Overweight/Obesity and Respiratory and Allergic Disease in Children: International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase Two

Childhood obesity and asthma are increasing worldwide. A possible link between the two conditions has been postulated. Cross-sectional studies of stratified random samples of 8-12-year-old children (n = 10 652) (16 centres in affluent and 8 centres in non-affluent countries) used the standardized me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one Vol. 9; no. 12; p. e113996
Main Authors: Weinmayr, Gudrun, Forastiere, Francesco, Büchele, Gisela, Jaensch, Andrea, Strachan, David P., Nagel, Gabriele
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Public Library of Science 04.12.2014
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:
Age
Allergies
Asthma
Asthma - complications
Asthma - epidemiology
Atopy
Biology and Life Sciences
Biometrics
Body mass
Body Mass Index
Body size
Body weight
Breastfeeding & lactation
Child
Childhood
Childhood asthma
Children
Children & youth
Confidence intervals
Cough
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diagnosis
Diet
Eczema
Epidemiology
Female
Gender differences
Humans
International studies
Internationality
Male
Markers
Medical research
Medicine and Health Sciences
Obesity
Obesity - complications
Obesity - epidemiology
Overweight
Prevalence
Rhinitis
Skin
Skin diseases
Statistical analysis
Studies
Germany
ISSN:1932-6203, 1932-6203
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Summary:Childhood obesity and asthma are increasing worldwide. A possible link between the two conditions has been postulated. Cross-sectional studies of stratified random samples of 8-12-year-old children (n = 10 652) (16 centres in affluent and 8 centres in non-affluent countries) used the standardized methodology of ISAAC Phase Two. Respiratory and allergic symptoms were ascertained by parental questionnaires. Tests for allergic disease were performed. Height and weight were measured, and overweight and obesity were defined according to international definitions. Prevalence rates and prevalence odds ratios were calculated. Overweight (odds ratio = 1.14, 95%-confidence interval: 0.98; 1.33) and obesity (odds ratio = 1.67, 95%-confidence interval: 1.25; 2.21) were related to wheeze. The relationship was stronger in affluent than in non-affluent centres. Similar results were found for cough and phlegm, rhinitis and eczema but the associations were mostly driven by children with wheeze. There was a clear association of overweight and obesity with airways obstruction (change in FEV1/FVC, -0.90, 95%-confidence interval: -1.33%; -0.47%, for overweight and -2.46%, 95%-confidence interval: -3.84%; -1.07%, for obesity) whereas the results for the other objective markers, including atopy, were null. Our data from a large international child population confirm that there is a strong relation of body mass index with wheeze especially in affluent countries. Moreover, body mass index is associated with an objective marker of airways obstruction (FEV1/FVC) but no other objective markers of respiratory and allergic disorders.
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Membership of the ISAAC Phase Two Study Group is provided in the Acknowledgments.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Analyzed the data: GW AJ. Contributed to the writing of the manuscript: GW FF GB DS GN. Conducted the fieldwork: ISAAC Phase Two Study group. Read and approved the manuscript: ISAAC.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0113996