Group-based trajectory modelling in 88 children and adolescents with ALL identified four weight classes and three BMI and pain classes. About three quarters began with high pain that generally declined; ages 6-15 were associated with higher weight, BMI and pain trajectories.
Key findings
- Ninety-four percent followed a healthy-BMI trajectory. High weight was associated with ages 6-15 (aOR 184.6; 95% CI 30.47-1118.48) and high-risk ALL (aOR 5.36); overweight/obesity was associated with older age (aOR 5.99) and Thai ethnicity (aOR 4.58).
Why this matters globally
Trajectory patterns may inform when nutritional and pain assessments are intensified during paediatric ALL care, especially for older and high-risk groups.
Thai researcher contribution
Chiang Mai University statisticians and paediatricians combined trajectory modelling with Thai clinical data, linking data science and paediatric oncology.
Limitations to consider
With 88 patients, some latent classes are sparse, reflected in an aOR of 184.6 and very wide interval. Retrospective data and absent external validation limit prediction; ethnicity associations should not be biologically essentialised.