Obesity and atopic diseases: evidence from a population-based cross-sectional study in German (KiGGS)

C Apfelbacher; J Schmitt; A Loerbroks

doi:10.1055/s-0030-1266449

Das Gesundheitswesen, Inhaltsverzeichnis

Obesity and atopic diseases: evidence from a population-based cross-sectional study in German (KiGGS)

C Apfelbacher ¹, J Schmitt ², A Loerbroks ³

¹Department of Clinical Social Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg
²Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, Dresden
³Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Social and Preventive Medicine/Competence Center for Social Medicine and Occupational Health Promotion, Heidelberg University, Mannheim

Abstract

Background: Published evidence for an association between obesity and asthma is less convincing in children compared to adults. Few studies have so far been conducted to investigate the association between obesity and other atopic diseases (hayfever, eczema). The aim of this study is to analyse the assocation of obesity with hayfever, eczema and asthma in German children and adolescents. Patient and method: Data was drawn from the public use files of the German Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KIGGS) [1], a nationwide cross-sectional representative survey conducted between 2003 and 2006. 14362 participants with no missing values on hayfever, eczema, asthma and obesity were eligible for analysis. The association of hayfever, eczema and asthma with obesity was analysed by means of multivariable logistic regression, using proc surveylogistic in SAS. Obesity was defined using German reference values (>97th age and sex-specific percentile) according to Kromeyer-Hauschild et al. Results: In crude analyses (N=13022), the lifetime prevalences of ever-physician diagnosed hayfever and asthma were significantly higher in obese compared to normal weight children (15.5% vs. 11.9%, p=0.01; 9.5% vs. 5.0%, p<0.0001). In contrast, the lifetime prevalence of ever-physician diagnosed eczema was significantly lower in obese compared to normal weight children (10.9% vs. 14.1%, p=0.02). In multivariable analyses (N=9671), neither hayfever (OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.91–1.63) nor eczema (OR=0.92, 95% CI 0.71–1.19) were significantly associated with obesity. Asthma, however, was significantly associated with obesity (OR 1.85, 95% 1.37–2.49). Conclusion: Asthma, but not hayfever or eczema, is significantly associated with obesity in German children and adolescents. This finding is consistent with existing studies and calls for research on the mechanisms linking asthma, but not hayfever or ezcema, to obesity. Reference: [1] Public-Use-File KiGGS. Kinder und Jugendgesundheitssurvey 2003–2006. Robert-Koch-Institut, Berlin 2008