The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between global obesity, abdominal obesity and the symptoms of asthma and atopy.
Methods
Abdominal adiposity was evaluated in 1,001 adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, living in Salvador- Brazil, using  waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), conicity index (CI) and A Body Shape Index (ABSI). The BMI for age was calculated to classify excess weight and the questionnaire of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) was used. The association between global and abdominal obesity and the symptoms of asthma and atopy was analyzed by logistic regression, according to sex and adjusted for variables of interest.
Results
The prevalence of wheezing in the 12 months prior to the interview was 10.1% and 7.9% had asthma symptoms. No association was found between the BMI and the symptoms of asthma and atopy. However,
only in women the abdominal obesity measured by CC was OR 2.02 (95% CI 1.01, 4.04), the RCE was high, OR 2.75 (IC95 % 1.14; 6.60) and was associated with wheezing. An ASBI with high and very high risk in women increased almost twofold (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.11, 3.36) the probability of atopy (adjusted for age, birth weight, schooling of the mother, breastfeeding, severity of symptoms in baseline , asthma in the parents, sexual maturity and menarche).
Conclusion
The association between excess abdominal weight and wheezing and atopy in adolescent women was confirmed. We encourage the use of abdominal adiposity indicators to identify populations at risk.

INDICATORS OF ADIPOSITY AND SYMPTOMS OF ASTHMA IN ADOLESCENCE: SCAALA COHORT RESULTS