Injuries more common among obese people

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Those who are extremely overweight run a much higher risk of injuring themselves than those of normal weight.
Obesity carries many health risks and now researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy, Columbus, Ohio, add another to the list. In the first study to look at the risk of injury among the general population, they find that one in four of extremely obese males and one in five extremely obese females reported injuries during the year of the study. These were people who had a body mass index (BMI) of over 35.

Overexertion and falls were the most common causes of injury in the obese (BMI between 30 and 35) and extremely obese. This may be because obesity limits a person's physical activity and mobility. More than half of the injuries occurred inside the home. Overall, injuries increased with BMI in the whole group - except that obese men did not have an increased injury rate, a finding which may relate to the relatively small number of men in this group. The findings suggest another advantage of keeping to a healthy weight - avoiding falls and injuries.

Source
American Journal of Preventive Medicine July 2005 Volume 29 pages 41-45

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