Peer-reviewed article
Differences in body composition and physical activity in youth with obesity who report pain.
Vabishchevich V, Smith W, Holmes ME, Blackwell S, Rushing M et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined 687 young people with obesity (average age 12.4 years, mostly African American and female) to understand how pain affects their body composition and physical activity levels. Youth who reported moderate-to-extreme pain had higher body fat and were less physically active than those with mild or no pain. The findings suggest that pain is an important barrier to physical activity in young people with obesity and needs to be addressed in treatment plans.
Key points
- 76.5% of youth reported no pain, 11.9% mild pain, and 11.6% moderate-to-extreme pain while walking on a flat surface
- Higher pain severity was associated with greater body fat percentage (p = 0.002) and fat mass (p = 0.04)
- Differences in physical activity participation were statistically significant between the three pain groups (p = 0.009)
- Sample was 67.8% African American/Black and 62.6% female, aged 8-20 years
Limitations
The document does not specify which country or region the study was conducted in, only that it was at 'a healthy lifestyle clinic'. The study is cross-sectional and cannot determine whether pain causes reduced physical activity or whether obesity and reduced activity cause pain.
Abstract
Background Pain is a common comorbidity in youth with obesity and may reduce participation in physical activity (PA), a cornerstone of obesity treatment. However, the relationship between pain severity, body composition, and physical activity participation remains poorly understood. Methods Anthropometrics and body composition were assessed in youth (8-20 years) with obesity at a healthy lifestyle clinic. PA was reported as the number of days/week the youth engaged in ≥60 min of activity (0-1, 2-4, 5-7 days). Youth were grouped by caregiver-reported pain level (no pain, mild, or moderate-to-extreme pain). Statistical analyses examined differences in body composition and PA level based on pain grouping. Results The sample included 687 youth (12.4 ± 3.4 years; 67.8% African American/Black; 62.6% female); 76.5% reported no pain, 11.9% mild pain, and 11.6% moderate-to-extreme pain while walking on a flat surface. Higher pain severity was associated with greater body fat percentage (p = 0.002) and fat mass (p = 0.04) compared with mild or no pain, Differences in PA were evident between the 3 groups based on their reported pain (p = 0.009). Conclusion Pain severity was associated with higher body fat mass and percentage, and less PA. Findings highlight the need to better characterize pain in youth with obesity and develop exercise interventions to support PA and body composition.