Loading ...

TOPLINE:

Obesity and sedentary behavior were each independently associated with increased odds of chronic pain, especially in older adults, with no clear multiplicative interaction between BMI and physical activity levels.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to assess interaction between physical activity and BMI in their association with chronic pain, and whether this varied by age.
• They included data of 49,879 participants aged 16 years or older (51.3% women) from the 2021 Danish Capital Region Health Survey.
• Chronic pain was assessed by asking participants whether they experienced persistent or frequently recurring pain for 3 months or longer; frequently recurring was defined as pain on at least 15 days per month.
• BMI was calculated from weight and height reported by participants. Based on the BMI, participants were categorized as having underweight (< 18.5), normal weight (18.5-24.9), overweight (25.0-29.9), or obesity (≥ 30.0).
• Researchers measured self-reported physical activity using the 4-level Saltin-Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale and classified it as sedentary, low, or moderate-to-vigorous. Participants with low physical activity and normal weight were considered the reference group.

TAKEAWAY:

• Overall, 31.5% of participants reported experiencing chronic pain. Obesity and sedentary behavior were independently associated with increased odds of chronic pain.
• Participants with both obesity and sedentary behavior had the highest odds of experiencing chronic pain (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.51; 95% CI, 2.26-2.79).
• Among participants aged 65 years or older, having both obesity and sedentary levels of physical activity were linked to substantially increased odds of experiencing chronic pain (aOR, 3.60; 95% CI, 3.01-4.31).
• Researchers found little to no evidence of multiplicative interaction between levels of physical activity and BMI in their association with chronic pain (P = .341).

IN PRACTICE:

“Little to no evidence of an interaction between PA [physical activity] and BMI was found in their association with [chronic pain], suggesting that the two factors influence pain independently and may need to be addressed separately in management strategies. The findings further emphasize the potential importance of PA across dif­ferent BMI groups,” the researchers wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Julie Mundt, of Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg in Frederiksberg, Denmark. It was published online on May 12 in the European Journal of Pain.

LIMITATIONS:

The researchers could not infer cause-effect relationships because the study was cross-sectional. All key measures were self-reported by participants and may have been subject to bias. Physical activity was measured only during leisure time and may have misclassified overall activity.

DISCLOSURES:

The study did not receive any specific funding. The Danish Capital Region Health Survey was conducted and funded by The Capital Region of Denmark. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.