Association between Dietary Habits and Asthma Severity
Syed Rezaul Huq, Nigar Sultana, Md Anwarul Karim, Md Khairul Hassan Jessy,Md Shahedur Rahman Khan, Barkat Ullah, Jalal Mohsin Uddin,Md. Abu Raihan, Mahmud Rahim
Abstract:
Objective: To investigate association between dietary habits and asthma severity
in children.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Setting: Outpatient department of National Institute of Disesaes of Chest &
Hospital (NIDCH) & Outpatient department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical
University (BSMMU) Hospital.
Methods: Children aged 6 to12 years with diagnosis of asthma were eligible for the
study. The clinical criteria for diagnosis of asthma were based on the
recommendations of the British Thoracic Society Guidelines, 2009 The cases were
children with persistent asthma (mild, moderate or severe) while the controls were
those with intermittent asthma. Due to the limited number of children with
intermittent asthma attending the clinics, we recruited one control for two cases
matched by age groups. Data collection was carried out through interview with the
parents or guardians of the patient using a standard pre-coded questionnaire. All
investigators were blinded to the classification of asthma severity. Dietary habits
were determined based on the consumption of specific foods or food groups in the
past 12 months. The frequency of food intake was classified into two categories
adapted from criteria used in the literature: frequent when intake was three or more
times per week, and infrequent when never consumed or intake twice per week or
less. . The weight was measured by a mechanical platform scale with capacity up to
150 Kg and height was measured by a stadiometer. Measurements were made using
standardized methodology. Nutritional status was classified into two categories
according to WHO Reference Growth Standards: Obese, children with a Z-score of
BMI-for age>2 and non-obese, children with a Z-score of BMI for-age <2.
Results: After adjusting for confounding factors, maternal smoking during pregnancy,
preterm birth and obesity were significantly associated with persistent asthma, with
adjusted ORs (95% CI) of 2.11 (1.08- 4.13), 2.61(1.07-6.35) and 2.89 (1.49-5.61),
respectively. No significant association was observed between frequency of consumption
of specific foods, food groups, or dietary pattern and the severity of asthma.
Conclusions: This study did not find a significant association between dietary habits
and asthma severity in children. Maternal smoking during pregnancy, preterm birth
and obesity were independent factors associated with persistent asthma.
Keywords: Asthma, Diet, Epidemiology, Risk factors.