Abstract
Objective
The impact of asthma during childhood on adult height was examined using data from the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1976–1980.
Results
Childhood asthma (before age 15 years) had little or no overall effect on adult height in the black or white populations. However, these data suggest a small effect on adult height among blacks of lower socioeconomic status that may be explained, in part, by childhood asthma. Among black females with less than a high school education, the mean adult height of those with childhood asthma was 1.85 in. lower (p<0.05) than of those without asthma. Among black males without a high school education, those with childhood asthma averaged 1.02 in. shorter. The height of blacks with a high school education or greater did not differ by asthma diagnosis to the same extent: females with childhood asthma averaged 0.87 in. shorter and males with childhood asthma averaged 0.15 in. taller than their nonasthmatic counterparts. Among whites, a diagnosis of childhood asthma had no apparent impact on adult height. Although these data suggest that whites with asthma were slightly taller (0.07 to 0.57 in.) than those without asthma, the differences were not statistically significant.
Conclusion
The overall effect of childhood asthma on adult height was minimal. However, these results indicate a potentially small adverse effect on height from childhood asthma among the disadvantaged minorities.
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