Efficacy of an exercise intervention among children with comorbid asthma and obesity.

OBJECTIVES: Children with comorbid asthma and obesity present with more severe and harder-to-control disease than asthmatic children at healthy weight. Weight loss has been shown to improve asthma symptoms, yet physical activity may be difficult due to exercise-induced bronchospasm. Children with asthma have lower exercise rates than non-asthmatics. The objective of this study was to retrospectively evaluate attrition rates and program outcome measures (Body Mass Index [BMI] and maximum oxygen consumption [VO2max]) among asthmatic and non-asthmatic participants. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical data were collected from the Healthy Hearts Program, a 12-week nutrition and activity intervention program for children who are overweight, obese, or at risk for heart disease and other conditions, and used for the study. METHODS: Intervention data and demographics were obtained from medical records at the Children's Heart Center Nevada. Descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, Cox regression analysis, and analysis of covariance were conducted. RESULTS: The mean age of this population (N = 232) was 11 years; 54% were male, 64% were Hispanic, and 37% had asthma. Median time in the program was 9 weeks, and 58% of the population completed the program. Unadjusted analyses showed significant BMI decreases in asthmatic (P = 0.002) and non-asthmatic (P = 0.001) participants and increases in cardiorespiratory function for asthmatic males and females (P = 0.003, P = 0.004) and non-asthmatic males and females (P < 0.001 for both). Asthmatic and non-asthmatic children both had improved exercise intensity (P = 0.033, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This program is both beneficial and practical for obese children with asthma for losing weight and improving cardiorespiratory function.

Folate status in women of childbearing age residing in Southern California after folic acid fortification.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate folate status in healthy, nonpregnant women (18 to 45 years) following folic acid (FA) fortification of the food supply. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study design in which a fasting blood sample was obtained from socio-economically advantaged (n=85) and disadvantaged (n=50) women residing in Southern California who had not consumed supplemental FA within the past 12 months. Serum folate (SF), red cell folate (RCF) and plasma homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations were measured and methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genotype (C677T) was determined. RESULTS: SF and RCF concentrations (mean+/-SD) for socio-economically advantaged (54+/-18, 1387+/-329 nmol/L, respectively) and disadvantaged women (41+/-18, 1172+/-342 nmol/L, respectively) greatly exceeded the levels deemed acceptable for SF (> or = 13.6 nmol/L) and RCF (> or = 362 nmol/L). Moreover, 95% of socio-economically advantaged women and 78% of disadvantaged women achieved RCF concentrations > or = 906 nmol/L, which are associated with very low risk of neural tube defects (NTD). Plasma tHcy concentrations for both socio-economically advantaged (5.2+/-1.6 micromol/L) and disadvantaged women (6.1+/-1.6 micromol/L) were within the lower limit of normal range and indicative of adequate folate status. For the combined groups (n=135), the frequency of the C/C, C/T and T/T genotype was 56.0, 37.3 and 6.7%, respectively. MTHFR genotype was not associated with SF, RCF or tHcy. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that women of childbearing age are achieving positive folate balance and RCF concentrations associated with reduced risk of NTD following FA fortification of the food supply.