Liesbeth Duijts

Background Obesity, specifically abdominal adiposity, is associated with increased risks of lung function impairment and asthma in children, but potential adverse effects among adolescents are unknown. We hypothesized that elevated amounts of specific abdominal fat depots during childhood and adolescence may lead to adverse respiratory outcomes in adolescents. Methods In a population‐based prospective cohort study among 2877 children at 13 years, we measured specific abdominal fat depots including subcutaneous fat mass and visceral fat mass by magnetic resonance imaging. Lung function was measured by spirometry, and current asthma by a questionnaire. Conditional regression analyses were used to examine the associations of abdominal fat depots with respiratory outcomes in adolescence. Results After adjustment for confounders and child's body mass index, higher subcutaneous and visceral fat mass index at age 13 years, independent of these measures at earlier age, were associated with lower FEV 1 , FEV 1 /FVC, and FEF 75 (range Z ‐score difference (95% CI): −0.10 (−0.15, −0.06) to −0.06 (−0.11, −0.01)). Also, an increase in subcutaneous and visceral fat between ages 10 and 13 years was associated with a decrease in FEV 1 , FEV 1 /FVC, and FEF 75 during the same period. No associations of abdominal fat depots with asthma were observed. Conclusion Adolescents with higher amounts of subcutaneous and visceral fat, independent of that at an earlier age and body mass index, have an increased risk of lung function impairment.