ArticleInternational journal of obesity (2005)2014
The association between obesity and outpatient visits for acute respiratory infections in Ontario, Canada.
Article in International journal of obesity (2005), 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Obesity Increases the Severity and Mortality of Influenza and COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2020Pooled it
- Assessing the relationship between body mass index and influenza-like illness risk and symptom severity among military health system beneficiaries vaccinated against influenza: a pooled prospective cohort study from a randomized trial.Frontiers in public health · 2026Trial
- Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference, Readmission, and Healthcare Costs After Influenza- or Pneumonia-Related Hospitalization: A Sex-Stratified Nationwide Cohort Study in Korea.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Immunometabolism, an emerging field in perioperative and critical care medicine: a narrative review.British journal of anaesthesia · 2026Review
- Suppression and resurgence: the evolving epidemiology of seasonal influenza from 2015 to 2024 in a core urban district of Beijing, China.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Implications of obesity and adiposopathy on respiratory infections; focus on emerging challenges.World journal of clinical cases · 2023Review
- Early Life Antibiotic Prescription for Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Is Associated With Higher Antibiotic Use in Childhood.Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society · 2022Article
- Effect of Undernutrition and Obesity on Clinical Outcomes in Adults with Community-Acquired Pneumonia.Nutrients · 2022Review
- Obesity and infectious diseases: pathophysiology and epidemiology of a double pandemic condition.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2022Review
- Progression of COVID-19 From Urban to Rural Areas in the United States: A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Prevalence Rates.The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association · 2020Article
- Multivariate semi-continuous proportionally constrained two-part fixed effects models and applications.Statistical methods in medical research · 2019Article
- Underweight, overweight, and obesity as independent risk factors for hospitalization in adults and children from influenza and other respiratory viruses.Influenza and other respiratory viruses · 2019Observational
- Lymphopenia and risk of infection and infection-related death in 98,344 individuals from a prospective Danish population-based study.PLoS medicine · 2018Observational
- Is weight associated with severity of acute respiratory illness?International journal of obesity (2005) · 2018Article
- Body mass index and infectious disease mortality in midlife in a cohort of 2.3 million adolescents.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2018Article
- Maternal body mass index: Relation with infant respiratory symptoms and infections.Pediatric pulmonology · 2017Article
- 25-Hydroxyvitamin D supplementation and health-service utilization for upper respiratory tract infection in young children.Public health nutrition · 2017Article
- Impact of Statins on Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Against Medically Attended Acute Respiratory Illness.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2016Article
- Influenza Vaccine is Protective Against Laboratory-confirmed Influenza in Obese Children.The Pediatric infectious disease journal · 2016Article
- Adenovirus 36 and Obesity: An Overview.Viruses · 2015Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveRecent evidence suggests that obesity increases the risk of severe outcomes following respiratory infection. It is less clear whether obesity is associated with the risk of being infected with influenza or other respiratory pathogens. Therefore, we examined the association between obesity and outpatient visits for acute respiratory infections (ARIs).
designWe conducted a retrospective cohort study for a period of over 13 years on 104,665 individuals in Ontario, Canada who responded to population health surveys and agreed to linkage with health administrative data. Individuals aged 18-64 years who responded to a survey within 5 years prior to the start of an influenza season were included. Poisson regression, with adjustment for relevant confounders, was used to measure the association between self-reported body mass index (BMI) and outpatient visits for ARI. We conducted numerous sensitivity analyses to assess the robustness of our findings.
resultsWe observed higher rates of outpatient visits for ARI during influenza season periods compared with normal weight individuals for those who were overweight (BMI 25-29.9; rate ratio (RR) 1.10; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.07-1.13), obese class I (BMI 30-34.9; RR 1.17; 95% CI 1.13-1.22) and obese class II or III (BMI ≥35; RR 1.19; 95% CI 1.12-1.25). Associations of a similar magnitude were observed during non-influenza season periods. Obesity was a greater risk factor for ARIs managed in emergency departments than physician offices.
conclusionsObese individuals are at an increased risk of outpatient visits for ARI during both influenza and non-influenza season periods, suggesting that the effect of obesity on the risk of respiratory infections is not limited to influenza. Interventions designed to reduce the prevalence of obesity may have the added benefit reducing the population burden of respiratory infections.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.