# Defining the Impact of Obesity on Pediatric Urinary Tract Infections

> **NIH NIH F32** · RESEARCH INST NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSP · 2022 · $83,930

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections in children and results in significant
morbidity and mortality. Established risk factors do not account for all pediatric UTI. Recent evidence suggests
obesity may play an important role in UTI susceptibility, but the relationship between obesity and pediatric UTI
is not defined. In children, several published studies linking obesity to increased UTI risk are based on small
study sizes, limited to young children, hospitalized children, or were performed in countries with lower obesity
rates than most Western countries. Thus, a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of childhood obesity on UTI
susceptibility, frequency, and severity in ambulatory and hospital settings is warranted. In addition, mechanistic
studies are needed to define how obesity alters UTI risk. Preliminary data from our team suggest that obesity
increases UTI risk by suppressing host UTI defenses – including the production of cytokines, antimicrobial
peptides (AMP), and disrupting the bladder’s urothelial barrier. As a result, this application is designed to address
the central hypothesis that obesity has an underappreciated and significant impact on UTI risk, recurrence, and
severity by weakening innate host UTI defenses. To address this hypothesis, I designed this application to meet
the following objectives: (Aim 1) Define the effect of obesity on the frequency and severity of pediatric UTI. I will
access a large pediatric accountable care organization database to define UTI incidence, recurrence, and short-
and long- term morbidity across all patient care settings. (Aim 2) Interrogate the impact of obesity on the urinary
tract’s innate host UTI defenses. I will use an established biorepository to quantify urinary AMPs, proinflammatory
cytokines, and a uroplakin barrier protein. Completion of these studies will define the role of obesity as a UTI risk
factor in children, as well as establish mechanisms through which obesity increases UTI susceptibility. This work
holds significant promise for crucial insight into pediatric UTI management, prevention, and treatment strategies.
It also provides me with an exceptional training opportunity to develop the analytic and laboratory skills required
to perform impactful outcomes-based translational research focused on pediatric UTI.
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## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10489286
- **Project number:** 5F32DK130521-02
- **Recipient organization:** RESEARCH INST NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSP
- **Principal Investigator:** Emily Stonebrook
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $83,930
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10489286

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10489286, Defining the Impact of Obesity on Pediatric Urinary Tract Infections (5F32DK130521-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10489286. Licensed CC0.

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