title: Relationship between obesity and sex, and prevalence of asthma-like disease and current wheeze in Han children in Nanjing, China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationships between body mass index (BMI) and sex, and asthma-like disease and current wheeze in Han children in Nanjing, China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Han children aged 3-14 years were recruited. Height and weight were measured; individuals were classified into obesity, thinness and normal-weight groups on the basis of the calculated BMI. Questionnaires were used to measure prevalence of asthma-like disease and current wheeze. Results were evaluated using the χ(2)-test, odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals and multivariate logistic regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total 12 092 children (6,331 boys and 5,761 girls) were included. Rates of normal weight, obesity and thinness were 8915/12 092 (73.73%), 1479/12 092 (12.23%) and 1698/12 092 (14.04%), respectively. Asthma-like disease and current wheeze were reported in 2051/12 092 (16.96%) and 400/12 092 (3.31%), respectively. An increased BMI was associated with a greater risk of asthma-like disease; this relationship was strongest in girls. Current wheeze was associated positively with obesity and negatively with thinness, but only among boys. Boys had a greater risk of asthma-like disease and current wheeze than girls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BMI and sex were associated independently with the prevalence of asthma-like disease and current wheeze in Han Chinese children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Nanjing Yangzi Hospital, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Hongmei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Hongxia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Qihong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Chunzhen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Xinmin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China zhaodeyu98@126.com axsliu@163.com.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China zhaodeyu98@126.com axsliu@163.com.
authors.forename: Deyu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics
keywords: Body mass index; Han Chinese children; asthma-like disease; sex; wheeze