BackgroundChildren with obesity at school entry are at increased risk of persistent obesity throughout childhood and adulthood. Little is known about associations with adverse health outcomes with onset during childhood including those affecting the musculoskeletal system. We examined the association between obesity present at school entry and adverse musculoskeletal diagnoses with onset during childhood.MethodsWe searched three electronic databases to identify longitudinal studies published in English between January 2000 and June 2022 assessing associations between obesity measured at school entry (around age 5 years) and musculoskeletal diagnoses made before age 20 years. Two reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full-text using EPPI-Reviewer software. Bias and quality of eligible studies were appraised using The Quality Assessment tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-sectional studies and findings synthesised.ResultsWe identified four eligible studies from 291 unique records, three conducted in Spain and one in Scotland. These studies reported on 1 232 895 children (available data: 51.4% boys; none reported ethnic distribution) with study sample sizes ranging from <2000 to 600 000 and length of follow-up from 2 to 13 years. Quantitative synthesis of findings across these four studies was not possible due to differences in outcomes and effect sizes reported. Children with obesity at school entry were more likely to receive diagnoses of slipped capital femoral epiphysis, back pain, fractures and musculoskeletal complaints made in primary care settings. Included studies were assessed as of ‘fair’ to ‘good’ quality.ConclusionThere is good to fair evidence to suggest children with obesity at school entry are more likely to receive a diagnosis of a musculoskeletal condition during childhood. Further research is needed to replicate these findings in ethnically diverse populations and to investigate whether these are causal associations. The implications of this for children’s mobility and quality of life and future musculoskeletal health warrants further assessment.

ObjectivesHousehold overcrowding is associated with adverse health outcomes, including increased risk of infectious diseases, mental health problems, and poor educational attainment. We investigated inequalities in overcrowding in an urban, ethnically diverse, and disadvantaged London population by pseudonymously linking electronic health records (EHR) to Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) data. ApproachWe used pseudonymised Unique Property Reference Numbers to link EHRs for 1,066,156 currently registered patients from 321,318 households in north-east London to EPC data. We measured household occupancy and derived the bedroom standard overcrowding definition (number of rooms relative to occupants’ sex and ages) to estimate overcrowding prevalence. We examined associations with: household composition (adults only, single adult+children, ≥2 working-age adults+children, ≥1 retirement-age adults+children, three-generational household); ethnic background (White, South Asian, Black, Mixed, Other, missing); and Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) quintile. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the adjusted odds (aOR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) of overcrowding. ResultsOverall, 243,793 (22.9%) people were overcrowded. People living in households with children, or three-generational households were more likely (aOR [95% CI] 3.79 [3.74 - 3.84]; 6.53 [6.41 - 6.66] respectively), and single adults or retirement age adults with children less likely (0.36 [0.35 - 0.38]; 0.36 [0.23 - 0.57] respectively), to be overcrowded. Overcrowding was more likely among people from Asian or Black ethnic backgrounds (1.24 [1.22 - 1.25] and 1.17 [1.15 - 1.19] respectively). There was a dose-response relationship between IMD quintile and overcrowding: OR 0.20 [0.20 - 0.21] in the least deprived compared to most deprived quintile. ConclusionOne in five people in north-east London live in overcrowded households with marked inequalities by ethnicity, household generational composition, and deprivation. Up-to-date estimates of household overcrowding can be derived from linked housing and health records and used to evaluate the impact of economic policies on health and housing inequalities.