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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

Low birthweight and asthma among young urban children

Lenna Nepomnyaschy1, Nancy E Reichman

  • 1Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, NY 10027, USA. ln77@columbia.edu

American Journal of Public Health
|July 29, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Low birthweight significantly increases the risk of early childhood asthma, even after accounting for many individual and neighborhood factors. This persistent association highlights the need for further research into underlying causes.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Environmental Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Low birthweight is a known risk factor for various health issues.
  • Early childhood asthma prevalence is a significant public health concern.
  • Understanding the interplay between birthweight and environmental factors is crucial for prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if individual and neighborhood factors mediate the association between low birthweight and early childhood asthma.
  • To identify specific demographic, socioeconomic, medical, behavioral, and neighborhood characteristics that influence this relationship.
  • To explore the independent impact of neighborhood housing characteristics on childhood asthma development.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a population-based sample of 1803 children born in large US cities (1998-2000).
  • Employed multilevel models to analyze associations between low birthweight and asthma diagnosis by age 3.
  • Controlled for a comprehensive set of covariates including prenatal risks, demographics, socioeconomic status, and neighborhood characteristics.

Main Results:

  • Children with low birthweight were twice as likely to be diagnosed with asthma by age 3 (34% vs 18%).
  • The adjusted odds ratio for asthma in low birthweight children remained significant (OR=2.36, P<.001), similar to the unadjusted odds ratio (OR=2.48, P<.001).
  • Higher rates of renter-occupied housing and vacancies at the census tract level independently predicted childhood asthma.

Conclusions:

  • The strong association between low birthweight and early childhood asthma is not substantially explained by the assessed individual or neighborhood factors.
  • Neighborhood housing characteristics emerged as significant independent predictors of childhood asthma.
  • Further investigation into the specific mechanisms linking neighborhood housing conditions and early childhood asthma is warranted.
Abstract

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