Research conducted by Queen Mary University of London indicates that girls with obesity are more prone to experiencing pain in their bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, or tendons compared to children with a healthy weight. This association was not observed in boys. The study, published in Archives of Disease in Childhood and funded by Barts Charity, analyzed data from 120,000 children, linking information from the National Child Measurement Programme with GP records. Girls with obesity were found to be 1.7 times more likely to have at least one GP consultation for a musculoskeletal symptom or diagnosis.
Knee and back pain were among the most common symptoms reported, likely caused by excess weight placing additional stress on the body’s joints. While previous research has hinted at a link between musculoskeletal problems and obesity in children, this study is the first to observe the association within a large, ethnically diverse UK population with high levels of childhood obesity and deprivation. More research is needed to understand why this association exists predominantly in girls. Nicola Firman, a Health Data Scientist at Queen Mary, emphasized the value of studying anonymized health data, hoping that the findings will increase awareness of the consequences of obesity for childhood health and drive further research into prevention strategies. Victoria King, Director of Funding and Impact at Barts Charity, highlighted the importance of such research in shaping policy changes to improve children’s health outcomes.
The study utilised data from the National Child Measurement Programme, a UK Government initiative aimed at understanding childhood obesity trends and informing policies at national and local levels.