Relationship between obesity and sex, and prevalence of asthma-like disease and current wheeze in Han children in Nanjing, China

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 χ2-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.