Association of Obesity and pulmonary function test among adults: A crosssectional study

Abstract

Body mass index (BMI) is a common measure of overweight and obesity, and
also indicators of body sizeso they are associated with lung function
parameters. The pulmonary function test is the most basic test method to
diagnosis lung disease. Objective: To study the association of BMI and
pulmonary function. Material and Methods: The present cross sectional
prospective study conducted in Physiology Department among 100 volunteers
in age group 18-22 years. Subjects with respiratory disorders like COPD,
restrictive lung diseases, bronchial Asthma, cardiovascular Diseases and history
of smoking were excluded from the study. The study was approved by the
Ethical Committee of the Medical College. The data included demographic
profile of subjects, anthropometry and PFT. The data thus obtained was
tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis. Results: The lung function tests
FEV1, FVC, PEF and FEF 25–75% was significantly less in females compared
to males. (P<0.05) Obese subjects showed negative correlation of BMI with
FEV1, FVC, PEF and FEF 25–75 with statistical significance. (P<0.05)
Conclusion: BMI had an inverse relationship with FVC, FEV1 and PEF in
obese subjects only.