Childhood obesity and asthma are major public health problems. Obesity appears to significantly increase risk of poor asthma control, with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) deficiency being a potential, modifiable risk factor on this pathway. In this pilot study of 32 young children with asthma, who were recruited from a safety-net hospital, we examined the feasibility of assessing weekly reports of breathing problems from caregivers and the distributions of 25OHD and related biomarkers among the children. Most (83%) caregivers completed the entire 3 months of weekly surveys. Approximately half of the children had body mass index z-score ≥1.04; and one-third had 25OHD level <20 ng/mL. Mean Test for Respiratory and Asthma Control in Kids scores indicated poor asthma control. Intensive longitudinal follow-up of vulnerable children is feasible.
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