SynthesisObesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity2026
"It Is a Vicious Circle": Experiences of People Living With Obesity and Chronic Pain: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis (QES).
Synthesis in Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study 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, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- "It Is a Vicious Circle": Experiences of People Living With Obesity and Chronic Pain: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis (QES).Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionThe relationship between obesity and chronic pain (CP) is complex. Obesity is associated with increased pain-related disability, pain intensity, worse physical functioning, and poorer psychological well-being.
aimsThe aim of this qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) was to systematically review and synthesize the qualitative literature reporting experiences of people living with obesity (PwO) and CP.
methodsWe registered (PROSPERO: CRD42023361391) and undertook a QES to answer the following question: "What are the first-person experiences of people living with obesity and chronic pain?" We searched five databases on February 9, 2023 and February 8, 2024 to identify primary qualitative studies investigating the experience of PwO and CP. Two authors independently screened search results for eligibility, extracted data, assessed methodological quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP), and undertook a thematic synthesis of the included studies.
resultsWe included 10 studies (n = 153 participants) and identified eight findings under four main themes: (1) A Predominant Bio-Mechanical Understanding of Pain; (2) Catch 22: Vicious Cycle of Pain and Obesity; (3) The Stigmas Associated With Pain and Obesity; and (4) Food as a Complex and Frustrating Pathway to Health.
conclusionsThe lived experiences of CP and obesity include complex interactions of pain beliefs, challenges relating to healthcare provision, pain-associated and weight-related stigmas, altered self-image, self-blame, and altered food habits in response to pain. Our QES enhances understanding of experiences of PwO and CP and highlights the need for improved strategies for healthcare professionals to address weight-based stigma and provide holistic care for PwO and CP.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
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 Socratic graph.