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Obesity
in Children Linked with Asthma Risk
The results of a study published in a past issue of the
American Journal of Epidemiology suggest there is an association
between being overweight and an increased risk of developing
asthma in school-age children.
Dr. Frank D. Gilliland and colleagues from the University
of Southern California, Los Angeles, examined the association
between obesity and new cases of asthma in 3792 children.
The subjects, who were participating in the Children's Health
Study, were asthma-free at the time of study enrollment.
The researchers evaluated new cases of asthma, along with
height, weight, lung function, and asthma risk factors each
year between 1993 and 1998.
The authors report that 288 new cases of asthma were diagnosed
during follow-up. Among children who were overweight or
obese, the risk of developing asthma was increased by 52%
and 60%, respectively.
The risk of asthma associated with being overweight was
higher in boys than in girls. Children without allergies
had an increased risk of asthma associated with being overweight,
but children with allergies did not.
These findings may have public health significance, because
the increasing rates of overweight and obesity in children
may be an important contributor to the increasing rates
of asthma, Gilliland and colleagues suggest.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology 2003.
Article Source: Reuters Health
Article Author: N/A
Net Reference 89
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