Body mass index and physical activity in early childhood are associated with atopic sensitization, atopic dermatitis and asthma in later childhood

Table 3 The adjusted odds ratios of atopic sensitization and atopic disease in adolescence in 617 Norwegian children by changes in weight/BMI SDS after backward stepwise selection of potential confounders (one model for each predictor variable)

Predictor	Outcome variable (final analyses)
Predictor	Atopic sensitization^a,b				Allergic rhinoconjunctivitis^a				Atopic dermatitis^c
Age	n	OR	95 % CI	LR-p	n	OR	95 % CI	LR-p	n	OR	95 % CI	LR-p
Weight SDS
Birth to 3 months	361	1.10	(0.87, 1.38)	0.408	534	0.90	(0.74, 1.09)	0.292	500	0.98	(0.80, 1.17)	0.835
BMI SDS
3–6 months	351	1.15	(0.83, 1.60)	0.413	519	0.96	(0.71, 1.30)	0.794	485	1.15	(0.85, 1.56)	0.363
6 months to 1 year	360	1.30	(0.95, 1.76)	0.100	534	1.11	(0.83, 1.48)	0.470	500	1.07	(0.81, 1.42)	0.638
1–4 years	325	0.82	(0.62, 1.09)	0.173	456	0.82	(0.63, 1.07)	0.150	427	1.46	(1.11, 1.92)	0.005
4 years to first follow-up^d	315	0.99	(0.78, 1.26)	0.940	450	1.01	(0.80, 1.28)	0.917	422	0.87	(0.70, 1.09)	0.223
First to second follow-up^e	349	0.96	(0.65, 1.43)	0.843	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A

First follow-up: 10.8 years (girls) and 11.8 years (boys); Second follow-up: 12.8 years (both sexes)
Italics numbers indicate statistically significant results
n number of participants, OR odds ratio, CI confidence interval, LR-p likelihood ratio-test p-value refers to predictor only, BMI body mass index (kg/m²), SDS standard deviation score, N.A. not applicable
^aAdjusted for sex, weight/BMI SDS at start of interval, gestational age, preeclampsia (none/mild or moderate/severe)
^bn = 388. Ordinal response: none, low grade, high grade (sum of specific IgE ≥ 3.9 kU/l; above the lower quartile of all children being sensitized)
^cAdjusted for sex, weight/BMI SDS at start of interval, mother’s asthma and mother’s smoking
^dAlso adjusted for physical activity at 3–6 years
^eAlso adjusted for physical activity at 6–10 years

ISSN: 2045-7022