 [ Symptoms ] could my child is shortness of breath be related to him being over weight somewhat  my child is 9 years old and somewhat overweight he has shortness of breath all the time not just during activity he goes around taking in deep breaths a lot and i can tell he is not getting proper air he uses his inhaler daily my husband thinks its because he is overweight but i am concerned he was put on inhaler because he may have exercised induced asthma the doctor said but that was when he was 7 years old could this type of shortness of breath be caused by overweight  [ Disease ] strong odors from perfumes aerosols and particulates can all be irritants that trigger asthma attacks