Obesity, Smoking Linked to Teen Migraines
Aug. 18, 2010 -- Teens are more likely to have chronic headaches or migraines when they are overweight, smoke cigarettes, or get little or no exercise, new research shows.
Teenagers in the study with all three negative lifestyle factors had a more than threefold greater likelihood of having frequent, severe headaches than normal-weight, active teens who did not smoke.
Headaches are a common complaint among teenagers, with 5% of teenage boys and almost 8% of teenage girls in one nationwide study reporting frequent migraines. In another study of older teens in Poland, 28% reported having had a migraine headache.
While obesity, smoking, and other lifestyle factors have been shown to influence the frequency and severity of chronic headaches in adults, the new study, published in the journal Neurology, is among the first to explore the relationship in teenagers.
Slideshow: Surprising Headache Triggers
Teenagers in the study with all three negative lifestyle factors had a more than threefold greater likelihood of having frequent, severe headaches than normal-weight, active teens who did not smoke.
Headaches are a common complaint among teenagers, with 5% of teenage boys and almost 8% of teenage girls in one nationwide study reporting frequent migraines. In another study of older teens in Poland, 28% reported having had a migraine headache.
While obesity, smoking, and other lifestyle factors have been shown to influence the frequency and severity of chronic headaches in adults, the new study, published in the journal Neurology, is among the first to explore the relationship in teenagers.
Slideshow: Surprising Headache Triggers