A case-control study of body mass index and asthma in Asian children

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.