in three suffers from the pain due to spending hours in front of the television.

Research Company Mintel found that the proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds suffering from pain
was similar to that of pensioners.

The study found that 34 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds suffers from back ache compared with
38 per cent of over-65s.

Two fifths of Britons across all age groups suffer from back pain, the research found.

“The high incidence of back pain in Britain’s youngsters is pretty alarming,” said Michelle
Strutton, from Mintel.

“Too much time sitting weakens muscle tone and this can lead to back pain.

“Many of Britain’s youngsters lead a sedentary lifestyle and lack of sport may well be
contributing to back pain as well as poor posture.”

“Britain’s youth are spending hours at a time slumped in front of TV and computer screens,
which is doing nothing to strengthen their backs,” research said.

Back pain is becoming one of society’s main issues and accounts for a high proportion of
reasons for taking sick leave.

The study also found that women are more likely to complain of headaches than men, with 62
per cent of women saying they suffer from headaches compared with 49 per cent of men.