Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42806664›Full record

Observational studyJournal of obesity2026

Body Shape Indices and Chronic Knee Pain in Chinese Aging Population: A Longitudinal Analysis of Abdominal Obesity, BMI, and Waist Circumference.

Dizhou Zhao, Daiqiang Huang, Lifen Zhang, Yunhui Wang, Lu Liu, Xiangyan Jin, Zhiming Shan

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Journal of obesity, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Dizhou ZhaoDepartment of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China, sustc.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1305-3964
Daiqiang HuangDepartment of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China, sustc.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7686-6546
Lifen ZhangDepartment of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China, sustc.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9817-3790
Yunhui WangDepartment of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China, sustc.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4285-2147
Lu LiuDepartment of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China, sustc.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0111-0174
Xiangyan JinDepartment of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China, sustc.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7903-3102
Zhiming ShanDepartment of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China, sustc.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4575-3933

Funding

Shenzhen People's Hospital Physician Scientist Training "Five Three Program" SYWGSJCYJ202509
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChronic knee pain (CKP) is a globally prevalent condition among older adults, yet the predictive value of diverse obesity-related indices for CKP remains insufficiently explored in the Chinese population. This study aims to investigate the longitudinal relationship between abdominal obesity, multiple body shape indices (including weight, body mass index [BMI], waist circumference [WC], visceral adiposity index [VAI], and conicity index [CI]), and the risk of developing CKP using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).

methodsWe conducted a longitudinal analysis using data from CHARLS Wave 3 (2015, baseline) to Wave 5 (2020). The inclusion criteria were participants aged 55 years or older with complete biomarkers from fasting blood samples and anthropometric data at baseline. We excluded participants who: (1) had missing blood test results or body index data, (2) were lost to follow-up, (3) had missing information regarding knee pain, and (4) reported pre-existing knee pain at baseline (Wave 3). Abdominal obesity and body shape indices were assessed at baseline. The incidence of CKP was defined as reporting knee pain in two consecutive follow-up waves. Logistic regression and restricted cubic splines were employed to evaluate the associations.

results889 out of 3288 participants, which is 27.04%, were identified as CKP during the 5-year follow-up period (2015-2020). After adjusting for various confounding factors, the OR for CKP associated with BMI was 1.03 (95% CI: 1.01-1.05; p = 0.020), WC was 1.01 (95% CI: 1.01-1.02; p = 0.011), and people with abdominal obesity was 1.36 (95% CI: 1.15-1.60; p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis demonstrated similar results without any interactions. In restricted cubic spline regression, the relationship between BMI and CKP is nonlinear, and the relationship between WC and CKP is linear.

conclusionsAmong middle-aged and older adults, abdominal obesity, BMI, and WC should be regarded as risk factors of CKP, whereas VAI, CI, and body weight should not. Notably, this study revealed a nonlinear relationship between BMI and CKP, contrasting with the linear link observed between WC and CKP. Furthermore, compared to BMI and WC, abdominal obesity demonstrates a higher statistical effect size and more pronounced clinical significance.

Indexed as

ArthralgiaBody Mass IndexChronic PainKnee JointObesity, AbdominalWaist CircumferenceAgedAgingChinaFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedRisk Factorsabdominal obesitybody shape indicesCHARLSchronic knee pain

Identifiers

PMID42806664
PMCPMC13620403

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.