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Birth weight, body mass index and asthma in young adults
S O Shaheen1, J A Sterne, S M Montgomery
1Department of Public Health Sciences, Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine, London SE1 3QD, UK.
Insights
Low birth weight and adult obesity are significant risk factors for developing asthma in young adults. These findings highlight the importance of fetal growth and body mass index in adult respiratory health.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Asthma risk factors are not well-established for late childhood and early adulthood.
- Impaired fetal growth is a potential risk factor for asthma, but evidence in adults is limited.
- The role of adult body fatness in asthma development requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between birth weight, adult anthropometry, and the prevalence of asthma, wheeze, hayfever, and eczema in young British adults.
- To examine the influence of fetal growth and adult body mass index (BMI) on adult-onset respiratory conditions.
- To identify potential risk factors for asthma in late childhood and early adult life.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), including 8960 individuals.
- Collected self-reported data on asthma, wheeze, hayfever, and eczema prevalence in the past 12 months at age 26.
- Calculated adult body mass index (BMI) from self-reported height and weight.
Main Results:
- Asthma prevalence decreased with increasing birth weight.
- Adult asthma prevalence increased with higher adult BMI, with stronger associations observed in women.
- Associations between birth weight and adult BMI were also found for wheeze, but not for hayfever or eczema.
Conclusions:
- Impaired fetal growth is a significant risk factor for adult asthma.
- Adult fatness, indicated by BMI, is a key risk factor for developing adult asthma.
- These findings underscore the importance of monitoring fetal growth and maintaining a healthy weight throughout life to reduce asthma risk.
Background:
Impaired fetal growth may be a risk factor for asthma although evidence in children is conflicting and there are few data in adults. Little is known about risk factors which may influence asthma in late childhood or early adult life. Whilst there are clues that fatness may be important, this has been little studied in young adults. The relations between birth weight and childhood and adult anthropometry and asthma, wheeze, hayfever, and eczema were investigated in a nationally representative sample of young British adults.
Methods:
A total of 8960 individuals from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) were studied. They had recently responded to a questionnaire at 26 years of age in which they were asked whether they had suffered from asthma, wheeze, hayfever, and eczema in the previous 12 months. Adult body mass index (BMI) was calculated from reported height and weight.
Results:
The prevalence of asthma at 26 years fell with increasing birth weight. After controlling for potential confounding factors, the odds ratio comparing the lowest birth weight group (<2 kg) with the modal group (3-3.5 kg) was 1.99 (95% CI 0.96 to 4.12). The prevalence of asthma increased with increasing adult BMI. After controlling for birth weight and other confounders, the odds ratio comparing highest with lowest quintile was 1.72 (95% CI 1.29 to 2.29). The association between fatness and asthma was stronger in women; odds ratios comparing overweight women (BMI 25-29.99) and obese women (BMI >/=30) with those of normal weight (BMI <25) were 1.51 (95% CI 1.11 to 2.06) and 1.84 (95% CI 1. 19 to 2.84), respectively. The BMI at 10 years was not related to adult asthma. Similar associations with birth weight and adult BMI were present for wheeze but not for hayfever or eczema.
Conclusions:
Impaired fetal growth and adult fatness are risk factors for adult asthma.