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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Body mass index and pediatric asthma outcomes
Jeffrey Hom1, Eric J Morley, Paul Sasso
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA. Jeffrey.Hom@nyumc.org
Insights
Overweight children (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 85% percentile) did not have a higher emergency department admission rate for asthma compared to non-overweight children. This study found no significant association between BMI and asthma admission rates in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Asthma Management
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing concern.
- Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease in children.
- Understanding factors influencing asthma exacerbations is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and emergency department (ED) admission rates in children diagnosed with asthma.
- To determine if overweight or obesity in children impacts their likelihood of hospital admission for asthma exacerbations.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study was conducted in a pediatric ED from June 2005 to April 2008.
- 183 children aged 6-18 years with wheezing were assessed.
- Admission rates were compared between overweight (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) and non-overweight children.
Main Results:
- 108 out of 183 children were classified as overweight.
- No statistically significant differences were found in demographic characteristics or asthma outcome measures between overweight and non-overweight groups.
- The asthma admission rate was similar for both groups: 9.3% for non-overweight and 10.2% for overweight children (P = 1.0).
Conclusions:
- Body mass index (BMI) did not predict emergency department admission for ambulatory asthma in children.
- Overweight status in children presenting with asthma to the ED was not associated with increased admission rates.
- Further research may explore other factors influencing asthma severity and ED utilization in pediatric populations.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to determine the association between body mass index (BMI), a measure of obesity, with emergency department admission rate in children with asthma.
Methods:
This was a prospective study in a tertiary care, urban pediatric emergency department. Treating physicians and academic associates enrolled subjects during June 2005 to April 2008. Eligible subjects with documented weight and height were between ages 6 and 18 years with chief complaint of wheezing. We compared admission rates between overweight children (BMI, > or = 85% percentile) and nonoverweight children (BMI, < 85% percentile). Data were expressed as mean (SD). Group comparisons were made by Student t test or Fisher exact test, as appropriate. All tests were 2-tailed with an alpha set at 0.05.
Result:
We studied 183 children, where 108 children were classified overweight. Demographic differences (mean age, male sex, and African-American race) between overweight and nonoverweight children were not statistically significant. In addition, changes in asthma outcome measures (inpatient admissions during the previous year, asthma visits in the last 30 days, and missed school days in the last 30 days) were not statistically significant. Only household tobacco use approached statistical significance (P = 0.07). The admission rate for nonoverweight children was 9.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.3-18.3) compared with the 10.2% (95% CI, 5.6-17.5) for overweight children; a P = 1.0 was equivalent.
Conclusions:
Body mass index, a method to quantify overweight children, failed to predict admission of children with ambulatory asthma who presented to the pediatric emergency department.
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