Body mass index and asthma incidence in the Black Women's Health Study

Background Evidence from prospective studies consistently links obesity to asthma onset in white women, although there is controversy as to whether the association is causal. There are few data on this topic in black women, among whom the prevalence of obesity and asthma is high. Objective We prospe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of allergy and clinical immunology 2009-01, Vol.123 (1), p.89-95
Main Authors: Coogan, Patricia F., ScD, Palmer, Julie R., ScD, O'Connor, George T., MD, Rosenberg, Lynn, ScD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
African Americans
Age
Age Factors
Aged
Allergy and Immunology
Asthma
Asthma - diagnosis
Asthma - epidemiology
Asthma - ethnology
Asthma - etiology
Asthma - therapy
Biological and medical sciences
Black or African American
Body Mass Index
cohort studies
Energy Metabolism
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Fundamental immunology
Gastrointestinal surgery
Humans
Hypotheses
Incidence
longitudinal studies
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Models, Theoretical
Population
Prevalence
Prospective Studies
Questionnaires
Risk Factors
Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis
Sleep Apnea Syndromes - complications
Sleep Apnea Syndromes - diagnosis
Sleep Apnea Syndromes - epidemiology
Smoking - adverse effects
Smoking - epidemiology
Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States - epidemiology
Womens health
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Summary:Background Evidence from prospective studies consistently links obesity to asthma onset in white women, although there is controversy as to whether the association is causal. There are few data on this topic in black women, among whom the prevalence of obesity and asthma is high. Objective We prospectively assessed the relation of body mass index (BMI) to asthma incidence in the Black Women's Health Study. Methods We followed 46,435 women from 1995 through 2005 with biennial mailed questionnaires. Cox regression models were used to estimate incidence rate ratios and 95% CIs. Results During 403,394 person-years of follow-up, 1068 participants reported physician-diagnosed asthma and concurrent use of asthma medication. Compared with women with BMIs of 20 to 24, the multivariate incidence rate ratios for higher categories of BMI increased from 1.26 (95% CI, 1.05-1.51) for BMIs of 25 to 29 to 2.85 (95% CI, 2.19-3.72) for BMIs of 40 or greater, with a significant trend. The association of BMI with asthma risk was consistent across strata of smoking status, age, presence of sleep apnea, parental history of asthma, BMI at age 18 years, and energy expenditure and intake. Conclusion In this large cohort of African American women, there was a positive association between BMI and asthma risk that was similar in magnitude to those observed in longitudinal studies of white women.
ISSN:0091-6749
1097-6825
DOI:10.1016/j.jaci.2008.09.040