This study, conducted by Richard L. Nahin from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, uses data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey to estimate the prevalence and severity of pain among U.S. adults. The survey included 8,781 participants and employed a pain severity coding system developed by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics to categorize pain into five levels based on persistence (days with pain in the last 3 months) and bothersomeness (little, lot, somewhere in between). Key findings include: - 55.7% of adults reported some level of pain in the previous 3 months. - 11.2% (25.3 million adults) experienced daily (chronic) pain. - 10.3% (23.4 million adults) reported a lot of pain. - 6.4% (14.4 million adults) had the highest level of pain (category 4). - 11.3% (25.4 million adults) experienced moderate pain (category 3). The study also found that individuals with higher levels of pain were more likely to have worse health status, use more healthcare, and suffer from more disability. Associations were observed between pain severity and demographic variables such as race, ethnicity, language preference, sex, and age. The Washington Group pain categories were found to have concurrent validity, but further research is needed to determine their usefulness in pain research and clinical practice.This study, conducted by Richard L. Nahin from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, uses data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey to estimate the prevalence and severity of pain among U.S. adults. The survey included 8,781 participants and employed a pain severity coding system developed by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics to categorize pain into five levels based on persistence (days with pain in the last 3 months) and bothersomeness (little, lot, somewhere in between). Key findings include: - 55.7% of adults reported some level of pain in the previous 3 months. - 11.2% (25.3 million adults) experienced daily (chronic) pain. - 10.3% (23.4 million adults) reported a lot of pain. - 6.4% (14.4 million adults) had the highest level of pain (category 4). - 11.3% (25.4 million adults) experienced moderate pain (category 3). The study also found that individuals with higher levels of pain were more likely to have worse health status, use more healthcare, and suffer from more disability. Associations were observed between pain severity and demographic variables such as race, ethnicity, language preference, sex, and age. The Washington Group pain categories were found to have concurrent validity, but further research is needed to determine their usefulness in pain research and clinical practice.