Juvenile obesity and its impact on skeletal health

Abstract

Topic Overview: The prevalence of childhood obesity has grown significantly globally. This literature review aims to evaluate the evidence addressing the risks that juvenile obesity presents to bone mineral density and fracture risk. Research Question: When compared to their healthy weight peers, can obesity in prepubescent and adolescents have an impact on skeletal health? Pico Elements: The population under review consists of prepubescent and adolescents. The intervention in this research represents exposure to obesity compared to normal-weight peers. Its outcome is skeletal health focusing on bone mineral density and the incidence of fractures. Method: Using several combination tools, a systematic search was conducted. A unique search technique was developed for each platform using Boolean operators and limiters. HyDi, Ebsco, and PubMed were employed. Studies were screened and evaluated for eligibility using the Prisma framework as well as inclusion and exclusion criteria. The CASP and AXIS tools were used to evaluate the literature critically. Results: Five papers were identified and subsequently reviewed systematically including a systematic review and meta-analysis and a cross-sectional study that investigated bone mineral density in obese children and produced inconsistent findings. A longitudinal cohort study and two cross-sectional studies examined the increased risk of extremity fractures in obese children and concluded that such risk is significant. Implications and Recommendations: To determine the impact of obesity on bones, further research, of better quality, if possible multi-centred, targeted at obtaining a bigger sample of children, and followed into adulthood is required. Locally, additional studies must be conducted to determine the hazards obesity presents to bone health, particularly given the increasing prevalence of obese children.