A comparative study of peak expiratory flow rate among healthy working women and housewives of Ahmedabad

Background: The growth of population, industry, number of vehicles and improper implementation of stringent emission standard makes the problem of air pollution worse. Automobile exhaust consists of particulate matter and gases which cause injury to the terminal bronchioles and decrease in the pulmonary compliance and vital capacity and PEFR. Aim: The present study aimed at assessing the Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in healthy working women in the Ahmedabad compared to healthy housewives of same age to see the effect of short duration daily exposure of traffic air pollutants on PEFR. Materials and methods: An observational study was conducted in the community of Ahmedabad with 30 females between the ages of 30-40 years, divided into 2 groups. Group 1 comprised of 15 healthy housewives and Group 2 comprised of 15 healthy working women. Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) using a Wrights peak flow meter was measured in liter per minute. Three such readings were taken in standing posture. The highest of the three values obtained was treated as the peak expiratory flow rate. Results: The mean PEFR of the housewives and working women was 304±60.80litres/min and 285.33±45.01 litres/min respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups of the study (p=0.208, z= -1.259). Conclusion: There is no difference between the Peak Expiratory Flow Rate between healthy housewives and working women in Ahmedabad.