Maternal and early childhood factors associated with asthma and obesity in children aged 6 to 7 years: a case control study

Abstract

Objective: To determine the maternal and early childhood factors associated with asthma and obesity in children aged 6 to 7 years. Methods: A case-control study conducted with children aged 6 to 7 years. Applications with questions about asthma symptoms in the last 12 months, maternal and childhood data in the first 2 years of life, and anthropometric data were collected. Children who presented asthma symptoms were considered as cases and those without asthma symptoms were considered as controls, later divided into two subgroups that were eutrophic or overweight/obesity. Logistic regression was performed to estimate the association between asthma symptoms (adequate weight and overweight/obesity) and gestational and personal factors, calculating odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (95%CI). Values of p<0.05 were considered significant. Results: Two hundred and one children were evaluated, 25.4% had asthma symptoms, 37.2% of them were overweight/obesity. Waist circumference, triceps skinfold, and body mass index were higher in the group with overweight/obesity asthma symptoms compared to no asthma symptoms (p<0.05). Factors significantly associated with asthma and overweight/ obesity symptoms included: the maternal history of asthma (odds ratio of 3.73; 95%CI: 1.10-12.6) and hypertension during pregnancy (odds ratio of 3.29; 95%CI: 1.08-9.94). Conclusion: Maternal history of asthma and hypertension during pregnancy increased the chances of children, at 6 and 7 years of age, having symptoms of asthma and obesity.

Relation of Maternal Pre-Pregnancy Factors and Childhood Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Pre-School Children Aged 2–5 Years Old

“…However, a cause–effect impact cannot be established as far as the available evidence is concerned. On the other hand, other studies did not support any difference concerning maternal smoking or not and the prevalence of childhood asthma [ 26 ]. Thus, prospective studies are required for conclusive results to be obtained.…”

“…Firstly, we found that older maternal age was related to a greater prevalence of childhood asthma, 2–5 years postpartum. In this aspect, some studies suggested that maternal age is positively related to childhood asthma, whereas others did not support any association [ 25 , 26 ]. In a recent large prospective cohort, children whose mothers were older and had a history of asthma had a higher prevalence of persistent asthma than those with younger mothers; however, this relationship did not remain significant in the case of mothers who were not previously diagnosed with asthma [ 27 ].…”

“…There is also evidence suggesting that maternal pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity may be considered a crucial cause of childhood asthma [ 10 , 26 , 28 , 29 ]. In accordance with the existing data, we found analyzing pre-pregnancy BMI status by categories that overweight and obese mothers had a significantly higher prevalence of childhood asthma compared to normal-weight mothers.…”

The Role of Peptides in Asthma–Obesity Phenotype

“…The results of a meta-analysis that includes fourteen studies indicate that maternal obesity or increased weight gain during pregnancy represent risk factors for asthma or wheezing in children [ 18 ]. Moreover, the latest research shows that maternal history of asthma and pregnancy hypertension increase the chances of asthma and overweight/obesity in children at 6 and 7 years of age [ 19 ].…”