General and abdominal obesity and incident asthma in adults: the HUNT study.
Measures of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference define general obesity and abdominal obesity respectively. While high BMI has been established as a risk factor for asthma in adults, waist circumference has seldom been investigated. To determine the association between BMI, waist circumference and incident asthma in adults, we conducted a prospective study (n=23,245) in a population living in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway in 1995-2008. Baseline BMI and waist circumference were measured and categorised as general obesity (BMI ≥30.0 kg·m(2)) and abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥88 cm in females and ≥102 cm in males). Incident asthma was self-reported new-onset cases during an 11-yr follow-up period. Odds ratios for asthma associated with obesity were calculated using multivariable logistic regression. General obesity was a risk factor for asthma in females (OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.52-2.52) and males (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.30-2.59). In females, after additional adjustment for BMI, abdominal obesity remained a risk factor for asthma development (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.04-2.05). Abdominal obesity seems to increase the risk of incident asthma in females in addition to BMI, indicating that using both measures of BMI and waist circumference in females may be a superior clinical assessment for asthma risk than any measure alone.
Dept. of Public Health and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. ben.brumpton@ntnu.no
Ben
B
Brumpton
Arnulf
A
Langhammer
Pål
P
Romundstad
Yue
Y
Chen
Xiao-Mei
XM
Mai
D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009664:Norway; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D055105:Waist Circumference; D055815:Young Adult