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Updated: May 30, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
The association of obesity and asthma severity and control in children
Kenneth B Quinto1, Bruce L Zuraw, Kwun-Yee T Poon
1Department of Allergy and Immunology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif 92111, USA.
Insights
Childhood obesity is linked to poorer asthma control, with overweight and obese children requiring more rescue inhalers and steroid courses. This highlights the importance of weight management in pediatric asthma care.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Obesity Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- The relationship between childhood obesity and asthma severity remains unclear.
- Understanding this association is crucial for effective pediatric asthma management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between high body mass index (BMI) percentile in children and asthma outcomes.
- Specifically examining the association with medication use, emergency visits, and hospitalizations.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 32,321 children (ages 5-17) with asthma.
- Data analyzed included medication dispensing, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations.
- Statistical models adjusted for confounders like demographics and comorbidities.
Main Results:
- Overweight and obese children showed increased use of short-acting beta-agonist canisters.
- Higher likelihood of receiving oral corticosteroid courses was observed in these children.
- These associations persisted after adjusting for potential confounding factors.
Conclusions:
- Childhood obesity is significantly associated with worse asthma control.
- Obesity increases the risk of asthma exacerbations and the need for more medication.
Background:
The association between obesity and asthma severity and control in children is not well understood.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to examine the association of childhood body mass index (BMI) percentile for age of 85% or greater with the number of β-agonist canisters dispensed, corticosteroid courses, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations for asthma.
Methods:
A retrospective cohort of 32,321 children aged 5 to 17 years and given a diagnosis of asthma who received at least 1 asthma (controller or rescue) medication and were enrolled in Kaiser Permanente from 2004-2008 was identified. Outcomes from electronic medical records included β-agonist canister and nebulizer units dispensed per year, hospitalizations and emergency department visits for asthma exacerbations, and oral corticosteroid courses. Potential confounding factors known to influence asthma outcomes were also collected: demographics, parental education level, asthma controller use, gastroesophageal reflux disease diagnosis, and diabetes mellitus diagnosis. Multiple logistic regression models were used to measure the independent association of BMI status with outcomes.
Results:
Even after adjusting for demographics, parental education level, asthma controller use, and gastroesophageal reflux disease and diabetes mellitus diagnoses, overweight (BMI percentile for age, 85% to 94%) and obese (BMI percentile for age, ≥ 95%) children were more likely to have increased β-agonists dispensed (odds ratio of 1.15 [95% CI, 1.02-1.27] and odds ratio of 1.17 [95% CI, 1.06-1.29], respectively) and increased risk for oral corticosteroids dispensed (odds ratio of 1.21 [95% CI, 1.13-1.29] and odds ratio of 1.28 [95% CI, 1.21-1.36], respectively) compared with normal-weight (BMI percentile for age, 16% to 84%) children.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that childhood obesity is associated with an increased risk of worse asthma control and exacerbations.
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