Effect of body mass index on pulmonary function in children

Abstract

AttachedIntroduction The relationship between obesity or overweight and pulmonary functions has not been investigated in Sri Lankan children previously. Therefore, we aimed to study the effects of obesity / overweight on dynamic lung functions in healthy school children in Sri Lanka. Methods This cross sectional study was carried out among healthy school children. They were categorised into ‘obese/over weight’ group (BMI > 85th percentile) and 'normal weight’ group (BMI 5"1-85lh percentile). Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced expiratory flow at 25-75% (FEF 25-75%) were used as measures of ventilatory function.

overweight’. BMI has no significant relationship to any of the pulmonary function parameters. However, in contrast to what is expected, mean values o f FVC, FEV, and FEF 25-75% were lower in ‘normal weight’ group (Table 2). Conclusions No significant difference was detected in spirometry parameters between obese/overweight and normal weight school children in our study.