Headache among adults and its effect on quality of life in a town of western Turkey

Objective: To determine the prevalence of headache and evaluate its effect on health related quality of life (HRQoL). Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 410 adults aged 20-64 years residing in a town of Western Turkey between 01 Sep., 2008 and 30 Nov., 2008. The evaluation of headache was scored according to the diagnosis criteria of the International Headache Society. The SF-36 scale was used to rate the HRQoL. The statistical analysis was carried out using Chi-square (x2) and One-Way ANOVA test. A value of p 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean scores for subjects with headache for all the domains in the scale were significantly higher than those without (p 0.05, for each one). The distribution of the severity of headache was as follows: mild 41.0%, moderate 31.4%, severe 27.6%. In all the domains of SF-36, as the severity of headache increased, the scores received from the domains of SF-36 showed decrease except for the mental health (p 0.05, for each one). Conclusion: This study found that the prevalence of headache was rather high, reaching almost three quarters (71.5%). This indicates the need for knowledge concerning headache still exists and needs to be addressed by health education programs.