Trajectories of adiposity indicators and association with asthma and lung function in urban minority children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric respiratory health
• Childhood obesity and metabolic health
• Immunology and environmental exposures

Background:

• Existing research suggests a link between adiposity and asthma, but early childhood adiposity trajectories in high-risk urban populations remain understudied.
• Early life trajectories of adipokines, crucial for metabolic and immunologic functions, have not been comprehensively investigated in relation to asthma risk.
• This study addresses the knowledge gap concerning the relationship between early childhood adiposity patterns and asthma development in vulnerable urban populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize longitudinal trajectories of adiposity in a birth cohort of predominantly Black and Latinx children over the first 10 years of life.
• To investigate the association between observed adiposity trajectories and asthma diagnosis.
• To examine the relationship between adiposity trajectories and various lung function outcomes, including spirometry and impulse oscillometry.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal birth cohort study of 418 predominantly Black and Latinx children in urban US cities.
• Annual repeated measures of body mass index (BMI) z-score, bioimpedance analysis (percentage of body fat), leptin, and adiponectin.
• Statistical analysis to identify adiposity trajectories and compare them with asthma diagnosis and lung function parameters (spirometry, impulse oscillometry, methacholine challenge).

Main Results:

• Three distinct trajectories were identified for BMI z-score, body fat percentage, and leptin levels.
• Two trajectories were observed for adiponectin levels.
• No statistically significant association was found between any of the identified adiposity or adipokine trajectories and asthma diagnosis or lung function outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Early childhood adiposity trajectories, encompassing BMI and key adipokines, were not associated with asthma diagnosis or impaired lung function in this high-risk cohort.
• The lack of association may be influenced by unique geographic, social, and demographic factors specific to the studied urban populations.
• Future obesity and asthma research should consider these complex environmental and socioeconomic determinants, particularly in diverse urban settings.