A new study found obese people with asthma are 4.6 times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma than non-obese people with asthma. The study surveyed 1,113 asthmatics and is the first study to control for risk factors that explain the obesity-asthma association: smoking, oral or inhaled corticosteroid medication use, gastroesophageal reflux disorder and demographics. The study found obese people had a harder time controlling asthma day-to-day compared to non-obese people with asthma.