Prevalence of Migraine in a Convenience Sample of Children Aged 5-12 Years in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background: Migraine is a common neurological disorder in children and adolescents that may affect school attendance, daily functioning, and quality of life.Contemporary data regarding migraine prevalence among younger school-aged children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, are lacking.This study aimed to estimate the 12month prevalence of questionnaire-defined migraine among children aged 5-12 years in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among community-recruited children aged 5-12 years residing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between March 2026 and July 2026.Participants were recruited through convenience sampling using online parent and school-related social media groups.Parents or legal guardians were asked to complete the McMaster Pediatric Migraine Questionnaire.Participants who reported headache during the preceding 12 months were classified according to the questionnaire's predefined scoring algorithm based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders, Second Edition (ICHD-II) criteria.The 12-month prevalence of questionnaire-defined migraine was calculated as the proportion of participants fulfilling the predefined questionnaire criteria, with an exact 95% confidence interval.Associations with categorical variables were assessed using Pearson's chi-square or Fisher's exact test.Results: Among 183 children, 130 (71.0%) were male, and 53 (29.0%) were female.Sixty-nine participants (37.7%) reported headache during the preceding 12 months, and 27 children (14.8%; 95% CI: 10.0-20.7%)met the questionnaire criteria for migraine.Migraine status was not significantly associated with sex or age (p = 0.261 and p = 0.226, respectively).Among children with headache, family history of migraine was significantly associated with migraine status (p < 0.001); those reporting a positive family history had higher odds of questionnaire-defined migraine (OR = 7.92, 95% CI: 2.49-25.22).Conclusion: In this study of children aged 5-12 years in Jeddah, 27 of 183 participants met the predefined questionnaire criteria for migraine, corresponding to a 12-month questionnaire-defined migraine prevalence of 14.8% (95% CI: 10.0-20.7%).Findings should be interpreted cautiously given the convenience sampling, reliance on parental questionnaire responses, the long recall period, and the use of an Arabictranslated, not formally validated questionnaire based on ICHD-II criteria rather than contemporary clinical assessment.Population-based studies using validated Arabic instruments and current diagnostic criteria are warranted.