title: Body mass index, respiratory conditions, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aims to assess the relationship of body mass index (BMI) status with respiratory conditions, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a state population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported data from 11,868 adults aged ≥18 years in the 2012 South Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System telephone survey were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression that accounted for the complex sampling design and adjusted for sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, smoking status, physical inactivity, and cancer history.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The distribution of BMI (kg/m(2)) was 1.5% for underweight (<18.5), 32.3% for normal weight (18.5-24.9), 34.6% for overweight (25.0-29.9), 26.5% for obese (30.0-39.9), and 5.1% for morbidly obese (≥40.0). Among respondents, 10.0% had frequent productive cough, 4.3% had frequent shortness of breath (SOB), 7.3% strongly agreed that SOB affected physical activity, 8.4% had current asthma, and 7.4% had COPD. Adults at extremes of body weight were more likely to report having asthma or COPD, and to report respiratory conditions. Age-adjusted U-shaped relationships of BMI categories with current asthma and strongly agreeing that SOB affected physical activity, but not U-shaped relationship with COPD, persisted after controlling for the covariates (p < 0.001). Morbidly obese but not underweight or obese respondents were significantly more likely to have frequent productive cough and frequent SOB than normal weight adults after adjustment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data confirm that both underweight and obesity are associated with current asthma and obesity with COPD. Increased emphasis on exercise and nutrition may improve respiratory conditions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Atlanta, GA, USA. Electronic address: ikd8@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Roy A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Pleasants
authors.affiliation: Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Janet B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Croft
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Njira
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lugogo
authors.affiliation: Section on Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy & Immunologic Disease, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ohar
authors.affiliation: Chronic Disease Epidemiology Office, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Columbia, SC, USA; Department of Epidemiology & Statistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Khosrow
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heidari
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Charlie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Strange
authors.affiliation: Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Anne G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Wheaton
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Pulmonary Epidemiology Research Laboratory, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Mannino
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kraft
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Asthma; Body mass index; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Population-based study; Respiratory conditions