Overweight Children Face Higher Risk of Broken Bones and Joint Problems

Research suggests that children who are overweight face more than just future health problems, they also appear to have a higher incidence of broken bones and joint problems in childhood. A study led by Dr. Jack Yanovski found that children and teens who were overweight were far more likely to have had a fracture than their ideal-weight peers. The study, which involved 227 overweight children and adolescents, revealed that 13% of them had had at least one broken bone at some point in their lives, compared with less than 4% of ideal-weight children.

Key Takeaways:

• Children who are overweight are at a higher risk of having broken bones and joint problems in childhood, with 13% of overweight kids having had at least one broken bone at some point in their lives, compared with less than 4% of ideal-weight children.
• The study found that overweight children and adolescents were far more likely to have had a fracture than their ideal-weight peers, with a significant number having bone and hip joint abnormalities that can lead to permanent deformities.
• The research involved 227 overweight children and adolescents and 128 ideal-weight peers, all of whom were enrolled in various federal health studies between 1996 and 2004.
• The children had an average age of 12, and all were considered overweight if they were in the 95th percentile of weight and height for their age and sex.
• Children who are overweight may be more likely to experience musculoskeletal pain and poor mobility, which can perpetuate the vicious cycle of inactivity and weight gain.

Statistics:

• 13% of overweight children had had at least one broken bone at some point in their lives, compared with less than 4% of ideal-weight children.
• 4% of ideal-weight children had bone and hip joint abnormalities that can lead to permanent deformities.
• 445 children were involved in the study, with 227 being overweight and 128 being ideal-weight.
• The study found that children who were overweight had a higher incidence of muscle, bone, or joint pain, especially knee pain, and restricted movement.
• Children who are overweight are more likely to develop Blount's disease and SCFE, or slipped capital femoral epiphysis, caused by improper growth in the ball part of the ball-and-socket joint that forms the hip.

Sources:

• The study presented by Dr. Jack Yanovski was published in a recent meeting of the Obesity Society in Vancouver, British Columbia.
• The Associated Press article cited Dr. Jack Yanovski, director of the obesity and eating disorders program at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and Dr. Junichi Tamai, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati.
• The study involved children and adolescents enrolled in various federal health studies between 1996 and 2004.
• The children had an average age of 12, and all were considered overweight if they were in the 95th percentile of weight and height for their age and sex.