Headaches and Academic Performance in University Students
Objectives— To estimate the 1-year prevalence of headache, its repercussion and its association with the academic performance of university students.
Methods— Cross-sectional study. Three hundred eighty students were randomly selected out of the 1718, 90.5% of them were interviewed. A semi-structured interview, the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used. The variables related to academic performance: absenteeism, performance coefficient and number of failures in disciplines, were obtained by consulting the academic records.
Results— Three hundred forty-four students were interviewed. The headache prevalence was 87.2%. Migraine prevalence was 48.5%. Tension-type headache prevalence was 42.4%. During the 3 months prior to the interview, 8.7% sought emergency services, 30.8% missed class, and 30.8% had a reduction in their productive capacity because of headache. HIT-6: substantial/severe impact = 49%. Multiple linear regressions have shown that serious/very serious-impact headaches are significantly related to greater number of discipline failure and absenteeism. There was no association between student grades and headaches.
Conclusion— A high prevalence of headache in the studied population was verified. A high headache impact on a student's life was associated with worse academic performance.
It is estimated that globally, among the adult population, 46% have headache in general, 11% have migraine, 42% have tension-type headache (TTH), and 3% have chronic daily headache.
The quality of life for individuals with headaches can be compromised by several factors, such as the presence of physical and emotional limitations, an impact on professional and academic activities because of absences and a drop in labor productivity because of pain or to related symptoms. A patient's social and family life is also compromised. Such factors can represent a high cost to society. Annual indirect costs related to migraine in the United States were estimated between US$ 1.4 and 17 billion. In Brazil, it is estimated that migraine alone is responsible for 4,016,076 consultations in primary care settings, 3,887,504 in secondary care and 93,103 in tertiary care per year, generating an annual direct medical cost of approximately US$ 140 million.
Of relevance to our study, the prevalence of headaches in university students in several studies varies from 33 to 98.5%. The prevalence of migraine varies from 2.4 to 46.3% and for TTH from 9.5 to 60%.
Some studies suggest that headaches can contribute to a reduction in student academic performance. Some of these earlier studies used questionnaires answered by the students to elicit the quantity of supplementary tests required, the extent of discipline issues and absenteeism. None of these studies included an objective follow-up measurement such as reviewing the university records of the students.
A previous study reported that 62.7% of migraine-suffering students claimed a reduction in academic performance during a headache attack. This research reported a mean of 5.8 days that students did not study at home and of 1.6 days that they missed classes because of headache in 6 months. A total of 24.4% TTH-suffering students reported a reduction of their academic performance during headache episodes. There was a mean of 1.5 days that they did not study at home and of 0.3 days that they missed classes because of headache during the 6 months prior to the study.
A study of medical students at a Brazilian university showed that headaches exert greater influence over academic performance than sex, state of origin, smoking habits, consumption of alcoholic beverages, practice of extracurricular activities, work and stress. There was association between headache and the need to do recovery exams.
Inevitably, many factors exist that can interfere with the academic performance of university students. It is important to verify if headache is associated with a worse academic performance given that it has a high prevalence in this population and is a condition that can undergo abortive and prophylactic treatment. A better understanding of the influence over academic performance could deliver a potential improvement to student well-being.
The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of headache, its repercussion on the lives of students and its association with the academic performance.
Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
Objectives— To estimate the 1-year prevalence of headache, its repercussion and its association with the academic performance of university students.
Methods— Cross-sectional study. Three hundred eighty students were randomly selected out of the 1718, 90.5% of them were interviewed. A semi-structured interview, the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used. The variables related to academic performance: absenteeism, performance coefficient and number of failures in disciplines, were obtained by consulting the academic records.
Results— Three hundred forty-four students were interviewed. The headache prevalence was 87.2%. Migraine prevalence was 48.5%. Tension-type headache prevalence was 42.4%. During the 3 months prior to the interview, 8.7% sought emergency services, 30.8% missed class, and 30.8% had a reduction in their productive capacity because of headache. HIT-6: substantial/severe impact = 49%. Multiple linear regressions have shown that serious/very serious-impact headaches are significantly related to greater number of discipline failure and absenteeism. There was no association between student grades and headaches.
Conclusion— A high prevalence of headache in the studied population was verified. A high headache impact on a student's life was associated with worse academic performance.
Introduction
It is estimated that globally, among the adult population, 46% have headache in general, 11% have migraine, 42% have tension-type headache (TTH), and 3% have chronic daily headache.
The quality of life for individuals with headaches can be compromised by several factors, such as the presence of physical and emotional limitations, an impact on professional and academic activities because of absences and a drop in labor productivity because of pain or to related symptoms. A patient's social and family life is also compromised. Such factors can represent a high cost to society. Annual indirect costs related to migraine in the United States were estimated between US$ 1.4 and 17 billion. In Brazil, it is estimated that migraine alone is responsible for 4,016,076 consultations in primary care settings, 3,887,504 in secondary care and 93,103 in tertiary care per year, generating an annual direct medical cost of approximately US$ 140 million.
Of relevance to our study, the prevalence of headaches in university students in several studies varies from 33 to 98.5%. The prevalence of migraine varies from 2.4 to 46.3% and for TTH from 9.5 to 60%.
Some studies suggest that headaches can contribute to a reduction in student academic performance. Some of these earlier studies used questionnaires answered by the students to elicit the quantity of supplementary tests required, the extent of discipline issues and absenteeism. None of these studies included an objective follow-up measurement such as reviewing the university records of the students.
A previous study reported that 62.7% of migraine-suffering students claimed a reduction in academic performance during a headache attack. This research reported a mean of 5.8 days that students did not study at home and of 1.6 days that they missed classes because of headache in 6 months. A total of 24.4% TTH-suffering students reported a reduction of their academic performance during headache episodes. There was a mean of 1.5 days that they did not study at home and of 0.3 days that they missed classes because of headache during the 6 months prior to the study.
A study of medical students at a Brazilian university showed that headaches exert greater influence over academic performance than sex, state of origin, smoking habits, consumption of alcoholic beverages, practice of extracurricular activities, work and stress. There was association between headache and the need to do recovery exams.
Inevitably, many factors exist that can interfere with the academic performance of university students. It is important to verify if headache is associated with a worse academic performance given that it has a high prevalence in this population and is a condition that can undergo abortive and prophylactic treatment. A better understanding of the influence over academic performance could deliver a potential improvement to student well-being.
The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of headache, its repercussion on the lives of students and its association with the academic performance.