European journal of pain : EJP
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Chronic pain affects up to half of UK adults, impacting quality of life and demand on local health services. Whilst local health planning is currently based on subnational prevalence estimates, associations between pain and sociodemographic characteristics suggest that inequalities in the prevalence of chronic and high-impact chronic pain between neighbourhoods within local authorities are likely. We aimed to derive lower super output area (LSOA) estimates of the prevalence of chronic and high-impact chronic pain. ⋯ Post-stratified multilevel model predictions can produce small-area estimates of pain prevalence and impact. The evidence of substantial variation indicates a need to collect local-level data on pain and its impact to understand health needs and to guide interventions.