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Predisposition to acute respiratory infections among overweight preadolescent children: an epidemiologic study in
W Jedrychowski1, U Maugeri, E Flak
1College of Medicine, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
Insights
Preadolescent children with a high body mass index (BMI) are twice as likely to experience acute respiratory infections. Factors like chronic respiratory symptoms, allergies, and environmental tobacco smoke also increase susceptibility in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Preadolescent respiratory health is a significant concern, influenced by various environmental and physiological factors.
- Understanding risk factors for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in children is crucial for developing targeted public health interventions.
- Body Mass Index (BMI) and environmental exposures are potential determinants of respiratory illness in pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and susceptibility to acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in preadolescent children.
- To identify other significant risk factors, including chronic respiratory symptoms, allergies, environmental tobacco smoke, and household heating type, associated with ARIs in this age group.
- To determine the protective effect of central heating on respiratory health in children.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional field health survey involving 1129 preadolescent children in Krakow.
- Mothers were interviewed to collect data on social background, children's respiratory health, and ARI episodes.
- Clinical examinations included anthropometric measurements for BMI calculation and spirometric testing.
Main Results:
- Children with a BMI of 20 or higher (overweight) had double the risk of ARIs compared to children with lower BMI (OR = 2.02).
- Chronic respiratory symptoms (OR = 2.43), allergy (OR = 1.89), and environmental tobacco smoke (OR = 1.54) were significantly associated with increased ARI susceptibility.
- Central heating in households showed a protective effect against ARIs (OR = 0.65) compared to coal or gas heating.
Conclusions:
- Elevated BMI is a significant risk factor for acute respiratory infections in preadolescent children.
- Environmental tobacco smoke, allergies, and chronic respiratory symptoms further increase the risk of ARIs.
- Central heating may offer a protective effect on children's respiratory health, suggesting environmental factors play a key role.
Abstract:
This cross-sectional field health survey has as its subjects 1129 preadolescent children resident in Krakow. Trained health visitors interviewed the mothers at the children's schools or at the parents' homes in order to gather standardized information regarding the families' social background and the families' and children's respiratory health and episodes of respiratory infections. Predisposition to respiratory infections in children has been defined as frequent spells (3 or more) of acute respiratory infections experienced by a given child over the 12 months preceding the interview. Clinical examination of children consisted of anthropometric measurements and spirometric testing. Anthropometric measurements (weight and height) were used for calculation of the body mass index (kg/m2). A child whose BMI was 20 or higher was defined as overweight (90th percentile). Susceptibility to acute respiratory infections was related significantly to body mass index. The children with BMI > or = 20 experienced twice as high a risk for acute respiratory infections than children with low BMI (OR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.13-3.59). Out of other potential factors possibly involved in the occurrence of respiratory infections only the presence of chronic respiratory symptoms (OR = 2.43, 95% CI: 1.64-3.59), allergy (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.34-2.66), and Environmental Tobacco Smoke (OR = 1.54; 95% CI: 1.05-2.25) increased the susceptibility of children to acute respiratory infections. Central heating in the household was shown to have a protective effect (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43-1.00) when compared with children from households where coal or gas was used for home heating.