Is overweight a risk factor for wheezing in pre-school children? A study in 14 Brazilian communities

Objective: To evaluate the association between overweight and wheezing in preschool children in 14 small Brazilian communities. Methods: Cross-sectional epidemiological study, conducted between 2001 and 2002. A sample of 3453 children under 5 years of age was taken from nine communities in the state of Bahia and five in the state of S (a) over tildeo Paulo. Data on housing, family and children were obtained by applying structured questionnaires in loco. Weight and height for each child were also measured. The association between wheezing and overweight was assessed by unconditional logistic multivariate regression models. Results: Overweight children had a greater frequency of wheezing and an odds ratio of 2.57 (95% confidence interval 1.51-4.37) was estimated after controlling for several potential confounding variables. The magnitude of the risk was not affected by several different model specifications. Conclusion: Excess weight is associated with increased risk for wheezing in this population of children below 5 years of age.