Obese children experience more extremity fractures than nonobese children and are significantly more likely to die from traumatic injuries

Abstract

Two of the most prevalent problems children facing worldwide are injuries and obesity. We conducted a systematic review of published studies that evaluated the effects of obesity on children with traumatic injuries. Six studies published between 2006 and 2014 were identified, comprising a total of 4594 children: 867 were obese and 3727 were not. Obese children were 25% more likely to have extremity fractures than nonobese children (p = 0.003), and their mortality rate was significantly higher at 4.7% versus 2.8% (p = 0.026).

Conclusion: Our review showed that obese children were more likely to have extremity fractures and die of traumatic injuries than nonobese children.

Keywords: Children; Extremity fractures; Mortality; Obesity; Trauma.