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Associations between central obesity and asthma in children and adolescents: a case-control study

Constantina Papoutsakis1, Maria Chondronikola, Georgios Antonogeorgos

  • 1Department of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , Athens , Greece .

The Journal of Asthma : Official Journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
|August 20, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Central obesity and high body weight are linked to childhood asthma. Waist circumference and Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements indicate this association, highlighting the importance of body fat distribution in asthma development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric pulmonology
  • Obesity research
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Existing evidence suggests a weak link between high body weight and childhood asthma.
  • Current research primarily uses Body Mass Index (BMI) to assess body fat, overlooking body fat distribution's role.
  • The relationship between central obesity and asthma in children requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between central obesity, high body weight, and asthma diagnosis in children.
  • To explore how body fat distribution, specifically central obesity, relates to asthma in a pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study involving 514 children aged 5-11 years (217 with asthma, 297 healthy controls).
  • Measurements included height, weight, and waist circumference.
  • Data on asthma symptoms, medical history, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, diet, and physical activity were collected.

Main Results:

  • Children with asthma showed a higher prevalence of central obesity (waist percentile ≥90th: 15.2% vs. 9.4%; waist-to-height ratio percentile ≥90th: 39.6% vs. 24.2%).
  • Central obesity was significantly associated with increased odds of asthma diagnosis (high waist circumference OR=1.99; high waist-to-height ratio OR=2.24), even after adjusting for confounders.
  • Overweight/obese children (BMI-defined) had higher odds of asthma compared to controls (OR=1.52).

Conclusions:

  • Central obesity and high body weight (overweight/obesity) are associated with asthma diagnosis in children.
  • Waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, and BMI are valuable indicators in assessing this relationship.
  • Further research is needed to confirm these findings and elucidate the impact of body fat distribution on childhood asthma.
Abstract

Keywords:
Asthmabody mass indexcentral obesitychildrenobesityoverweightwaist circumferencewaist-to-height ratio

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