Body Mass Category and Asthma in Mississippi Adults

Background: Asthma is thought to be a childhood burden but it affects people of all ages, with more than 25 million people in the United States (U.S.) having the diagnosis. There are many risk factors associated with the condition, including being overweight or obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 67.9% of adults age 18 and over are overweight and 34.0% are obese in Mississippi (MS). While many studies have been conducted showing the relationship between asthma and obesity among U.S. children, such research should be conducted to investigate the relation between body mass index (BMI) and asthma among adults.

Objectives: The study investigates the prevalence of current asthma and selected risk factors among MS adults based on body mass category.

Methods: To examine the prevalence of asthma among MS adults by BMI, a cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2013 MS Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Variables included current asthma diagnosis and BMI category. Current asthma was defined as “adults that have been told that they currently have asthma.” BMI was categorized as follows: Normal weight or underweight – BMI < 25, Overweight – BMI 25.0-29.9, and Obese – BMI ≥ 30.0. Using SAS 9.3, chi-square test was used to evaluate observed differences in asthma status by BMI category.

Results: Approximately 66.0% of respondents were reported as being overweight or obese. Results indicated that among persons with current asthma 47.2% (95% CI, 41.3-53.1) were obese. Current asthma status is significantly associated (p <0.000) with BMI category among MS adults.