Does the relationship between asthma and obesity differ by neighborhood?
Emily S Tonorezos1, Adam M Karpati, Yuanjia Wang
1Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Respiratory Medicine
|August 19, 2008
Summary
Obesity increases asthma risk, but does not disproportionately explain higher asthma rates in low-income urban areas. Further research into other causes of asthma in these communities is needed.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Obesity and asthma are common in low-income urban areas.
- Previous research suggests a link between obesity and asthma.
- The specific impact of obesity on asthma within urban low-income settings remains under-examined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between obesity and asthma prevalence in urban neighborhoods.
- To determine if obesity disproportionately contributes to higher asthma rates in low-income urban areas compared to middle-to-upper-income areas.
Main Methods:
- A survey of 6,119 adults aged 18-54 in New York City in 2002.
- Obesity defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m².
- Current asthma defined as physician-diagnosed asthma with recent symptoms; prevalence (risk) differences (RD) and population attributable risk percents (PAR%) were calculated.
Main Results:
- Obese individuals had a 2.0% higher risk of current asthma overall.
- Obesity and current asthma were more prevalent in low-income neighborhoods.
- The risk of asthma associated with obesity and its population attributable risk percent were similar across low-income and middle-to-upper-income neighborhoods.
Conclusions:
- Obesity is unlikely to be the primary driver of excess asthma prevalence in urban low-income neighborhoods.
- Alternative environmental or social factors should be investigated as potential causes for higher asthma rates in these communities.
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