee (NVK). 
Declarations of consent, provided by NVK will be collected from included participants and 
parents(28). Below are listed, declaration and participant age groups on which the declarations apply 
to. 
- Participants 18 - 19 years of age: declaration S1 (Danish, not included). 
- Participants 8 – 17 years of age: declaration S5, (Danish, not included) deputy consent to be 
provided by the holder of custody of the participant. As we have no intervention or invasive testing 
in our study, one parental signature is sufficient.  
 
Interventions 
We have no interventions for this study. 
 
Recruitment process  
Recruitment of GP clinics 
Our aim is to recruit a sample that represents the Danish child and adolescent population with 
musculoskeletal pain. For this purpose, we will invite GP clinics across Denmark through random 
recruitment procedure using random.org. Initially, we will recruit patients from a selected group of 
GPs, also representing the Danish child and adolescent population. Random recruitment will follow, 
and be based on experience from recruitment of the initial selected group. We recruit from an 
unselected list of GPs from across the country, and thereby invite a heterogeneous patient population 
in terms of mean income, mean life expectancy, and no. of GP visits etc.  
 
Assuring optimal recruitment of GP clinics  
According to Solberg LI 7 R-factors are important in the recruitment process and obtaining data(34). 
We will apply these on our recruitment process as follows:   
Relationship: between the first author NP (a medical doctor, GP-trainee and clinician) and her 
physician-peers. NP will make first contact to the GP clinics and offer to visit or meet on Skype, if 
necessary. A direct recruitment of clinicians by clinicians is a successful component of recruitment 
of clinicians(34).  
Reputation: NP is among her physician-peers known as a clinician and a researcher. 
Requirements: for participation in our project is at a tolerable and moderate level and the GP decides 
whether to recruit patients or have an employee doing this.  
Rewards: We compensate the GPs for their participation as datacollectors, with a fixed amount per 
included patient. This according to regulation §3 by The Committee of Multipractice Studies in 
General Practice(35). 
Reciprocity: A collaborative process of recruitment will take place, where the recruited clinics will 
contribute with participants and we will present our results to them in return. A short presentation of 
study results to the clinics will be offered after study completion. 
Resolution: A mean number of 3-7 calls is the most effective number, when recruiting(34), why we 
will adjust and be patient in repeating calls in attempt of a successful recruitment.   
Respect: In light of the first authors (NP) profession and clinical experience in GP, aware and 
respectful towards her fellow GPs work schedule, why participation will not be taken for granted, but 
appreciated.  

 
 
Included GP clinics will receive a bulletin paper for display in the waiting rooms of the clinics. This 
piece of paper will depict concise and short information of the study in different languages, and be 
used as a recruitment tool. The patient still has to visit the GP, before recruitment in this study. When 
a patient reads the information written in her mother tongue, she/he will potentially feel that the study 
is addressing her in a more personal matter, than otherwise when written in a foreign language. The 
intention of the bulletin is to create curiosity and interest for this study, among patients or relatives at 
the GPs office. This applies to everyone who knows with a child or adolescent with MSK pain.  
 
Recruitment of participants 
The GP is suggested ways of recruitment, in order to choose which best suits the infrastructure of the 
individual clinic.  
Recruitment by an employee: 
The employee executes the recruitment process with a screen of all scheduled patients for that day. 
This prior to the first consultation of the day. The eligibility screening has two criteria: 1. Cause for 
consultation including a MSK pain complaint and 2. Age 8 to 19 years. The word MSK is written 
next to the names of all eligible patients to indicate and remind the employee or the consulting GP to 
hand out the questionnaire to the patient, before they leave the clinic. 
 
Not to rarely, is the cause of consultation not mentioned on the schedule. In this case, the words OBS 
MSK is written next to the patients name, notifying the GP of unknown and potential eligibility of 
recruitment in the study. This, presumed that the patient is 8-19 years old. The GP will screen for 
eligibility during the consultation with the patient and hand out the questionnaire, if eligible. 
 
Recruitment by the GP: 
The GP screens the schedule for the day, and indicates eligibility with the word MSK written next to 
the patient name. 
When consulting a patient with the indicated MSK, the GP is reminded to hand the patient the patient 
material. This can be done, prior, during or in the end of a consultation while the patient is getting 
dressed. 
The patient hands in the completed questionnaire to an employee of the clinic, who stores it in a 
locked place. NP or her assistant will collect this in agreement with the clinic.  
 
It is also possible for the GP to include a patient if MSK pain comes up during the consultation, 
without prior mentioning and hence unknown by the employee. 
We will recruit patients from September 2018 to December 2019 and expect 500 participants in the 
ChiBPS cohort. If we are not able to recruit the number of participants according to our sample size 
calculations recruitment will continue until this number is reached.  
 
Recruitment of parents 
The child must first be included in the study in order for his/her parent(s) to be eligible. For included 
children, we will also request data from parents during a time window of two weeks from the time of 
Part-Quest receival. We are not selective as to if and how many of the parents wish to participate. 
Parents declining participation will not cause withdrawal of the childs’ eligibility or inclusion.  
 
Contingency plan for recruitment 
A tracking data base will be developed to facilitate tracking and accurate reminders to the clinics 
included. In the process of initial contact with the clinics, a number of expected included participants 
will be  estimated by each clinic. The clinic will make this estimate based on its patient demography, 

 
 
which can be different across clinics e.g. some clinics will have a majority of young patients and 
others the opposite. This number will indicate a minimum for successful recruitment.  
Upon agreement, the clinics will be approached with a friendly notification, in case recruitment falls 
below the self-anticipated number of participants. This notification can be followed by the achieved 
number of recruited participants for our study so far (from all clinics involved), with the intention of 
sharing our successful recruitment and providing the involved clinics with a sense of ownership and 
motivate further collaboration. The recruitment of GP clinics will be pilot tested in 1-2 Danish GP 
clinics and is expected to include two patients. We will be responsive toward any unaffordable 
planned proceedings and comments for improvement of the recruitment process.  
 
Baseline data and data collection  
The participant schedule of assessments consists of descriptive factors, measure through a 
questionnaire (table 1). The three questionnaires in this study cover all the assessments in table 1, 
without exception. The assessments are divided in both known and unknown significant prognostic 
factors, known similar significant prognostic factors and finally known significant prognostic factor 
which we don’t consider feasible in a GP setting, including reason. The table furthermore displays 
study period and differentiate between which assessments are measured in consideration of prognosis 
and which as primary and secondary outcome variables.  
Participant timeline and follow-up 
Participants will be followed from their initial GP consultation initiating the inclusion and onwards. 
The pre-defined follow-up assessments are 3, 6 (primary), and 12 months, but the cohort will be 
followed continuously onwards every 1-5 years. At follow-up, a research assistant working together 
with and supervised by NP will contact the participants on phone, to remind them of the follow-up 
questionnaire they will receive by e-mail. A similar process will be repeated at all follow-up time 
points. 
Table 1 displays a schedule of participant enrolment and assessments at 3, 6 and 12-months follow-
up, according to the SPIRIT guidelines(36, 37). All included participants will be registered at 
eligibility screen, acquired written consent, and assessments, the latter collected at both baseline and 
follow-up time points.  
 
Outcomes 
With our primary outcome we aim to capture pain that interferes with their everyday lives and collect 
the location of pain. The patient characteristics (exposures) are based on results from our systematic 
review(14), used in other studies (when including references). 
The specific wording in the outcomes and throughout the questionnaire has been piot tested among 
similar aged kids and adolescents. 
Our secondary outcomes highlight the development or potential aggravated psychological and social 
factors related to musculoskeletal pain at follow-up. 
 
Primary outcome  
1) MSK pain influence 
Q: Have you experienced pain in the past two weeks that have lead you to not being able to 
participate in play in the school yard or sparetime activities (ex. football or other sparetime 
activity)(38)? 
 

 
 
If yes, we ask them to draw the area where they have experienced this pain with the following 
question: 
Q: Draw on your body the areas you have had pain during the past two weeks (39).  
 
These two questions will form our primary outcome and will be collected at all endpoints.  
 
Secondary outcomes  
1) Problemfilled MSK pain.  
Q: Draw a circle around the area of your body, where you have had the most problems with 
pain. You may only draw one circle. 
2) Pain intensity depicted on Faces Pain Scale Revised (FPS-R) or a 10 cm VAS scale for 8-11 and 
12-19 year olds respectively (9). 
 
Exposures 
3) Self-reported anxiety.  
Q: “Do you feel anxious”? 
4) Self-reported depression (16).  
Q: “Do you feel depressed”? 
5) Self-reported low self-esteem (16).  
Q: “Do you think that you have low self-esteem”? 
6) Duration of troublesome pain episode (40, 41).  
Q: “How long does a pain episode usually last”? (see appendix 1 and 2 for the Q in full 
length). 
7) Frequency of troublesome pain episode (10, 42, 43).  
Q: “How often do have a pain episode?” (see appendix 1 and 2 for the Q in full length). 
8) Nervousness (41). 
 
Q: “How often do you feel nervous?” (see appendix 1 and 2 for the Q in full length). 
9) Higher disability index (12, 44). 
Q’s with yes/no answers:  
1. is it difficult to fall asleep because of pain?  
2. is it difficult to sit during a lesson?  
3. does your pain disturb a walk longer than 1km?  
4. does your pain disturb your physical exercise?  
5. does your pain disturb your hobbies?  
10) Higher HFAQ level (40). 
Q: “Does your pain make any of the following acitivities difficult”?  
1. reaching up to get a book from a high shelf  
2. carrying your school bag to school  
3. sitting on a school chair for a 45 min. lesson  
4. standing in a queue for 10 min.  
5. sitting up in bed from a lying position  
6. bending down to put your socks on  
7. standing up from an armchair at home  
8. running fast to catch a bus  
9. sport activities at school  
11) Tired during the day (42, 45). 
 
Sample-size 

 
 
The sample-size in this study was determined using the two following rationales: 1) a sample-size 
large enough to test and replicate the analyses from previous studies on. Given the prior odds (0.5, 1, 
2) of follow-up MSK pain for patients, using estimates for the prognostic factors female sex, high 
disability index, multisite pain, and maximum HFAQ from our systematic review(14). We gained an 
estimate of P-values according to sample size, for all factors individually (Appendix 8). Sample size 
of 500 patients, would result in an estimate of P-values below 0.05 for all prognostic factors and 2) 
investigate a range of new prognostic factors related to the sparsely investigated ethnicity and 
socioeconomic status. As no one has yet tested any of these potential important prognostic factors, 
and never in a general practice setting, we decided on 500 subjects. The 500 subjects was decided 
based on 250 cases (we assume 50% will continue to experience pain at our primary follow-up time) 
giving approximately 125 cases per prognostic factor (500/number of prognostic factors). The results 
from this analysis will be considered as explorative as no studies have previously been conducted in 
a general practice setting. Again, assuming 50% has pain at follow-up and 20 events for each to be 
tested factor are needed. The model should allow for 10-15 vairables in a multivariable logistic 
regression analysis. This would lead to a sample size of 480. Assumed, 5% is lost to follow-up and 
we have a sample-size of 504 included participants. Given the high prevalence of MSK pain at follow-
up, this sample-size is feasible to include.  
 
Questionnaires 
We use three questionnaires in data collection of patient and parent characteristics: participant 
baseline questionnaire (Part-Quest-base) (Appendix 1), participant follow-up questionnaire (Part-
Quest-follow-up) (Appendix 2), and the parent questionnaire (Pare-Quest) (Appendix 3).  
In relation to our study, all these factors have an interest as to whether they present as prognostic 
factors in MSK pain at follow-up. We questioned whether it would be ethical to ask the question “Do 
you feel Danish?”, why we conducted an intern survey among a group of seven immigrants and one 
descendant, representing five countries, from Europe and the Middle East. Among the immigrants, 
only one felt offended by this question. The rest did not, but two out of these said they would have 
felt offended, if they were born in Denmark. The descendant was not offended by the question. We 
decided to keep this question as part of our questionnaire and keep it applicable for all participants 
including the ethnic Danes, because we can’t presuppose this patient groups’ answer to this question. 
Hence the answer is a potential prognostic factor.   
The questionnaires will be pilot tested among target participants; Part-Quest among 8-19-year-olds 
with MSK pain and the Pare-Quest among parents to children with MSK pain. 
 
Translation of questionnaires  
Our questionnaires wil be cross-cultural adaptive for participants with poor Danish language skills, 
insufficient to comprehend the original Danish questionnaires. In the process of translation and 
validation, we will translate our questionnaires both linguistically and culturally. Our three 
questionnaires and our bulletin will be translated from English to Danish, which is the mother tongue 
of the majority of our prospective participants.  
The Part-Quest, Pare-Quest, and The Faces Pain Scale Revised (FPS-R) will be translated into 
Danish, following the general methodology of translation, back-translation, and verification (46): 
1. English to Danish. Translation by a pool of 5-7 researchers fluent in English and Danish, with the 
latter as their mother tongue. 
2. The Danish version will be read by 3-4 teachers, nurses, or physicians who are all familiar with 
young children’s use of language, to ensure suitability for children 8-11 years of age. 

 
 
3. The Danish version will be back-translated into English by a bilingual person who does not know 
anything about the questionnaires  and has not see the original version. The original and the back-
translated versions will be compared and needed adjustments will be made. 
4. The Danish version will be pilot-tested with 2-3 children 8-11 years of age. 
 
Some participants will be anticipated to have poor English and Danish language skills, insufficient to 
comprehend neither the original English or the Danish questionnaire.  
To ensure cross-cultural adaptivity for these participants, we will translate our Danish questionnaires 
both linguistically and culturally by using professional, hired translators in translation of Danish to 
Farsi or Danish to Arabic. Translation by experienced authorized translaters with not only the target 
language as their mother tongue, but also familiar with the cultural aspects embedded in the target 
language. 
 
Persian and Arabic FPS-R are available and will be applied in the Persian and Arabic Part-Quest 
versions respectively(46). 
  
The questionnaires, will be handed to the participants and their parents in paper. If they are not able 
to complete the questionaires while still in the clinical setting (waiting room) and hand them to the 
secretary when completed, they may at a later point in time (no later than seven days) hand them in 
at the clinic. Seven days of response time, will be applicable also for follow-up questionnaires, before 
a reminder is sent out. In contrary to the baseline questionnaire, the follow-up questionnaires will be 
administered to the participants and parents through e-mail. If for some reason a participant do not 
respond within the given time limit, he/she will be reminded by e-mail or phone. This will be executed 
by the assistant, to ensure a satisfactory follow-up rate.  
 
Data management 
Retrieved data from both baseline and follow-up participant questionnaires and parent questionnaire 
will be handled as follows according to the Danish Data Protection Agency(47): 
- All personal information is electronic kept in a brief dedicated to the ChiBPS study, on a server 
owned by Aalborg University (AAU).  
- This study will be described in a secure web database, REDCap under AAU server, including who 
has access to the data and when data is to be deleted. 
- To access AAU server and included briefs, a username and password is needed. Only involved 
researchers will have this access granted. The responsible author NP will store a key file and raw 
datafiles in a locked brief (passwords to this brief is kept on paper in an envelope in a locked cabinet 
in her affiliated address, which is also locked, and only researchers with relevant errand has access.  
 
Hereafter, data will be extracted from REDCap and transferred to a table similar table 1, which will 
then be anonymized through participant ID. 
 
Statistical methods 
Descriptive results will be stratified by sex and MSK pain type, presented with their central estimate 
and appropriate measure of dispersion (95% confidence interval CI). All descriptive statistics and test 
will be reported in accordance to the recommendations of the STROBE statement(29). 
We will test the univariate association between each potential prognostic factor as well as combining 
the factors in a multivariable model to show the individual contributions. 
The primary analysis will be done on those who has a first time consultation with their GP concerning 
their current MSK pain, but all consultations will be included. 

 
 
The full statistical analysis plan will be developed concurrently and will be finalized before the last 
patient is enrolled. We minimize information bias by using identical questionnaires for all patients 
included, e.g. by asking both Danes and non-Danes whether they feel Danish or not.  
 
Ethics and dissemination  
The Ethics Committee of the North Denmark Region has waived the need for ethical approval of this 
study (date 090617). The Multidisciplinary Committee has approved the study and recommends 
Danish GPs to participate (ID: MPU 20-2017 / date 100117). We are currently applying their grant, 
to provide compensation to the included GPs for every recruited participant they provide to the study. 
The Danish Data Protection Agency has similarly granted access to the project (date 101717). All 
mentioned reviews are executed prior to protocol registration in ClinicalTrials.gov and to enrollment 
of the first participant (figure 1). 
 
The adolescents included in the ChiBPS cohort will receive usual care, i.e. as usually administered at 
their GP. This study will not intervene in the diagnostic and therapeutic process.  
The manuscript will be submitted for publication in an appropriate peer-reviewed journal. In addition 
to this we will produce material for distribution among general practitioners and other healthcare 
providers managing children and adolescents with MSK pain. This will be done by data visualization 
through social media, websites and patient associations. The included participants will also be offered 
knowledge sharing of study results, if interested.  
Since our target audience is general practitioners, we want our prognostic factors to be applicable in 
a GP setting in relation to the terminology they are presented in as results of this study. In order to 
gain recognition of this, NP will create a temporary subgrouping, based on the prognostic factors 
from our recent systematic review. She will convey this subgrouping to a focus group45 consisting of 
15 clinically experienced, Danish GP physician peers for feedback on the suggested terminology in 
subgrouping of the prognostic factors. She will ask for any concerns in comprehension including any 
suggestions towards an easy digestible language, in the context of general practice.   
 
Discussion 
One of the strengths of our study is the setting of general practice, which is a sparsely researched in 
relation to adolescent MSK pain. 
Among our variables we collect data on MSK pain type and consider the answer to this question as a 
potential prognostic factor for MSK pain at follow-up, but can patellofemoral pain (PFP) be 
considered as a prognostic factor for a child with knee pain? In our recent systematic review, we 
found PFP diagnosis compared to other types of knee pain among 16 to 18 year olds as a prognostic 
factor (p=0.01)(14). 
The PROGRESS Group differentiate between four types of prognostic research among which, more 
than one type fits our study; types one (fundamental prognosis research) and four (stratified medicine 
research) matches our short and long term goals, respectively(48, 49). The aim of this type of research 
is to identify specific biological or risk characteristics shared by subgroups of patients that predict an 
individual’s response to treatment. This allows the clinician to tailor a treatment for the individual 
patient with the aim of gaining the most effective treatment benefit. 
 
 
 

Appendix 1: Participant Baseline Questionnaire (Part-Quest-baseline) 
 
Your name ______________________ Your phone no. ___________ Your e-mail ___________________ 13 
1. Is this your first consultation with your general practitioner concerning your current musculoskeletal pain 
condition? Mark one answer. 
o Yes  
o No, this is consultation number _____ with my current musculoskeletal pain condition  
2. Draw a circle around the stage of your current physical features. Girls draw on the right figure and  
boys on the left.  
3. How tall are you? _______________ cm 
4. How much do you weigh? ________ kg 
 
Below is a drawing of your body. 
 
5. Draw on your body the areas you have had pain or it has hurt, during the 
past two weeks. If you haven’t felt hurt or pain during the past two weeks or 
currently, please write X here _______ (50) 
 
6. Have you felt hurt during the past two weeks leading to not being able to 
participate in play in the school yard or sparetime activities (ex. football or 
other sparetime activity?        yes _____  no _____ 
 
7. Draw a circle around the area of your body, where you have had the most 
problems with pain. You may only draw one circle.  
 
8. Mark the statements below, that are true about your pain. You may mark 
more than one. 
o it can easily be ignored  
         
o it affects my concentration  
o sometimes I have to take pain medication    
o sometimes I can't attend school because of the pain. 
 
If you are 8 to 11 years old, please answer question 9. 
If you are 12 to 19 years old, please skip question 9 and answer question 10. 
 
9. These faces show how much something can hurt. 
                        This face shows no pain. 
 
 
 
                                                                                 The faces show more and more pain up to this one  
                                   – it shows very much pain. Circle the face that shows how much you hurt  (46). 
 
10. On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst possible pain, circle the number that best 
represents your pain (9). 
 
 
     0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7       8       9       10      
     0                  2                   4                  6                   8                 10      

Appendix 1: Participant Baseline Questionnaire (Part-Quest-baseline) 
 
Your name ______________________ Your phone no. ___________ Your e-mail ___________________ 14 
11. How long have you had your current pain? (50)____________ 
 
12. What is the cause for your current MSK pain (ex. a fall, a hit or other)? (If you are familiar with it) 
(50)___________________   
 
13. How long does a pain episode usually last (40)?                14. How often do have a pain episode?(51)  
o Less than 3 hours 
 
 
 
 
        o At least once a weak  
o Less than 24h  
 
 
 
 
        o Less than once a week 
o 1-7 days 
 
 
 
 
 
          
o More than 7 days  
 
 
 
 
 
 
15. How often do you feel nervous?(52)  
 
16. Which zipcode(s) do you live in? _________ 
o Often/sometimes 
o Seldom/never 
 
17. If not born in Denmark, in which country were you born and how long have you lived in Denmark?  
o Country of birth_______________ 
o Months/years lived in Denmark__________________ 
 
18. What do you feel the most as? (53) Please answer this question, no matter country of birth. 
o Danish 
 
o Danish with foreign background 
 
o Foreigner 
 
o I don’t know 
 
19. How large a part of your friends have immigrant background/not born in Denmark? (53) Mark one. 
o None                    o Almost none                    o Almost all                    o All  
 
20. Outside school hours, how many hours a day do you spend watching TV/tablet/mobile 
phone/computer or do other activities when mostly sitting down(39)?  
_____hours/day  
 
19. How much do you sleep on average per night(43)?  
o  7 hours or less  
o  8-10h  
 
o  More than 10 hours  
 
21. Are you physical active besides school hours? (10) 
o Yes  
If yes, how many times per week are you physical active besides mandatory physical education during 
school hours?____________ _____  
o No 
 
22. How often do you drink alcohol? (39, 54)                          
23. Do you smoke cigarettes(55)?  
o More than once a month  
 
 
 
 
o Yes, less than 1 a day 
o Approximately once a month    
 
 
 
o Yes, 1-4 a day 
o Less than once a month  
 
 
 
 
o Yes, 5-9 a day 
o I have only had alcohol one time 
 
 
 
o Yes, more than 9 a day 
o I have never had alcohol 
 
 
 
 
o No, I don’t smoke cigarettes 
 
24. How many siblings (including non-biological) do you have? ______  
–What number are you in your group of siblings? ______ 
 

Appendix 1: Participant Baseline Questionnaire (Part-Quest-baseline) 
 
Your name ______________________ Your phone no. ___________ Your e-mail ___________________ 15 
25. Do you expect to be free of your current pain in the future?  
o Yes, in the near future  
o Yes, in the long term future          o No 
 
26. Why did you come to your doctor today? You may choose more than one answer with circles. 
o I want my pain to stop     
 
o I am worried about the cause of my pain     
o My family made me come 
o I have a personal problem      
o Because of my pain, I can’t use my body as I used to 
 
27. Do you take painkillers, and what do you take? (50)             28. Do you expect your doctor to give you  
o Yes, I take _______________ .                                                 medication for your pain?  
 
If yes, how often do you take them?_________________          o Yes, I would like that 
o Yes, I take painkillers, but don’t remember the name              o No  
o No, I don’t take painkillers 
 
29. If you have a job, how would you generally describe your physical activity in your job? (56) Please 
choose one. 
o Mostly sedentary work that does not require physical exertion 
o Mostly standing or walking work, which otherwise does not require physical exertion 
o Standing or walking work with some lifting or carrying work 
o Heavy or fast work shich is physically strenuous 
o I don’t have a job   
o I don’t know 
 
In the following last 
questions mark “x” in 
yes or no
Does your pain make any of the following acitivities difficult(40)?  Yes No 
-reaching up to get a book from a high shelf 
 
 
-carrying your school bag to school 
 
 
-sitting on a school chair for a 45 min. lesson 
 
 
-standing in a queue for 10 min 
 
 
-sitting up in bed from a lying position 
 
 
-bending down to put your socks on 
 
 
-standing up from an armchair at home 
 
 
-running fast to catch a bus 
 
 
-sport activities at school 
 
 
 
Yes  No  
Is your pain radiating to your legs or arms(40)? 
 
 
Do you feel anxious(57)? 
 
 
Do you think that you have low self-esteem(57)? 
 
 
Do you believe in God? 
 
 
Is it difficult to fall asleep because of pain(44)? 
 
 
Is it difficult to sit during a lesson(44)? 
 
 
Does your pain disturb a walk longer than 1 km(44)? 
 
 
Does your pain disturb your physical exercise(44)? 
 
 
Does your pain disturb your hobbies(44)? 
 
 
Do you have pain outside school hours? 
 
 
Are you tired during the day(16)? 
 
 
Do you feel depressed(44, 57)? 
 
 

Appendix 2: Participant follow-up Questionnaire (Part-Quest-Follow-up)  
 
Your name ______________________ Your phone no. ___________ Your e-mail ___________________ 16 
1. How many consultations have you had with your general practitioner concerning your current 
musculoskeletal pain condition during the last 3 months(/3 months/6 months at respectively first, second, 
and third follow-up questionnaires)?________________________ 
 
2. Draw a circle around the stage of your current physical features. Girls draw on the right figure and boys 
on the left.  
3. How tall are you now? _______________ cm 
4. How much do you weigh now? ________ kg 
 
Below is a drawing of your body.  
 
 
5. Draw on your body, the areas you have had pain or it has hurt, during the 
past two weeks. If you haven’t felt hurt or pain during the past two weeks or 
currently, please write X here _______ 
 
6. Have you felt hurt during the past two weeks leading to not being able to 
participate in play in the school yard or sparetime activities (ex. football or 
other sparetime activity? ?        yes _____  no _____ 
 
7. Draw a circle around the area of your body, where you have had the most 
problems with pain. You may only draw one circle. 
 
8. Draw circles around the statements that are true about your pain. You 
may choose more than one statement. 
o it can easily be ignored  
         
o it affects my concentration  
o sometimes I have to take pain medication    
o sometimes I can't attend school because of the pain 
 
If you are 8 to 11 years old, please answer question 9. 
If you are 12 to 19 years old, please skip question 9 and answer question 10. 
 
9. These faces show how much something can hurt. 
                                     
This face shows no pain. 
 
 
 
                                                                                 The faces show more and more pain up to this one  
                                   – it shows very much pain. Circle the face that shows how much you hurt. 
 
10. On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst possible pain, circle the number that best 
represents your pain (9). 
     0                  2                   4                  6                   8                 10      
     0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7       8       9       10      

Appendix 2: Participant follow-up Questionnaire (Part-Quest-Follow-up)  
 
Your name ______________________ Your phone no. ___________ Your e-mail ___________________ 17 
11. What is the cause for your current MSK pain (ex. a fall, a hit or other)? (If you are familiar with it) 
_____________________________  
12. How long does a pain episode usually last?     
13. How often do have a pain episode?  
o Less than 3 hours  
 
 
 
 
o  I don’t have breaks from the pain 
o Less than 24 hours 
 
 
 
 
o At least once a weak 
o 1-7 days 
 
 
 
 
 
o Less than once a week  
o Longer than 7 days  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14. How often do you feel nervous? 
 
o Often/sometimes 
o Seldom/never 
 
15. How large a part of your friends have immigrant background?  
o None  
o Almost none  
o Almost all 
o All  
 
16. Outside school hours, how many hours a day do you spend watching TV/tablet/mobile 
phone/computer or do other activities when mostly sitting down? _________hours/day  
 
17. Are you physical active besides school hours? 
o Yes - how many times per week are you physical active besides mandatory physical education during 
school hours?____________ _____  
o No 
 
18. Do you smoke cigarettes?  
o Yes - how many cigarettes a day? o less than 1    o 1-4    o 5-9    o more than 9  
o No 
 
19. Do you expect to be pain free in the future?  
o  Yes, in the near future  
o  Yes, in the long term future 
 
o  No 
 
20. Why did you come to your doctor today? You may choose more than one answer with circles. 
o  I want my pain to stop    
o  I am worried about the cause of my pain     
o  My family made me come 
o  I have a personal problem     
o  Because of my pain, I can’t use my body as I used to 
 
21. Do you expect your doctor to give you medication for your pain? 
o  Yes, I would like that  
 
o  No, I don’t think so 
 
 
o  I don’t know 
 
22. If you have a job, what do you do__________________ and how many hours do you work on a 
weekly basis?  ______________ 
 
In the following last questions mark “x” in either yes or no 
Does your pain make any of the following 
acitivities difficult? 
Yes 
No 
-reaching up to get a book from a high shelf 
 
 

Appendix 2: Participant follow-up Questionnaire (Part-Quest-Follow-up)  
 
Your name ______________________ Your phone no. ___________ Your e-mail ___________________ 18 
 
 
-carrying your school bag to school 
 
 
-sitting on a school chair for a 45 min. lesson 
 
 
-standing in a queue for 10 min 
 
 
-sitting up in bed from a lying position 
 
 
-bending down to put your socks on 
 
 
-standing up from an armchair at home 
 
 
-running fast to catch a bus 
 
 
-sport activities at school 
 
 
 
Yes  No  
Is your pain radiating to your legs or arms? 
 
 
Do you feel anxious?  
 
 
Do you think that you have low self-esteem? 
 
 
Do you believe in God? 
 
 
Is it difficult to fall asleep because of pain?  
 
 
Is it difficult to sit during a lesson? 
 
 
Does your pain disturb a walk longer than 1 km?   
 
Does your pain disturb your physical exercise?  
 
 
Does your pain disturb your hobbies?  
 
 
Do you have pain outside school hours 
 
 
Are you tired during the day? 
 
 
Do you feel depressed? 
 
 

Appendix 3: Parent Questionnaire (Pare-Quest) 
Your name ______________________ Your phone no. ___________ Your e-mail ___________________ 19 
1. What is you relation to the child? (58)                                            2. What is your biological relation to your child? 
o 
 Mother  
 
 
 
 
 
o Biological parent 
o 
 Father   
 
 
 
 
 
o Stepparent 
o 
 Other   
 
 
 
 
 
o Adoptive parent 
3. How old are you? _______ 
4. What are your living arrangements with your child?  
o 
 My child does not live with me  
o 
 My child lives with me part time  
o 
 my child lives with me full time 
5. What is your relationship status with your child’s other parent?  
o 
 I am married to my child’s other parent  
o 
 I live with my child’s other parent outside marriage    
o 
 I am separated/divorced from my child’s other parent/we don’t live together  
6. Where were you born? (58) 
o 
Denmark 
o 
Other – where? __________and how many months/years have you lived in Denmark?__________ 
7. Do you smoke cigarettes? yes / no 
8. Have you experienced chronic pain of more than 6 months, associated with arthritis, migraine, cancer, stomach 
ulcers or in your muscles, bones or tendons? (59) yes / no 
9. Has one or more of your child’s siblings had pain in their muscle, joint, bone or tendon? yes / no 
10. Do you take pain killers, when you feel pain? yes / no 
11. What do you feel the most as?                                                                     12. Are you religious?  
o 
 Danish   
 
 
 
 
 
o Yes 
o 
 Danish with foreign background   
 
 
o No 
o 
 Foreigner  
 
 
 
 
 
o I don’t know 
13. What is your profession? _________________ and how many hours do you work on a weekly basis? _______ 
14. How many years of education have you had? (58) 15. What is the total income of your household b. tax? (58) 
o < 10 years 
 
 
       
 
 o <200.000DKR       
o High school or other 10-12 years       
 
 o 200.000-350.000DKR       
o Bachelor or other 13-15 years 
      
 
 o 350.000-750.000DKR       
o University or other 15-17 years_       
 
 o >750.000DKR 
o PhD or other > 18 years 
16. Has a health care professional ever given your child the diagnosis hypermobility? yes / no 
17. Does your child have a measured/known vitamin D insufficiency? yes / no 
18. Has your child been vaccinated (once or more) against HPV (Human Papilloma Virus)? yes / no 
19. Has your child received physiotherapy in the past 6 months for the current pain condition? yes / no 
20. Do you believe your child feels anxious or depressed? yes / no 
21. Do you believe your child has low self-esteem? yes / no 
22. Have you accepted your child’s pain condition? yes / no 
23. Would you like the general practitioner to give your child pain medication? yes / no 
24. Why did your child visit the doctor with his/her pain condition? You may circle more than one answer. 
o 
 For pain relief     
o 
 My child is worried for the cause of pain     
o 
 I am worried for the cause of pain     
o 
 Family pressure/encouragement     
o 
 The pain condition is a personal problem for my child     
o 
 The pain condition is my personal problem     
o 
 My child is due to the pain condition not able to use his/her body as usual 
25. Is your child rather solitary? y/n Does he/she tend to play alone? y/n Does he/she have at least one good friend? 
y/n Is he/she generally liked by other children? y/n Is he/she picked on/bullied by other children? y/n Does he/she 
get on better with adults than with other children? Mark y or n to all.

Appendix 4: TRIPOD Checklist 
 
Your name ______________________ Your phone no. ___________ Your e-mail ___________________ 20 
 
 
  

Appendix 5: Sample size 
 
 
21 
 

Appendix 5: Sample size 
 
22 

Appendix 5: Sample size 
 
23 
 

Appendix 5: Sample size 
 
24 
 
 

 
 
25 
References 
1. 
De Inocencio J. Epidemiology of musculoskeletal pain in primary care. Arch Dis Child. 
2004;89(5):431-4. 
2. 
Hofel L, Draheim N, Hafner R, Haas JP. Pain syndrome of the musculoskeletal system in 
children and adolescents. Zeitschrift Fur Rheumatologie. 2016;75(3):292-301. 
3. 
King S, Chambers CT, Huguet A, MacNevin RC, McGrath PJ, Parker L, et al. The 
epidemiology of chronic pain in children and adolescents revisited: a systematic review. Pain. 
2011;152(12):2729-38. 
4. 
Auvinen JP, Paananen MVJ, Tammelin TH, Taimela SP, Mutanen POA, Zitting PJ, et al. 
Musculoskeletal pain combinations in adolescents. Spine. 2009;34(11):1192-7. 
5. 
Rathleff MS, Roos EM, Olesen JL, Rasmussen S. High prevalence of daily and multi-site 
pain--a cross-sectional population-based study among 3000 Danish adolescents. BMC Pediatrics. 
2013;13:191. 
6. 
Smedbraten BK, Natvig B, Rutle O, Bruusgaard D. Self-reported bodily pain in 
schoolchildren. Scand J Rheumatol. 1998;27(4):273-6. 
7. 
Aartun E, Hartvigsen J, Wedderkopp N, Hestbaek L. Spinal pain in adolescents: Prevalence, 
incidence, and course: A school-based two-year prospective cohort study in 1,300 Danes aged 
11-13. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2014;15 (1) (no pagination)(187). 
8. 
McGrath P. Psychological guidelines for helping children cope with chronic benign 
intractable pain. The Clinical journal of pain. 1986. 
9. 
Michaleff ZA, Kamper SJ, Stinson JN, Hestbaek L, Williams CM, Campbell P, et al. 
Measuring Musculoskeletal Pain in Infants, Children, and Adolescents. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 
2017;47(10):712-30. 
10. 
Rathleff CR, Olesen JL, Roos EM, Rasmussen S, Rathleff MS. Half of 12-15-year-olds with 
knee pain still have pain after one year. Danish Medical Journal. 2013;60 (11) (no 
pagination)(A4725). 
11. 
Kastelein M, Luijsterburg PA, Belo JN, Verhaar JA, Koes BW, Bierma-Zeinstra SM. Six-year 
course and prognosis of nontraumatic knee symptoms in adults in general practice: a prospective 
cohort study. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2011;63(9):1287-94. 
12. 
Mikkelsson M, Salminen JJ, Sourander A, Kautiainen H. Contributing factors to the 
persistence of musculoskeletal pain in preadolescents: A prospective 1-year follow-up study. 
Pain. 1998;77(1):67-72. 
13. 
El-Metwally A, Salminen JJ, Auvinen A, Kautiainen H, Mikkelsson M. Lower limb pain in a 
preadolescent population: prognosis and risk factors for chronicity--a prospective 1- and 4-year 
follow-up study. Pediatrics. 2005;116(3):673-81. 
14. 
Pourbordbari Nup. 
15. 
Perquin CW, Hunfeld JAM, Hazebroek-Kampschreur A, van Suijlekom-Smit LWA, Passchier 
J, Koes BW, et al. The natural course of chronic benign pain in childhood and adolescence: a two-
year population-based follow-up study. European Journal of Pain. 2003;7(6):551-9. 
16. 
Stahl M, Kautiainen H, El-Metwally A, Hakkinen A, Ylinen J, Salminen JJ, et al. Non-specific 
neck pain in schoolchildren: Prognosis and risk factors for occurrence and persistence. A 4-year 
follow-up study. Pain. 2008;137(2):316-22. 

 
 
26 
17. 
Huguet A, Tougas ME, Hayden J, McGrath PJ, Stinson JN, Chambers CT. Systematic review 
with meta-analysis of childhood and adolescent risk and prognostic factors for musculoskeletal 
pain. Pain. 2016;157(12):2640-56. 
18. 
Hunskår S. Almen Medicin: Munksgaard; 2014. 
19. 
Mallen CD, Peat G, Thomas E, Dunn KM, Croft PR. Prognostic factors for musculoskeletal 
pain in primary care: a systematic review. Br J Gen Pract. 2007;57(541):655-61. 
20. 
Kastelein M, Luijsterburg PA, Heintjes EM, van Middelkoop M, Verhaar JA, Koes BW, et al. 
The 6-year trajectory of non-traumatic knee symptoms (including patellofemoral pain) in 
adolescents and young adults in general practice: a study of clinical predictors. British journal of 
sports medicine. 2015;49(6):400-5. 
21. 
Lakke SE, Soer R, Takken T, Reneman MF. Risk and prognostic factors for non-specific 
musculoskeletal pain: a synthesis of evidence from systematic reviews classified into ICF 
dimensions. Pain. 2009;147(1-3):153-64. 
22. 
Smith AM, Sieberg CB, Odell S, Randall E, Simons LE. Living Life With My Child's Pain: The 
Parent Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (PPAQ). Clinical Journal of Pain. 2015;31(7):633-41. 
23. 
Campo JV, Bridge J, Lucas A, Savorelli S, Walker L, Di Lorenzo C, et al. Physical and 
emotional health of mothers of youth with functional abdominal pain. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 
2007;161(2):131-7. 
24. 
Lewandowski AS, Palermo TM, Stinson J, Handley S, Chambers CT. Systematic Review of 
Family Functioning in Families of Children and Adolescents With Chronic Pain. Journal of Pain. 
2010;11(11):1027-38. 
25. 
Sieberg CB, Williams S, Simons LE. Do parent protective responses mediate the relation 
between parent distress and child functional disability among children with chronic pain? J 
Pediatr Psychol. 2011;36(9):1043-51. 
26. 
Bandholm T, Christensen R, Thorborg K, Treweek S, Henriksen M. Preparing for what the 
reporting checklists will not tell you: the PREPARE Trial guide for planning clinical research to 
avoid research waste. Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(20):1494-501. 
27. 
How to do a systematic literature review in nursing: a step-by-step guide Josette Bettany-
Saltikov How to do a systematic literature review in nursing: a step-by-step guide Nursing 
Standard and Open University Press 18.99 192pp 9780335242276 0335242278 [Formula: see 
text]. Emerg Nurse. 2012;20(7):9. 
28. 
NVK. 
 
[National 
Ethics 
Committee 
]. 
Available 
from: 
http://www.nvk.dk/forsker/forskervejledning/forskning-uden-laegemidler/forskning-paa-
habile. 
29. 
von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M, Pocock SJ, Gotzsche PC, Vandenbroucke JP, et al. The 
Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: 
guidelines for reporting observational studies. Journal of clinical epidemiology. 2008;61(4):344-
9. 
30. 
Peat G, Riley RD, Croft P, Morley KI, Kyzas PA, Moons KGM, et al. Improving the 
transparency of prognosis research: the role of reporting, data sharing, registration, and 
protocols. PLoS medicine. 2014;11(7):e1001671. 
31. 
Collins GS, Reitsma JB, Altman DG, Moons KGM. Transparent reporting of a multivariable 
prediction model for individual prognosis or diagnosis (TRIPOD): the TRIPOD statement. British 
journal of cancer. 2015;112(2):251-9. 

 
 
27 
32. 
Moons KGM, Altman DG, Reitsma JB, Ioannidis JPA, Macaskill P, Steyerberg EW, et al. 
Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis or Diagnosis 
(TRIPOD): explanation and elaboration. Annals of internal medicine. 2015;162(1):W1-73. 
33. 
ISASP. 
IASP 
 
[Available 
from: 
http://www.iasp-
pain.org/files/Content/ContentFolders/GlobalYearAgainstPain2/MusculoskeletalPainFactSheets
/AcutePain_Final.pdf. 
34. 
Solberg LI. Recruiting medical groups for research: relationships, reputation, 
requirements, rewards, reciprocity, resolution, and respect. Implementation science : IS. 
2006;1:25. 
35. 
MPU 
vedtægter 
 
[Available 
from: 
http://www.dsam.dk/flx/forskning/multipraksisudvalget/vedtaegter_for_udvalg_vedroerende_
multipraksisundersoegelser/. 
36. 
Chan A-W, Tetzlaff JM, Altman DG, Laupacis A, Gotzsche PC, Krleza-Jeric K, et al. SPIRIT 
2013 statement: defining standard protocol items for clinical trials. Annals of internal medicine. 
2013;158(3):200-7. 
37. 
Chan A-W, Tetzlaff JM, Gotzsche PC, Altman DG, Mann H, Berlin JA, et al. SPIRIT 2013 
explanation and elaboration: guidance for protocols of clinical trials. BMJ (Clinical research ed ). 
2013;346:e7586. 
38. 
Holden Sea. In preparation. 
39. 
Jussila L, Paananen M, Nayha S, Taimela S, Tammelin T, Auvinen J, et al. Psychosocial and 
lifestyle correlates of musculoskeletal pain patterns in adolescence: A 2-year follow-up study. 
European Journal of Pain (United Kingdom). 2014;18(1):139-46. 
40. 
Jones GT, Macfarlane GJ. Predicting persistent low back pain in schoolchildren: A 
prospective cohort study. Arthritis Care and Research. 2009;61(10):1359-66. 
41. 
Brattberg G. Back pain and headache in Swedish schoolchildren: A longitudinal study. Pain 
Clinic. 1993;6(3):157-62. 
42. 
Sperotto F, Brachi S, Vittadello F, Zulian F. Musculoskeletal pain in schoolchildren across 
puberty: A 3-year follow-up study. Pediatric Rheumatology. 2015. 
43. 
Paananen MV, Taimela SP, Auvinen JP, Tammelin TH, Kantomaa MT, Ebeling HE, et al. Risk 
factors for persistence of multiple musculoskeletal pains in adolescence: A 2-year follow-up 
study. European Journal of Pain. 2010;14(10):1026-32. 
44. 
El-Metwally A, Salminen JJ, Auvinen A, Kautiainen H, Mikkelsson M. Prognosis of non-
specific musculoskeletal pain in preadolescents: A prospective 4-year follow-up study till 
adolescence. Pain. 2004;110(3):550-9. 
45. 
Mikkelsson M, Salminen JJ, Kautiainen H. Non-specific musculoskeletal pain in 
preadolescents. Prevalence and 1-year persistence. Pain. 1997;73(1):29-35. 
46. 
Pain IAftSo. FPS-R 2001 [Faces Pain Scale Revised]. Available from: http://www.iasp-
pain.org/FPSR. 
47. 
Datatilsynet. 
2018 
[Available 
from: 
https://www.datatilsynet.dk/media/6567/fortegnelse.pdf. 
48. 
Hemingway H, Croft P, Perel P, Hayden JA, Abrams K, Timmis A, et al. Prognosis research 
strategy (PROGRESS) 1: a framework for researching clinical outcomes. BMJ (Clinical research ed 
). 2013;346:e5595. 

 
 
28 
49. 
Hingorani AD, Windt DAvd, Riley RD, Abrams K, Moons KGM, Steyerberg EW, et al. 
Prognosis research strategy (PROGRESS) 4: stratified medicine research. BMJ (Clinical research 
ed ). 2013;346:e5793. 
50. 
review Seai. 2018. 
51. 
Rathleff MS, Rathleff CR, Olesen JL, Rasmussen S, Roos EM. Is Knee Pain During 
Adolescence a Self-limiting Condition? Prognosis of Patellofemoral Pain and Other Types of Knee 
Pain. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016;44(5):1165-71. 
52. 
Brattberg G. Do pain problems in young school children persist into early adulthood? A 
13-year follow-up. European Journal of Pain. 2004;8(3):187-99. 
53. 
Udlændingestyrelsen. 
54. 
ssi. Alcohol question from Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC)  [Alcohol question from 
Danish 
National 
Birth 
Cohort 
(DNBC)]. 
Available 
from: 
https://www.ssi.dk/English/RandD/Research 
areas/Epidemiology/DNBC/Questionnaires/Dietary habits of 14-year olds.aspx. 
55. 
Mikkonen P, Leino-Arjas P, Remes J, Zitting P, Taimela S, Karppinen J. Is smoking a risk 
factor for low back pain in adolescents? A prospective cohort study. Spine. 2008;33(5):527-32. 
56. 
Tribian Aea. Physical activity during work and leisure show contrasting 
associations with fear-avoidance beliefs: cross-sectional study 
among more than 10,000 wage earners of the general working 
population. Scand J Pain. 2018;18(1):71-9. 
57. 
Uziel Y, Chapnick G, Jaber L, Nemet D, Hashkes PJ. Five-Year Outcome of Children With 
"Growing Pains": Correlations With Pain Threshold. Journal of Pediatrics. 2010;156(5):838-40. 
58. 
Rathleff MS. Multidimensional Diagnostics and Effect of Activity Modification in Young 
Adolescents With Patellofemoral Pain. 2018. 
59. 
Stanford EA. The prevalence, trajectories and predictors of recurrent pain among 
adolescents: A population-based approach. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The 
Sciences and Engineering. 2007;68(4-B). 

 
 
29