title: Association between childhood overweight measures and adulthood knee pain, stiffness and dysfunction: a 25-year cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the associations between overweight measures in childhood and knee pain, stiffness and dysfunction among adults 25 years later.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects broadly representative of the Australian population (n=449, aged 31-41 years, female 48%) were selected from the Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey of 1985. Height, weight and knee injury were recorded and knee pain was assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC). Childhood height, weight and knee injury had been measured according to standard protocols 25 years earlier and body mass index (BMI) and percentage overweight were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of knee pain was 34% and overweight in childhood and adulthood was 7% and 48%, respectively. Overall, there were no significant associations between childhood overweight measures and total WOMAC knee pain, stiffness and dysfunction scores in adulthood. However, in men, overweight in childhood was associated with adulthood WOMAC pain (relative risk (RR) 1.72, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.69) and childhood weight and BMI were associated with WOMAC stiffness and dysfunction. Childhood weight, BMI and overweight were all associated with the presence of adulthood walking knee pain in men and the whole sample. Most of these associations were independent of adult overweight measures. Subjects who were overweight in both childhood and adult life had a significant increase in the risk and prevalence of adulthood walking pain (RR=2.42, 95% CI 1.06 to 5.53).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Childhood overweight measures were significantly associated with adulthood knee mechanical joint pain, stiffness and dysfunction among men, independent of adult overweight, suggesting that childhood overweight may lead to later knee symptoms in men.
authors.affiliation: Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors.forename: Benny
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Antony
authors.affiliation: Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors.forename: Graeme
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Venn
authors.affiliation: Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cicuttini
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Lyn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: March
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bone and Joint Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Leigh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Blizzard
authors.affiliation: Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors.forename: Terence
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dwyer
authors.affiliation: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Marita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cross
authors.affiliation: Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Changhai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ding
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Arthritis; Epidemiology; Knee Osteoarthritis