Quality of Life among Urban Children with Obesity and Asthma

Objective. To investigate quality of life (QoL) among obese asthmatic children and elucidate its association with lung function. Methods. Preadolescent inner-city children with obesity, asthma, both, or neither completed the Pediatric Quality of Life 4.0 (PedsQL) and Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaires and spirometry testing. Spirometric indices, composite and individual QoL scores were compared between groups using analysis of variance while proportion of children reporting item-specific impairment were compared by chi-square test. Results. The composite QoL scores did not differ between obese asthmatics and the other study groups. FEV1/FVC was the lowest among obese asthmatics but did not correlate with QoL measures. Discussion. Overall QoL in obese asthmatic preadolescents is well preserved. Since QoL measures did not correlate with spirometric indices, asthma severity may not serve as a surrogate marker of QoL. QoL evaluation should be incorporated in asthma management and early identification of changes may prevent further deterioration.