Overweight women and management of asthma.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to describe clinical and psychosocial characteristics of overweight women with asthma.


METHODS
Telephone interview and medical record review involving 808 women with asthma participating in a randomized study to identify those who were overweight. We assessed the relationship of their weight to asthma symptoms, health care use, quality of life, self-esteem, need for social support, and demographic characteristics. Regression analyses were used to investigate relationships between overweight and asthma.


RESULTS
Sixty-eight percent of the women in the study were overweight or obese. Demographic characteristics associated with overweight in women with asthma included being minority (p=.000), having a lower education level (p=.000), and a lower household income (p=.024). Overweight was associated with greater health care use, comorbidities (acid reflux, urinary incontinence), and persistent disease (p=.001). Overweight women exhibited lower self-esteem (p=.002) and lower perceived quality of life (p=.000).


CONCLUSIONS
Overweight females with asthma experience significant challenges because of their weight, more persistent and severe disease, specific comorbidities, and lower rates of obtaining psychosocial resources. Clinical consultations and interventions should account for the influence of overweight on asthma control and health status in female patients.
Valerio
Melissa A
MA
Health Behavior & Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2029, USA. mvalerio@umich.edu
Gong
Z Molly
ZM
Wang
Sijian
S
Bria
William F
WF
Johnson
Timothy R
TR
Clark
Noreen M
NM
D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology*; D011584:Psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support