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Obesity in the pediatric headache population: a multicenter study

Andrew D Hershey1, Scott W Powers, Timothy D Nelson

  • 1Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center-Neurology, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.

Headache
|September 12, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric obesity is linked to more frequent and disabling headaches. Weight loss in overweight children can reduce headache frequency over time, highlighting the importance of weight management in pediatric headache care.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric neurology
  • Obesity research
  • Public health

Background:

  • Headache and obesity are prevalent in children and adults.
  • Adult studies suggest a link between headache and obesity.
  • This relationship is under-explored in pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Examine pediatric obesity prevalence.
  • Correlate weight with headache frequency and disability.
  • Assess weight change impact on pediatric headache outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Collected data on 913 pediatric patients across 7 centers.
  • Measured height, weight, age, gender, headache frequency, and disability.
  • Calculated Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile and tracked changes at 3- and 6-month follow-ups.

Main Results:

  • Overweight prevalence in the cohort matched the general pediatric population.
  • BMI percentile correlated with initial headache frequency and disability.
  • In obese/overweight children, BMI change positively correlated with headache frequency change at follow-up.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood obesity is associated with increased headache frequency and disability.
  • Weight loss in overweight children can lead to reduced headaches.
  • Clinicians should consider patient weight status when managing pediatric headaches.
Abstract

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