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Background: Severe pain and chronic pain have a high impact on individuals and society. Body location of pain is important with regard to perception, articulation, and underlying biological, mental or social causes of pain., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed in the general Austrian population with 15,474 personally interviewed subjects aged 15 years and older., Results: The 1‑year period prevalence of severe pain in any body site was 38.6% and of chronic pain 24.9%. In all, 8.1% had pain in at least three body sites. Subjects aged 65 years and older (52.2%), those with low education (43.4%), unemployed subjects (50.4%), retired subjects (52.4%), those with anxiety/depression (67.7%), and subjects with lack of social support (49.6%) were sub-populations with high pain prevalence. In multivariate analyses, depression/anxiety was associated with prevalence and chronicity of severe pain in all body sites (range of ORs 1.89-5.01), while such associations were found for lack of social support (range of ORs 1.33-1.65), female sex (range of ORs 1.38-2.34), higher age (range of ORs 1.09-1.18 for 5 year intervals), as well as low educational (range of ORs 1.47-2.06 primary vs. tertiary education) and unemployment status (range of ORs 1.50-2.62) in most body sites. Being born in non-EU or EFTA states was associated with pain in many body sites (range of ORs 1.38-2.10)., Conclusions: Psychosocial factors are associated with pain presence in similar ways irrespective of location. Regarding socio-demographic factors, differences towards the magnitude and the direction in the association with pain frequency and chronicity in different body sites emerged.

Introduction: Physical activity has high importance in the prevention of diseases, particularly where lifestyle diseases are concerned. To motivate a person to be physically active often proves to be difficult in clinical practice. Thus it was the aim of this study to find out through interviews how to best motivate most notably the part of the population that is less active., Methods: 500 persons aged from 15 years onwards were asked in face-to-face interviews about their leisure activities, self-assessment of their personal fitness, and about inhibiting and motivating factors in connection with their physical activity., Results: Only every second interviewed person is intentionally active in order to improve his/her own fitness. The better part of the inactive population can envisage introducing more physical activity into their everyday life. There are various reasons that instigate to be more active: above all, the recommendation of doctors, but also the wish for physical wellbeing or group dynamics act as a stimulant. Would there be an advertising campaign promoting the importance of physical activity, top athletes and physicians would have the most motivating impact., Conclusion: A sustainable and favourable effect on health promotion could be achieved most notably by motivating people to add more physical activity to their everyday life.

This paper gives a comparative overview of the current clinical care of patients experiencing pain in the musculoskeletal system in Austria and in Germany. The questionnaire used in this study was modified from one used in a survey carried out in Germany in 2002. In our version we asked specifically about pain in the musculoskeletal system. In all 228 health care facilities were reviewed, 56.6% of which offer at least one option for pain therapy. In Austria, the majority of patients with pain in the musculoskeletal system are treated by specialists in the departments of anaesthesiology, internal medicine, and orthopaedics. In 17.4% of the clinics in Austria there are plans to extend the pain therapy they offer, but in over half of the hospitals that responded facilities for pain therapy are considered to be vulnerable. The study highlights a significant higher percentage of in-patient pain therapy services in Austria, while in Germany, in contrast, there are more outpatient options for pain therapy. The quality of pain therapy could by further improved by more intense cooperation between the inpatient and outpatient sectors and by the establishment of interdisciplinary and multimodal solutions.