A Multifactorial Weight Reduction Programme for Children with Overweight and Asthma: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 11; no. 6; p. e0157158
• Main Authors: Willeboordse, Maartje, van de Kant, Kim D G, Tan, Frans E S, Mulkens, Sandra, Schellings, Julia, Crijns, Yvonne, Ploeg, Liesbeth van der, van Schayck, Constant P, Dompeling, Edward
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 13.06.2016; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Analysis; Anthropometry; Asthma; Asthma - complications; Asthma - pathology; Biology and Life Sciences; Body mass; Body Mass Index; Body size; Body Weight; Child; Childhood asthma; Children; Clinical trials; Families & family life; Female; Gastrointestinal surgery; Health aspects; Health care; Humans; Inflammation; Intervention; Life Style; Lifestyles; Lung - pathology; Lungs; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Obesity; Overweight; Overweight - complications; Overweight - pathology; Overweight - therapy; Pediatrics; Primary care; Public health; Quality of Life; Randomization; Research and Analysis Methods; Respiratory function; Risk management; Studies; Treatment Outcome; Weight control; Weight loss; Weight reduction; Weight Reduction Programs - methods; Netherlands
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157158

There is increasing evidence that obesity is related to asthma development and severity. However, it is largely unknown whether weight reduction can influence asthma management, especially in children. To determine the effects of a multifactorial weight reduction intervention on asthma management in overweight/obese children with (a high risk of developing) asthma. An 18-month weight-reduction randomized controlled trial was conducted in 87 children with overweight/obesity and asthma. Every six months, measurements of anthropometry, lung function, lifestyle parameters and inflammatory markers were assessed. Analyses were performed with linear mixed models for longitudinal analyses. After 18 months, the body mass index-standard deviation score decreased by -0.14±0.29 points (p<0.01) in the intervention group and -0.12±0.34 points (p<0.01) in the control group. This change over time did not differ between groups (p>0.05). Asthma features (including asthma control and asthma-related quality of life) and lung function indices (static and dynamic) improved significantly over time in both groups. The FVC% predicted improved over time by 10.1 ± 8.7% in the intervention group (p<0.001), which was significantly greater than the 6.1 ± 8.4% in the control group (p<0.05). Clinically relevant improvements in body weight, lung function and asthma features were found in both the intervention and control group, although some effects were more pronounced in the intervention group (FVC, asthma control, and quality of life). This implies that a weight reduction intervention could be clinically beneficial for children with asthma. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00998413.