Association of asthma risk factors and the prevalence of the disease in a population of Brazil

Background. Asthma, a chronic lower airway disease, affects all age groups worldwide. Its prevalence varies globally, with Brazil estimating over 10% affected. Risk factors include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and environmental exposures. Understanding these factors is crucial for effective prevention strategies. The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between the previously described asthma risk factors and the prevalence of asthma in a population of Brazilian adults. Methods. A population -based cross-sectional study was conducted using data collected from 7,891 patients. All patients in the database > 18 years of age were included. The following variables were collected from the health plan database: age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and asthma diagnosis. The frequency of the collected variables was compared between patients with or without an asthma diagnosis, and logistic regression was performed. Results. Of our total sample (7,891 patients), 150 (1.9%) had asthma. The mean age of patients with asthma was 39.4 years. 1.4% of normal weight patients had the diagnosis of asthma, while 2.4% of overweight and 2.2% of obese patients had the diagnosis. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that a sedentary lifestyle and overweight and obesity were independently associated with asthma prevalence Odds Ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval]: (1.61 [1.16-2.22] and 1.25 [1.03-1.52] respectively). Conclusions. Our data provide evidence that some clinical characteristics, such as sedentarism, overweight, and obesity, may be related to the prevalence of asthma in an adult population in southeastern Brazil. Such factors could be modified and better understood through multidisciplinary research and health programs that evaluate the risk factors for asthma in large populations.