Table 1

Anthropometric and lung function characteristics among children in the 8-year and 16-year examination in the BAMSE cohort (n=2889)

	8 years						16 years
	Girls			Boys			Girls			Boys
	n*	Mean	SD	n*	Mean	SD	n*	Mean	SD	n*	Mean	SD
Age, year	1216	8.3	0.5	1331	8.6	0.5	1323	16.7	0.4	1241	16.7	0.4
	n*	n†	%	n*	n†	%	n*	n†	%	n*	n†	%
BMI status‡
Thinness	1213	37	3.1	1226	30	2.5	1321	97	7.3	1241	84	6.8
Normal weight	1213	914	75.4	1226	968	79.0	1321	1043	79.0	1241	927	74.7
Overweight	1213	216	17.8	1226	186	15.2	1321	155	11.7	1241	190	15.3
Obesity§	1213	46	3.8	1226	42	3.4	1321	26	2.0	1241	40	3.2
	n*	Mean	SD	n*	Mean	SD	n*	Mean	SD	n*	Mean	SD
FEV₁, ml	920	1732.1	256.6	912	1820.5	279.9	1121	3480.5	445.6	933	4491.4	650.2
FEV₁, z-score	919	0.47	0.94	912	0.36	0.93	1119	−0.04	0.91	933	−0.04	0.97
FVC, ml	920	1987.7	294.1	912	2144.5	339.7	1121	4033.2	522.8	933	5380.4	777.1
FVC, z-score	920	0.62	0.90	912	0.56	0.91	1119	0.15	0.89	933	0.15	0.96
FEV₁/FVC, %	920	87.3	5.3	912	85.2	5.9	1121	86.5	6.1	933	83.8	6.6
							n*	Median	IQR	n*	Median	IQR
R_5–20 (Pa·L⁻¹·s)							1260	20.0	55.0	1191	15.0	45.0
AX^0.5 (Pa·L⁻¹)^0.5							1260	16.4	5.8	1190	12.6	5.0
FE_NO (ppb)							1044	14.0	10.1	1015	17.5	13.8
Blood eosinophils (10⁹ cells/L)							1225	0.1	0.1	1168	0.2	0.1
Blood neutrophils (10⁹ cells/L)							1225	3.5	1.6	1168	3.0	1.4
	n*	n†	%	n*	n†	%	n*	n†	%	n*	n†	%
Current wheeze¶	1410	125	8.9	1362	167	12.3	1362	216	15.9	1267	127	10.0
Breathing difficulties during exercise¶, **	1413	64	4.5	1273	98	7.2	1392	409	29.4	1298	272	21.0
Doctor’s diagnosis of asthma††	1394	146	10.5	1349	196	14.5	1397	211	15.1	1337	250	18.7
Asthma medication¶, ‡‡	1415	83	5.9	1367	127	9.3	1391	113	8.1	1309	100	7.6

*Number with available data.
†Number of exposed/cases.
‡Cole TJ, Lobstein T. Extended International (IOTF) body mass index cut-offs for thinness, overweight and obesity. Paediatric Obesity 7; 284–94.
§At 8 years, 11 girls (0.9%) and 5 boys (0.4%) fulfilled the definition of obesity class II (corresponds to BMI 35 kg/m² at 18 years. At 16 years, 7 girls (0.5%) and 5 boys (0.4%) fulfilled this definition.
¶Answered by the parent at 8 years and by the adolescent at 16 years.
**Doctor’s diagnosis up to 8 and 16 years, respectively.
††Defined as wheezing or raspy breathing at 8 years and as wheezy or raspy breathing, difficulty breathing or troublesome cough at 16 years.
‡‡Inhaled steroids occasionally or regularly (as steroids only or as a combination of inhaled steroids and long-acting beta-agonist).
AX^0.5, area under the reactance curve; BMI, body mass index; R, frequency dependence of resistance.