TY - JOUR
T1 - A case-control study of body mass index and asthma in Asian children
AU - Henkin, Stanislav
AU - Brugge, Doug
AU - Bermudez, Odilla I.
AU - Gao, Xiang
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding Sources: Mr Henkin was supported by Summer Scholars Funding from Tufts University, and Dr Brugge was supported by the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University.
PY - 2008/5
Y1 - 2008/5
N2 - Background: The prevalence of obesity and asthma in the United States has increased in past decades. Numerous studies have focused on the relationship between the 2 factors. However, to our knowledge, this association in Asian Americans has not been extensively studied. Objective: To assess the association between body mass index (BMI) and asthma in an Asian American pediatric population. Methods: We conducted a case-control medical record review study of 94 pediatric patients with and without asthma at Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts. The BMI of asthmatic children before and after their asthma diagnosis was compared with the BMI of children without asthma. Results: Multiple analyses showed no significant (P > .05) association between various measures of BMI and asthma in this population. After adjustment for atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and other allergies, the odds ratio in our longitudinal analysis using BMI greater than the 85th percentile for asthmatic children vs nonasthmatic children was 0.92 (95% confidence interval, 0.40-2.20). Conclusions: Either overweight and obesity do not lead to asthma in Asian immigrant children, consistent with our results, or something about our method limited our ability to observe the association. In either case, more research in the population is needed.
AB - Background: The prevalence of obesity and asthma in the United States has increased in past decades. Numerous studies have focused on the relationship between the 2 factors. However, to our knowledge, this association in Asian Americans has not been extensively studied. Objective: To assess the association between body mass index (BMI) and asthma in an Asian American pediatric population. Methods: We conducted a case-control medical record review study of 94 pediatric patients with and without asthma at Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts. The BMI of asthmatic children before and after their asthma diagnosis was compared with the BMI of children without asthma. Results: Multiple analyses showed no significant (P > .05) association between various measures of BMI and asthma in this population. After adjustment for atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and other allergies, the odds ratio in our longitudinal analysis using BMI greater than the 85th percentile for asthmatic children vs nonasthmatic children was 0.92 (95% confidence interval, 0.40-2.20). Conclusions: Either overweight and obesity do not lead to asthma in Asian immigrant children, consistent with our results, or something about our method limited our ability to observe the association. In either case, more research in the population is needed.
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U2 - 10.1016/S1081-1206(10)60469-3
DO - 10.1016/S1081-1206(10)60469-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 18517076
AN - SCOPUS:43449127514
SN - 1081-1206
VL - 100
SP - 447
EP - 451
JO - Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
JF - Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
IS - 5
ER -
