Obese children are more likely to sustain complex fractures and experience more complications afterwards compared to children of a healthy weight, a new study has found.

Childhood obesity is a serious public health issue worldwide. Currently in Ireland, around one in four children are overweight or obese.

Obese children are much more likely to become obese adults and this puts them at risk of a range of chronic health problems, including diabetes and heart disease. However, this latest study suggests that obesity may also put major pressure on a child's musculoskeletal system.

US researchers looked at 350 patients aged between two and 11 who had undergone surgery for a supracondylar humeral fracture - this is a fracture that occurs above the elbow.

The study included children who were underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese.

It found that children who were obese were much more likely to sustain complex fractures in this part of the body. A fracture was considered complex if the bone had been completely displaced, if it was an open fracture (where the bone is exposed through the skin) or if there were multiple fractures in the same arm.

The study also found that obese children who suffered a supracondylar humeral fracture were more likely to experience post-operative complications.

"These findings show that children diagnosed with obesity are more likely to sustain these complex fractures from something as simple as falling onto an outstretched hand while standing, and these types of falls are quite common," said the study's author, Dr Michelle Caird, of the University of Michigan.

This marks the first study to investigate the implications of obesity on this type of fracture, although similar studies have also shown that obese children who break their femur (thigh) bone are more likely to require more surgery and experience more complications than children of a normal weight.

"Our research aims to remind parents that there are many serious risks to childhood obesity, including fractures and surgical complications. It's important to ensure that children get the proper amount of exercise and to build their bone banks early in life to a strong and healthy frame," Dr Caird added.

Details of these findings are published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.