Objective:

To identify the prevalence and associated factors of neck and/or shoulder pain (NSP) among primary school children in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, China, highlighting the significance of addressing this issue.

Key Findings:

• The one-month prevalence of NSP was 33.7%.
• Female students had significantly higher odds of NSP compared to males (AOR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.01–2.56).
• Higher psychological symptom scores were associated with increased odds of NSP (AOR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01–1.09).
• Moderate physical activity was linked to lower odds of NSP (AOR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.29–0.89).
• Higher quality of life scores were associated with lower odds of NSP (AOR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.95–0.99).

Interpretation:

NSP is prevalent among Chinese children, with associations identified between NSP and factors such as gender, psychological status, physical activity, and quality of life, underscoring the need for targeted interventions.

Limitations:

• Cross-sectional design limits causal inferences.
• Self-reported measures may introduce bias.
• Study focused only on urban districts, limiting generalizability.
• Potential self-selection bias may affect the representativeness of the sample.

Conclusion:

The findings highlight the importance of early interventions promoting physical activity and psychological well-being to mitigate NSP in children, and further research is needed to explore causal relationships.