The results of a study published recently suggest that there is an increased risk of developing asthma in overweight school-age children. Researchers from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA examined the association between obesity and new cases of asthma in 3,792 children. The subjects, who were participating in the Children's Health Study, were asthma-free at the time of study enrolment. They evaluated new cases of asthma, along with height, weight, lung function, and asthma risk factors each year between 1993 and 1998. They reported that 288 new cases of asthma were diagnosed during follow-up. Among children who were overweight and obese, the risk of developing was increased by 52% and 60%, respectively. The risk of asthma associated with being overweight was higher in boys than in girls. The effect of being overweight was greater in nonallergic children than in allergic children. It can be concluded that being overweight is associated with an increased risk of asthma in boys and in nonallergic children. These findings may have public health significance, because the increasing rates of overweight and obesity in children may be an important contributor to the increasing rates of asthma.

American Journal of Epidemiology, Sept 2003, Vol. 158 (5)