Prevalence of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and associated factors among young adults at the Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Indonesia

Background/Aim: Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is a transient narrowing of the airways during or after exercise. Evidence concerning non-athlete young adults is limited. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of EIB and assess its associations with sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking status and a history of asthma. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Indonesia, between September and November 2025. Two hundred participants aged 18-25 years were selected by simple random sampling and underwent an exercise challenge with preand post-exercise spirometry. EIB was defined as a decline of at least 10 % in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1 ) within 30 min after exercise. Participant characteristics were obtained by questionnaire. Associations were assessed using chi-square tests and odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). Results: EIB was observed in 20 participants (10.0 %). No statistically significant association was reported for sex (OR 0.65, 95 % CI 0.25-1.67; p = 0.370) or smoking status (OR 1.39, 95 % CI 0.30-6.35; p = 0.501). Obesity was associated with higher odds of EIB (OR 4.07, 95 % CI 1.46-11.37; p = 0.011), as was a history of asthma (OR 11.0, 95 % CI 3.95-30.61; p < 0.001). Conclusion: EIB was identified in 10.0 % of the non-athlete young adults studied. Obesity and a history of asthma were associated with EIB, whereas sex and smoking status were not significantly associated with it. Targeted assessment of potentially affected individuals may support earlier identification.