The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Obesity is a risk factor for musculoskeletal pain in adolescents: findings from a population-based cohort

Obesity is a risk factor for musculoskeletal pain in adolescents: findings from a population-based cohort
Obesity is a risk factor for musculoskeletal pain in adolescents: findings from a population-based cohort

Obesity is a risk factor for fibromyalgia in adults, but whether a similar relationship exists in children is uncertain. This study examined whether obesity is associated with reporting of musculoskeletal pain, including chronic regional pain (CRP) and chronic widespread pain (CWP), in adolescents, in a population-based setting. A pain questionnaire was administered to offspring of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children at age 17, asking about site, duration, and pain intensity, from which participants with different types of musculoskeletal pain were identified. Relationships between obesity and pain were examined by calculating odds ratios stratified by gender and adjusted for socioeconomic status as reflected by level of maternal education. A total of 3376 participants (1424 boys) with complete data were identified, mean age 17.8; 44.7% of participants reported any pain within the last month lasting 1 day or longer; 16.3% reported lower back pain, 9.6% shoulder pain, 9.4% upper back pain, 8.9% neck pain, 8.7% knee pain, 6.8% ankle/foot pain, 4.7% CRP, and 4.3% CWP; 7.0% of participants were obese. Obesity was associated with increased odds of any pain (odds ratio [OR] 1.33, P =.04), CRP (OR 2.04, P =.005), and knee pain (OR 1.87, P =.001), but not CWP (OR 1.10, P =.5). Compared with non obese participants, those with any pain, knee pain, and CRP reported more severe average pain (P <.01). Obese adolescents were more likely to report musculoskeletal pain, including knee pain and CRP. Moreover, obese adolescents with knee pain and CRP had relatively high pain scores, suggesting a more severe phenotype with worse prognosis.

ALSPAC, Epidemiological study, Questionnaire
0304-3959
1932-1938
Deere, Kevin C.
b105adce-b002-46af-ac92-d2a4ee416d60
Clinch, Jacqui
7ce4c0cb-d2c8-4ff4-a7cc-035102e45ac5
Holliday, Kate
58c01428-143a-4fc8-bd97-eb513573a697
McBeth, John
98012716-66ba-480b-9e43-ac53b51dce61
Crawley, Esther M.
14939e46-323c-45ae-bb61-129edc0429ea
Sayers, Adrian
44df1533-c14a-48ac-a505-4949373180ae
Palmer, Shea
525f498b-2422-48b3-85e6-5a94469786c7
Doerner, Rita
0f308082-0f12-4aff-966c-cac15b80cd93
Clark, Emma M.
524dafd7-6620-480e-a5dc-fb3a7c629e69
Tobias, Jon H.
b41958fb-62c0-4d28-a93e-008a78681817
Deere, Kevin C.
b105adce-b002-46af-ac92-d2a4ee416d60
Clinch, Jacqui
7ce4c0cb-d2c8-4ff4-a7cc-035102e45ac5
Holliday, Kate
58c01428-143a-4fc8-bd97-eb513573a697
McBeth, John
98012716-66ba-480b-9e43-ac53b51dce61
Crawley, Esther M.
14939e46-323c-45ae-bb61-129edc0429ea
Sayers, Adrian
44df1533-c14a-48ac-a505-4949373180ae
Palmer, Shea
525f498b-2422-48b3-85e6-5a94469786c7
Doerner, Rita
0f308082-0f12-4aff-966c-cac15b80cd93
Clark, Emma M.
524dafd7-6620-480e-a5dc-fb3a7c629e69
Tobias, Jon H.
b41958fb-62c0-4d28-a93e-008a78681817

Deere, Kevin C., Clinch, Jacqui, Holliday, Kate, McBeth, John, Crawley, Esther M., Sayers, Adrian, Palmer, Shea, Doerner, Rita, Clark, Emma M. and Tobias, Jon H. (2012) Obesity is a risk factor for musculoskeletal pain in adolescents: findings from a population-based cohort. Pain, 153 (9), 1932-1938. (doi:10.1016/j.pain.2012.06.006).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Obesity is a risk factor for fibromyalgia in adults, but whether a similar relationship exists in children is uncertain. This study examined whether obesity is associated with reporting of musculoskeletal pain, including chronic regional pain (CRP) and chronic widespread pain (CWP), in adolescents, in a population-based setting. A pain questionnaire was administered to offspring of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children at age 17, asking about site, duration, and pain intensity, from which participants with different types of musculoskeletal pain were identified. Relationships between obesity and pain were examined by calculating odds ratios stratified by gender and adjusted for socioeconomic status as reflected by level of maternal education. A total of 3376 participants (1424 boys) with complete data were identified, mean age 17.8; 44.7% of participants reported any pain within the last month lasting 1 day or longer; 16.3% reported lower back pain, 9.6% shoulder pain, 9.4% upper back pain, 8.9% neck pain, 8.7% knee pain, 6.8% ankle/foot pain, 4.7% CRP, and 4.3% CWP; 7.0% of participants were obese. Obesity was associated with increased odds of any pain (odds ratio [OR] 1.33, P =.04), CRP (OR 2.04, P =.005), and knee pain (OR 1.87, P =.001), but not CWP (OR 1.10, P =.5). Compared with non obese participants, those with any pain, knee pain, and CRP reported more severe average pain (P <.01). Obese adolescents were more likely to report musculoskeletal pain, including knee pain and CRP. Moreover, obese adolescents with knee pain and CRP had relatively high pain scores, suggesting a more severe phenotype with worse prognosis.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 7 June 2012
Published date: September 2012
Keywords: ALSPAC, Epidemiological study, Questionnaire

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 492894
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/492894
ISSN: 0304-3959
PURE UUID: 6019d5fb-b786-412e-83c9-8fe85f9a3f3c
ORCID for John McBeth: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7047-2183

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 19 Aug 2024 16:49
Last modified: 20 Aug 2024 02:09

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Kevin C. Deere
Author: Jacqui Clinch
Author: Kate Holliday
Author: John McBeth ORCID iD
Author: Esther M. Crawley
Author: Adrian Sayers
Author: Shea Palmer
Author: Rita Doerner
Author: Emma M. Clark
Author: Jon H. Tobias

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×