Abstract
Background: Overweight has been identified as a risk factor for the development and the severity of asthma in children. The prevalence of overweight in children had been increasing more rapidly in certain areas of Southern Limburg compared to the other Dutch provinces. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of overweight and obesity on the prevalence of asthma symptoms in Southern Limburg, the Netherlands.
Methods: Parents of 39,316 children (6 - 16 years) in Southern Limburg were invited to complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire (Asher, MI. et al. Clin Exp Allergy 1998: 28 Suppl 5: 52-66), and additional questions about anthropometric variables, risk factors for asthma, and social environment. Corrections were made for the following confounders: sex, age, ethnic background, tobacco smoke exposure, birth delivery, family history of asthma, birth weight and breast feeding of the mother during pregnancy.
Results: The response rate was 23.7% (n= 9,309). The prevalence of asthma, overweight and obesity was respectively 7.7%, 15.2% and 2.5%. A high Body Mass Index Standard Deviation Score (BMI-SDS) was significantly related to the prevalence of current asthma (adjusted OR= 1.10, 95%C.I.= 1.03-1.18, p<0.01). Also “current wheezing symptoms” were related to a high BMI-SDS, (adjusted OR=1.10, 95%C.I.= 1.02-1.19, p=0.02). Dry cough at night was not associated with BMI-SDS (adjusted OR=1.01, 95%C.I.= 0.97-1.07, p=0.53).
Conclusion: There is a slight but statistically significant positive association between BMI SDS and asthma in children in Southern Limburg, the Netherlands.
- © 2011 ERS
