Respiratory conditions, including asthma, and height in primary school

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S M Somerville1, R J Rona

  • 1St Thomas's Hospital, London.

Annals of Human Biology
|July 1, 1993
PubMed

Insights

In primary school children, most respiratory conditions did not affect height. However, frequent wheezing, a likely indicator of asthma, was associated with slightly reduced height in Caucasian children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Growth and Development

Background:

  • The National Study of Health and Growth (NSHG) investigated child health factors.
  • Previous research suggested potential links between respiratory illnesses and child growth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between height and six respiratory conditions in primary school children aged 5-11 years.
  • To account for genetic and environmental factors, including parental height, in the analysis.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of two large samples of English children: a representative Caucasian sample (1984) and an ethnic/inner-city sample (1985).
  • Statistical examination of height in relation to various respiratory conditions, including asthma.
  • Inclusion of covariates such as parental height to control for confounding factors.

Main Results:

  • No significant relationship was found between height and most respiratory conditions studied.
  • A notable exception was 'wheeze most days', which was associated with a slight reduction in height (approx. 1 cm) in Caucasian children.
  • Comparison with 1973 data indicated that children with severe asthma (3+ attacks) were shorter then, but not in 1984, possibly due to improved treatments or milder reported symptoms.

Conclusions:

  • In the 1980s, respiratory conditions in primary school children were generally not linked to height.
  • 'Wheeze most days' emerged as a potential indicator of sickness, likely asthma, impacting growth slightly.
  • Observed changes in height related to severe asthma over time may reflect advancements in medical care or reporting variations.

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