The impact of obesity-related asthma on neurodevelopmental disorders in children: a cross-sectional study
Yichen Wu1,2, Ruixue Xu2, Qing Long2
1Department of Pediatrics, First School of Clinical Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, 19 Nonglinxia Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, China.
Insights
Children with obesity-related asthma face a significantly higher risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. This co-occurrence presents a greater burden than either condition alone, highlighting the need for targeted assessments.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Public Health
Background:
- Asthma and obesity are independently linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in children.
- The impact of their co-occurrence on neurodevelopmental disorder burden remains understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between co-occurring asthma and obesity and the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents.
- To determine if the combined presence of asthma and obesity exacerbates the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders compared to individual conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 42,444 children and adolescents (aged 10-17) from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).
- Participants were categorized into four groups: obesity-related asthma (OA), asthma without obesity (NOA), obesity without asthma (ONA), and neither condition (NC).
- Statistical analyses compared the odds of neurodevelopmental disorders across these four groups.
Main Results:
- The obesity-related asthma (OA) group showed significantly higher adjusted odds ratios for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (1.84), learning disability (1.87), autism spectrum disorder (2.20), and developmental delay (2.29) compared to the neither condition (NC) group.
- The asthma without obesity (NOA) and obesity without asthma (ONA) groups also exhibited increased odds for some neurodevelopmental disorders, but generally to a lesser extent than the OA group.
- The co-occurrence of obesity and asthma was associated with a stronger burden of neurodevelopmental disorders than either condition in isolation.
Conclusions:
- Obesity-related asthma in children is significantly associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.
- The combined presence of obesity and asthma demonstrates a stronger association with neurodevelopmental disorders than either condition alone.
- Findings suggest a need for integrated management strategies and closer developmental monitoring for children with co-occurring obesity and asthma.
Background:
Although asthma and obesity are independently associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, whether their co-occurrence is associated with a higher burden of these disorders remains unclear.
Methods:
Using NHIS data from children and adolescents aged 10-17 years with complete BMI and neurodevelopmental data, 42,444 participants were stratified into four categories according to their asthma and obesity status: obesity-related asthma (OA), asthma without obesity (NOA), obesity without asthma (ONA), and neither condition (NC).
Results:
Compared with the NC group, the adjusted odds ratios for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disability, autism spectrum disorder, and developmental delay were, respectively, 1.84 (95% CI 1.57-2.14), 1.87 (95% CI 1.57-2.22), 2.20 (95% CI 1.57-3.07), and 2.29 (95% CI 1.79-2.94) in the OA group; 1.56 (95% CI 1.40-1.74), 1.51 (95% CI 1.34-1.69), 1.12 (95% CI 0.87-1.43), and 1.50 (95% CI 1.26-1.79) in the NOA group; 1.23 (95% CI 1.10-1.38), 1.32 (95% CI 1.17-1.48), 1.53 (95% CI 1.21-1.93), and 1.31 (95% CI 1.10-1.56) in the ONA group.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrated a significant association between obesity-related asthma and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. The co-occurrence of obesity and asthma is associated with stronger associations than either condition alone.
Impact:
Our study showed that there was a significant association between obesity-related asthma and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Our study also suggested that the co-occurrence of obesity and asthma is associated with stronger associations than either condition alone. Our study filled the research gap regarding the association between obesity-related asthma and childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. Our findings highlight the need for further longitudinal studies to examine whether integrated management of obesity and asthma is related to neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. These findings may help identify children with co-occurring obesity and asthma as a subgroup warranting closer developmental assessment.
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