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Published on: April 13, 2010

Asthma and atopy in overweight children

L M Schachter1, J K Peat, C M Salome

  • 1Woolcock Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. lindams@bigpond.com

Thorax
|December 3, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Higher body mass index (BMI) is linked to increased atopy, wheeze, and cough in girls, but not asthma or airway hyperresponsiveness in children. This study highlights sex-specific associations between childhood obesity and respiratory symptoms.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric respiratory health
  • Epidemiology
  • Childhood obesity

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing concern with potential links to respiratory issues like asthma and atopy.
  • The relationship between obesity, lung function, and airway responsiveness in children requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and respiratory symptoms, atopy, and airway hyperresponsiveness in children.
  • To determine if these associations differ between sexes.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 5993 Caucasian children aged 7-12 years across seven epidemiological studies in NSW.
  • Standardized weight assessed by BMI percentiles; airway responsiveness measured by dose-response ratio (DRR).
  • Logistic regression used to calculate adjusted odds ratios for respiratory outcomes, controlling for potential confounders.

Main Results:

  • Higher BMI was a significant risk factor for wheeze and cough in children, after adjusting for atopy, sex, age, smoking, and family history.
  • In girls, elevated BMI was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of atopy, wheeze, and cough.
  • No significant association was found between higher BMI and asthma or airway hyperresponsiveness in either boys or girls.

Conclusions:

  • Increased BMI is a risk factor for atopy, wheeze, and cough, but only in girls.
  • Childhood obesity does not appear to be a risk factor for asthma or airway hyperresponsiveness in this cohort.
Abstract

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