title: Obesity and risk of hip fracture in adults: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many observational studies assessed the association between obesity and risk of hip fracture in adults, but reported controversial results. Our goal was to evaluate the association between obesity and risk of hip fracture in adults by conducting a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three databases, PubMed, Embase and Web of Science, were searched through May 2012 to identify eligible cohort studies. Either a fixed- or a random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled relative risk (RR) with its 95% confidence interval (95%CI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen prospective cohort studies involving a total 3,126,313 participants were finally included into this meta-analysis. Overall, adults with obesity compared with the normal weight group had a significantly decreased risk of hip fracture (RR: 0.66, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.77, P<0.001). Meta-analyses by the adjusted status of RRs also suggested adults with obesity compared with the reference group had a significantly decreased risk of hip fracture (adjusted RR: 0.48, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.58, P<0.001; unadjusted RR: 0.66, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.78, P<0.001). Subgroup analyses by gender suggested individuals with obesity had a significantly decreased risk for developing hip fracture compared with the reference group in both men (RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.60, P<0.001) and women (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.84, P<0.001). No evidence of publication bias was observed in this meta-analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies suggests that obesity significantly decreases the risk of hip fracture in adults, and obesity is probably a protective factor of hip fracture in adults.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Department, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xianye
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Fungui
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Jiangang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017594:Publication Bias; D012307:Risk Factors