Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2015 Oct 1:25:15058.
doi: 10.1038/npjpcrm.2015.58.

Obesity, low levels of physical activity and smoking present opportunities for primary care asthma interventions: an analysis of baseline data from The Asthma Tools Study

Barbara P Yawn  1 , Matthew A Rank  2 , Susan L Bertram  1 , Peter C Wollan  1
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Obesity, low levels of physical activity and smoking present opportunities for primary care asthma interventions: an analysis of baseline data from The Asthma Tools Study

Barbara P Yawn et al. NPJ Prim Care Respir Med. .

Abstract

Background: Asthma prevalence, severity and outcomes are associated with various patient characteristics and lifestyle choices.

Aims: To identify potentially modifiable factors associated with poor asthma outcomes among US primary care patients.

Methods: Using baseline data from the Asthma Tools Study, we calculated cross-sectional frequencies of activity levels, smoking, secondhand smoke exposure and the presence of obesity, as well as rates of out-of-control asthma and asthma exacerbations. Frequencies were stratified by sex, and into three age groups: 5-11 years, 12-18 years and 19 years and older. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with each of the asthma outcomes.

Results: In the 901 individuals enrolled in this asthma study, tobacco smoke exposure, obesity, low activity levels, poverty, inadequately controlled asthma and high asthma-related health-care utilisation were common. Across all age groups, obesity was associated with poorer asthma outcomes: either poor asthma control (odds ratio (OR)=2.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-4.7 in 5- to 11-year-olds and OR=1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.2 in adults) or asthma exacerbations (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.6-5.1 in 12- to 18-year-olds and OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.5 in adults). Among adults, smoking was associated with both measures of poorer asthma outcomes; inadequate asthma control (OR=2.3, 95% CI 1.5-3.5), and asthma exacerbations (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.6), and low physical activity were associated with poor asthma control (OR=1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.2).

Conclusions: Obesity, low levels of physical activity and smoking are common, and they are associated with poor asthma outcomes in a sample of primary care patients, suggesting important targets for intervention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Practice sites by practice type and community size.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Asthma: Data, Statistics, and Surveillance. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/asthmadata.htm. Accessed 15 January 2015.
    1. Yawn BP , Wollan P , Kurland M , Scanlon P . A longitudinal study of the prevalence of asthma in a community population of school-age children. J Pediatr 2002; 140: 576–581. - PubMed
    1. Sadatsafavi M , Rousseau R , Chen W , Zhang W , Lynd L , FitzGerald JM et al. The preventable burden of productivity loss due to suboptimal asthma control: a population-based study. Chest 2014; 145: 787–793. - PubMed
    1. Sullivan PW , Ghushchyan VH , Slejko JF , Belozeroff V , Globe DR , Lin SL . The burden of adult asthma in the United States: evidence from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2011; 127: 363–369, e1-3. - PubMed
    1. National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2010 Summary Tables. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ahcd/namcs_summary/2010_namcs_web_tables.pdf. Accessed 23 January 2015.

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances