Multidimensional pain profiling in people living with obesity and attending weight management services: a protocol for a longitudinal cohort study

<strong>Please note: The final dataset will not be available until data collection has been completed in the Autumn of 2024.<br> This dataset currently contains the following:</strong> 1. Details of the study, including authorship, ethical approval, funding, registration details, an abstract for the protocol of the study and details of data being collected (both in Microsoft Word and open access .txt formats) 2. Outline of the data in the process of collection (Microsoft Excel) 3. Ethical approval letters from relevant Research Ethics Committees (PDF)<br> <br> <strong>Project Title: </strong>Multidimensional pain profiling in people living with obesity and attending weight management services: a longitudinal cohort study <strong>Authors:</strong> Keith M. Smart^1,2, Natasha Hinwood¹, Colin G. Dunlevy³, Catherine Doody¹, Catherine Blake¹, Brona Fullen¹, Jean O’Connell³, Carel W. Le Roux⁴, Clare Gilsenan⁵, Francis M. Finucane^6,7, Gráinne O’Donoghue¹. <strong>Corresponding author</strong>: Natasha Hinwood <strong>Address:</strong> UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sport Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland <strong>Email:</strong> [e-mail] <strong>Phone:</strong> [phone] Full name, department, institution, city, and country of all co-authors. ¹UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sport Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland ²Physiotherapy Department, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland ³Weight Management Service, St Columcille’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland ⁴Diabetes Complications Research Centre, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland ⁵Physiotherapy Department, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland ⁶ School of Medicine, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway ⁷Bariatric Medicine Service, Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Galway University Hospitals <strong>ORCID</strong> 1. Keith M. Smart: 0000-0002-1598-5215 2. Natasha Hinwood: 0000-0001-9382-716X 3. Colin G. Dunlevy: 4. Catherine Doody: 5. Catherine Blake: 0000-0002-0600-629X 6. Brona Fullen: 0000-0003-4408--2063 7. Carel W. Le Roux: 0000-0001-5521-5445 8. Jean O’Connell: 0000-0001-7241-8025 9. Clare Gilsenan: 10. Francis M. Finucane: 0000-0002-5374-7090 11. Gráinne O’Donoghue: 0000-0002-9126-2094 <strong>Project abstract (Protocol): </strong> <em>Introduction</em>: Pain is prevalent in people living with overweight and obesity. Obesity is associated with increased self-reported pain intensity and pain-related disability, reductions in physical functioning and poorer psychological well-being. People living with obesity tend to respond less well to pain treatments or management compared to people living without obesity. Mechanisms linking obesity and pain are complex and may variously include contributions from and interactions between physiological, behavioural, psychological, socio-cultural, biomechanical, and genetic factors. Our aim is to study the multidimensional pain profiles of people living with obesity, over time, in an attempt to better understand the relationship between obesity and pain.<br> <em>Methods and analysis: </em> This longitudinal observational cohort study will recruit (n=216) people living with obesity and who are newly attending three weight management services in Ireland. Participants will complete questionnaires that assess their multidimensional biopsychosocial pain experience at baseline and at 3, 6, 12 and 18-months post-recruitment. Quantitative analyses will characterise the multidimensional pain experiences and trajectories of the cohort as a whole and in defined sub-groups.<br> <em>Ethics and dissemination: </em> The study protocol has been approved by the Ethics and Medical Research Committee of St Vincent’s Healthcare Group, Dublin, Ireland (Reference No.: RS21-059) and the University College Dublin Human Research Ethics Committee (Reference No.: LS-E-22-41-Hinwood-Smart). Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, public and patient advocacy groups, and social media.