Effect of Obesity on Asthma Severity in Urban School Children of Kanpur, India: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study.

The prevalence of both Obesity and Asthma is increasing worldwide. Various epidemiological data has linked obesity with the development and severity of asthma in children. The aim of this study was to assess if any relationship exists between obesity and asthma in children. The study population included school children aged 5 to 18 years. A total of 320 asthma cases and 300 controls were included in our study. Association analysis of obesity and asthma based on epidemiological basis was measured. Out of 320 cases, 61 children were found to have moderate persistent asthma. Out of 61 moderate persistent asthma cases, 50 children were selected randomly and divided into two groups. Group I included 25 obese moderate persistent asthmatics and Group II included 25 non-obese moderate persistent asthmatics. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), Forced vital capacity (FVC), Forced expiratory flow (FEF25-75%), Peak expiratory flow (PEF) were measured with spirometry and Peak expiratory flow meter. Statistical analysis was done by Odds ratio and p value. Out of 320 cases, 97 were obese and 223 were non-obese. Out of 300 controls, 46 were obese and 254 were non-obese. Exposure rate for cases and controls were 30.31% and 15.33% respectively. Odds ratio was 2.40. χ2 value was 19.56 with p value < 0.05.FEV1, FVC, FEF25-75%, PEF for Group-1 were 66.3 ± 9.9, 63.5 ± 4.2, 54.2 ± 5.7, 67.4 ± 8.4 respectively and FEV1, FVC, FEF25-75%, PEF for Group-2 were 74.07 ± 3.5, 77.4 ± 7.2, 60.1 ± 2.1, 71.6 ± 2.4 respectively and p values were < 0.001, < 0.001, < 0.001, < 0.05 respectively which is statistically significant. Children who are obese are more likely to develop severe asthma than those who were not obese.