Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40084736›Full record

Trial reportHeadache2025

Efficacy of an educational website on headaches in schoolchildren: A cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Henrike Goldstein, Lisa-Marie Rau, Clarissa Humberg, Verena Bachhausen, Lorin Stahlschmidt, Julia Wager

Abstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Headache, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Henrike GoldsteinDepartment of Children's Pain Therapy and Paediatric Palliative Care, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany.
Lisa-Marie RauDepartment of Children's Pain Therapy and Paediatric Palliative Care, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany.
Clarissa HumbergDepartment of Children's Pain Therapy and Paediatric Palliative Care, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany.
Verena BachhausenGerman Paediatric Pain Centre, Children's and Adolescents' Hospital Datteln, Datteln, Germany.
Lorin StahlschmidtDepartment of Children's Pain Therapy and Paediatric Palliative Care, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany.
Julia WagerDepartment of Children's Pain Therapy and Paediatric Palliative Care, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany.

Funding

Federal Ministry of Education and Research 01GY1615
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveIn this cluster-randomized controlled trial, we developed an educational website on tension-type headache and migraine for children and adolescents and evaluated its effectiveness in a school setting.

backgroundPrimary headaches are a widespread issue in children and adolescents, often persisting into adulthood and associated with considerable disabilities, costs, and reduced quality of life. Effective management of primary headaches may prevent chronicity and its associated consequences.

designGuided by a workbook, N = 814 fifth and sixth grade students explored the website during class. Data were collected before the headache education and at three further assessments, each 4 weeks apart, between November 2021 and April 2022. Participants were randomly assigned by class to either the intervention group, which received the website-based educational intervention after the first data collection, or a control group, which accessed the website after the last data collection.

resultsThe intervention significantly increased children's headache-related knowledge (time × group interaction: β = 0.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.30; 0.41], p ≤ 0.001) and resulted in fewer passive pain coping strategies (time × group interaction: β = -0.06, 95% CI = [-0.12; 0.00], p = 0.044). However, the intervention did not significantly reduce the number of days with headaches, use of headache medication, or school absences due to headaches.

conclusionWhile the website is an effective educational tool for imparting knowledge about headaches, even initiating small behavioral changes, it does not lead to substantial changes in behavior or headache characteristics. Educating children via this website may lay a solid foundation of knowledge, but the intervention should be expanded and supplemented with closer supervision to achieve more significant behavior changes and improved outcomes.

Indexed as

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeInternetMigraine DisordersPatient Education as TopicTension-Type HeadacheAdolescentChildFemaleHumansMaleheadacheinterventionlongitudinalpediatricrandomized controlled trialschool

Identifiers

PMID40084736
PMCPMC12129248

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.