Table 2 Studies included in the review

Podeszwa, DA

Prospective PODCI validation study using BMI, PODCI and life satisfaction question

Recorded impairment in sports and pain in obese children compared with normative data. Data for this difference not provided

BMI for age exceeding 95th percentile (based on growth charts developed by the CDC that correct for gender differences)

Stovitz, S

Prospective descriptive cross-sectional study using BMI and pain assessment. OR of pain for the knee and hip in obese children

Knee: OR=1.13 per 10 kg increase in weight, 95% CI: 1.01−1.29. OR=1.04 per unit increase in BMI, 95% CI: 1.01−1.08

Hip: OR=1.29 per 10 kg increase in weight, 95% CI: 1.05−1.60. OR=1.09 per unit increase in BMI, 95% CI: 1.03−1.16

BMI for age exceeding 95th percentile (based on growth charts developed by the CDC that correct for gender differences)

de Sa Pinto, AL

Prospective cross-sectional study using BMI, limb flexibility, posture examination, clinic questionnaire, tender points and fibromyalgia criteria. Frequency of genu valgum and genu recurvatum in obese children compared with normal-weight children

Genu valgum: 55.1% vs 2%; P<0.0001

Genu recurvatum: 24.2% vs 2%; P<0.001

BMI for age exceeding 95th percentile (as determined by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey)

Bell, LM

Cohort study using BMI, structured interview, medical assessment, anthropometrics and fasting blood investigations, including oral glucose tolerance test

Chi-square P=0.010

OR compared with controls

For overweight children: 1.53

For obese: 4.09

Based on international age- and gender-specific BMI cutoffs

Taylor, ED

Retrospective medical chart review records using BMI, IWQOL-A and DXA scans

OR: 4.45; 95% CI: 1.6–13.2; P=0.0053

BMI for age exceeding 95th percentile (as determined by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey)

Bell, LM

Cohort study using BMI, structured interview, medical assessment, anthropometric and fasting blood investigations, including oral glucose tolerance test

For musculoskeletal pain:

OR (with every increase of 1.0 in BMI z-score): 2.54

95% CI of OR: 1.41−4.59

Wald P-value (for BMI z-score): 0.003

Children were classified as overweight or obese using the Cole et al.¹⁶ age- and gender-specific overweight and obese cutoffs of BMI for children

Hainsworth, KR

Retrospective review of medical records using BMI, anthropometrics, clinical and diagnostic data, self report of pain and HRQOL scores

Differences in musculoskeletal/orthopaedic pain characteristics between the three weight groups was substantial but not significant with P=0.054

BMI was measured using the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 growth charts for sex and age

Krul, M

Retrospective review of Dutch National Survey of Family Practice using Survey database and face-to-face interview

OR: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.15−3.20; P⩽0.05

A standard developed for age-specific overweight and obesity BMI cutoff points in Dutch children was used to determine the presence of overweight and obesity in the study population

Wilson, AC

Retrospective review of medical chart using Clinic questionnaire, BMI and CALI-21 for activity limitation

A significantly higher rate of overweight and obesity was observed among youth with chronic pain compared with a normative sample.

CDC’s online paediatric BMI calculator, which was used to obtain BMI, BMI percentile and BMI

Adams

Cross-sectional study examined associations between weight class and diagnosis of fractures, sprains, dislocations and pain

Significant increase in pain of the lower extremities in extremely obese children between 2 and 5 years of age (OR=1.60, 95% CI 1.16−2.20) compared with their normal weight counterparts and for children 6−11 years extremely obese (OR=1.31, 95% CI 1.16−1.48), moderately obese (OR=1.24, 95% CI 1.13−1.35) and overweight (OR=1.17, 95% CI 1.07−1.28) compared with their normal weight counterparts

Definitions for overweight and obesity based on sex-specific BMI-for-age growth charts developed by CDC and WHO