Relationship Between Asthma Symptoms and Overweight/ Obesity in Children

Background. Obesity has been identified as a risk factor for higher prevalence of asthma and asthma-related symptoms in children.

Objective.  To evaluate the relationship between asthma symptoms and overweight/obesity among children in Manado.

Methods. A total of 625 children, 5 to 12 years of age, were enrolled in this study. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was used. Height and weight were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated in kg/m². Overweight was defined as BMI greater than the age- and sex-specific 85th percentile, and obesity as BMI greater than the 95th percentile, using CDC 2000 curve. We determined the relationship between overweight/obesity and asthma symptoms by chi-square tests.

Results. The prevalence of wheeze ever, current wheezing, exercise-induced wheezing, and nocturnal cough was 17.6%, 5.3%, 2.6%, and 6.7%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 13% and 14.4%. There was a statistical association between overweight/obesity and the prevalence of wheeze ever (OR 1.594; 95% CI 1.029 to 2.469; P = 0.036), current wheezing (OR 5.946; 95% CI 2.817 to 12.553; P < 0.001),  exercise-induced wheezing (OR 3.548; 95% CI 1.300 to 9.682; P = 0.018), and night cough (OR 2.342; 95% CI 1.241 to 4.421; P = 0.007).

Conclusion. There is a strong association between asthma symptoms and overweight/obesity among school-age children.