Gender-specific differences in associations of overweight and obesity with asthma and asthma-related symptoms in 30 056 children: result from 25 districts of Northeastern China

AbstractObjective: The relationship between obesity and allergic respiratory diseases in childhood is still controversial. Furthermore, significant debate on the issue of whether or not gender modifies this association also exists due to inconsistent findings. The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between obesity and respiratory health in children, and to investigate the modifications of gender on this association. Methods: 30 056 children (aged 2–14 years) were randomly selected from 25 districts within 7 cities in Northeastern China in 2009. A standard questionnaire from the American Thoracic Society was used to characterize the childrens’ histories of respiratory symptoms and illnesses. Child weight and height were measured, and obesity was calculated with an age and sex-specific body mass index. Results: The overall prevalence rates of obesity and overweightness were 14.08% and 12.32%, respectively. Compared to the children with normal body weights, asthma and asthma-related sympt...