Prevalence of obesity and association with asthma in Greek adolescences

Postgraduate Thesis uoadl:2918647 353 Read counter

Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Παιδιατρική Πνευμονολογία
Library of the School of Health Sciences
Deposit date:
2020-07-08
Year:
2020
Author:
Liakou Evangelia
Supervisors info:
Δούρος Κωνσταντίνος, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ, Επιβλέπων
Πρίφτης Κωνσταντίνος, Αφ Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Αντωνογεώργος Γεώργιος, Διδάκτωρ Βιοστατιστικός, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Eπιπολασμός της παχυσαρκίας και η συσχέτισή της με το άσθμα σε παιδιά εφηβικής ηλικίας στην Ελλάδα
Languages:
Greek
Translated title:
Prevalence of obesity and association with asthma in Greek adolescences
Summary:
Introduction: ΟVERWEIGHT/OBESITY AND ASTHMA are considered the most significant pediatric health problems worldwide. During the past 30 years, the simultaneous increase in the prevalence of both has raised the possibility that the two may be causally linked. Overweight/obese asthma may constitute a unique asthma type with special features such as the increased need for medical care, greater disease severity, reduced control and reduced response to steroids.
Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of obesity in a sample of Greek schoolchildren 12-14 years old and to evaluate its association with asthma symptoms as well as other allergic diseases. Methods: During 2020, 1934 schoolchildren, aged 12–14 years, were selected from 20 schools located in the greater Athens area. Parents and students completed the approved Greek version of Global Asthma Network questionnaire. Students were measured with high sensitivity methods. Child normalweight, overweight, and obesity were expressed according to 3 internationally used BMI references: World Health Organization 2007, International Obesity Task Force 2012, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000.
Results: The prevelance of overweigth/obesity was estimated at 28,8%/13,3% 25%/7,3% and 29,6%/4,5% according to WHO, IOTF and CDC respectively. There was poor to good agreement between references when classifying overweight and obesity according to Cohen’s kappa statistic. Multiple logistic regression models revealed that obesity increases the odds for asthma (OR=3,95, 95% CI=2,52-6,20, p<0,001) as well as other parameters of asthma severity and frequency compared with normal weight, even after adjusting for exposure to moisture, smoking, truck traffic, cat and dog. On the contrary no association was found between obesity eczema (OR=o,69, 95% CI=0,39-1,25, p=0,22) and allergic rhinitis (OR=0,85, 95% CI=0,51-1,42, p<0,54).
Conclusions: The present cross-sectional study cannot establish causal relationships between asthma and obesity of schoolchildren; however, our findings underline strong associations between obesity and severe asthma phenotype but no with other allergies. Although the choice of reference to express BMI may influence conclusions about child anthropometric status the prevelance of obesity is stil high. The findings stress the importance of public health policies toward pediatric obesity prevention.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Asthma, Obesity, Prevalence, Children, Body Mass Index
Index:
No
Number of index pages:
0
Contains images:
Yes
Number of references:
155
Number of pages:
182
File:
File access is restricted only to the intranet of UoA.

Liakou Evangelia Master.pdf
7 MB
File access is restricted only to the intranet of UoA.