Asthma and its relationship with anthropometric markers among adults

BACKGROUND: Many studies have examined the association between anthropometric indicators and the likelihood of developing asthma. However, no study has yet examined the link between asthma and anthropometric markers of risk. This study addresses this gap in the literature by evaluating the relationship between asthma, smoking, and anthropometric measurements such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) among individuals residing in the United States. METHODS: This cross-sectional study conducted a secondary analysis of the 2011–2014 National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States, using data from 2,257 participants aged 25–74. We classified the participants into four groups based on self-reported smoking and asthma status: nonsmokers with no asthma, asthma alone, smokers only, and smokers with asthma. The outcomes of interest were BMI, WC, HC, and WHR scores in the latter three groups compared to the nonsmokers with no asthma group. RESULTS: Linear regression analysis showed that those with asthma alone and smokers with asthma were significantly more likely to have a BMI, WC, or HC score of 1 or higher than people without asthma and smokers only. CONCLUSION: A higher score on the anthropometric parameters was substantially related to participants who had only asthma and those who had both asthma and smoking.