Body weight at birth and at age three and respiratory illness in preschool children.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of current body weight and body mass index (BMI) at age three and birth weight in developing chronic respiratory illness in childhood and identify possible interaction underlying its mechanism.


METHODS
The study was carried out with 422 children who were enrolled in a hospital-based birth cohort. Birth related anthropometric data were collected at birth. At age 3 years, the presence of respiratory symptoms was evaluated by using the Korean version of core questionnaire for wheezing and asthma from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Physical examination was carried out to measure the child's weight and height.


RESULTS
Children in the lowest birth weight tertile (aOR = 3.97, 95% CI = 0.94-16.68) or highest BMI tertile (aOR = 3.68, 95% CI = 1.24-10.95) at three years of age were at an increased risk of chronic respiratory illness. Children who were initially in the lowest birth weight tertile but now belong in the highest weight tertile had higher risk of chronic respiratory illness compared to those who had remained in the middle tertile (OR=16.35, 95% CI=1.66-160.57).


CONCLUSIONS
Children with lower birth weight or higher BMI were at an increased risk of chronic respiratory illness. In addition, children who were initially in the lowest birth weight tertile but are now in the highest weight tertile had higher risk of chronic respiratory illness compared to those who remained in the middle tertile.
Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Korea.
Yoolwon
Y
Jeong
Kyunghee
K
Jung-Choi
Jin Hwa
JH
Lee
Hwa Young
HY
Lee
Eun Ae
EA
Park
Young Ju
YJ
Kim
Eunhee
E
Ha
Se Young
SY
Oh
Hyesook
H
Park
D000367:Age Factors; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003625:Data Collection; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors