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
. 2024 Aug 16;103(33):e39290.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000039290.

The visceral adiposity index is associated with asthma, especially current asthma: A cross-sectional study of NHANES, 2003 to 2018

Jiao Xu  1 , Xiaowu Liu  2 , Jianlei Tang  3
Affiliations

The visceral adiposity index is associated with asthma, especially current asthma: A cross-sectional study of NHANES, 2003 to 2018

Jiao Xu et al. Medicine (Baltimore). .

Abstract

To investigate the association between the visceral adiposity index (VAI) and asthma using data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003 to 2018 by a cross-sectional study. We explored the potential relationship between the VAI and asthma incidence via a cross-sectional study of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2003 to 2018. Multiple logistic regression analysis, restricted cubic spline analysis and subgroup analysis were performed. Among the 80,312 participants, 1984 had been told by a doctor or other health professional, and 1142 still had asthma. With all confounders controlled, the VAI was positively associated with asthma incidence (odds ratios 1.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.08). When comparing the second, third, and fourth VAI quartiles to the lowest quartile, the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for asthma risk were 1.02 (0.86, 1.21), 1.14 (0.96, 1.36), and 1.18 (1, 1.39), respectively (P for trend = .02). Subgroup analysis revealed no significant interaction effect among the subgroups (P > .05). The positive association was stronger in current asthma patients (odds ratios 1.13, 95% confidence interval: 1.03, 1.24). When comparing the second, third, and fourth VAI quartiles to the lowest quartile, the adjusted odds ratios for current asthma risk were 1.15 (0.81, 1.64), 1.29 (0.91, 1.84), and 1.51 (1.01, 2.24), respectively (P for trend .04). The restricted cubic spline regression analysis did not reveal a nonlinear correlation between the VAI and asthma or current asthma. Subgroup analysis revealed a significant interaction effect between age (P for interaction = .03) and diabetes status (P for interaction = .02). Except in the age ≥60 years, Less than high school, normal body mass index subgroup, VAI, and current asthma were positively correlated. A positive relationship between the VAI and asthma incidence was observed. In particular, there was a strong positive correlation between the VAI score and current asthma. According to the subgroup analysis, more attention should be given to individuals aged 40 to 59 years who have diabetes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The flowchart of the study.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Relationships between the VAI and asthma and current asthma. VAI = visceral adiposity index.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Subgroup analysis of the association between the VAI and asthma. VAI = visceral adiposity index.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Katta N, Loethen T, Lavie CJ, Alpert MA. Obesity and coronary heart disease: epidemiology, pathology, and coronary artery imaging. Curr Probl Cardiol. 2021;46:100655. - PubMed
    1. Avgerinos KI, Spyrou N, Mantzoros CS, Dalamaga M. Obesity and cancer risk: emerging biological mechanisms and perspectives. Metabolism. 2019;92:121–35. - PubMed
    1. Peters U, Dixon AE, Forno E. Obesity and asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018;141:1169–79. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Muc M, Mota-Pinto A, Padez C. Association between obesity and asthma – epidemiology, pathophysiology and clinical profile. Nutr Res Rev. 2016;29:194–201. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organisation. Obesity and overweight. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight, Glasgow, UK. Accessed March 1, 2024.