A Comparative Study of Pulmonary Function between Exercising and Non-Exercising Obese Adults

Background: Obesity has a deleterious effect on various body systems. Taking into consideration the respiratory system, for people with similar grades of obesity it is expected that they will have a similar effect on the respiratory parameters. When two groups, namely the exercising and non-exercising obese individuals with similar grades of obesity are compared for their PFT parameters, it gives us information regarding the effect of exercise on the respiratory system in presence of obesity. Methodology: After taking consent all the obese individuals were divided based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria in the respective groups. PFT was done for both these groups and the outcome measures namely FEV1, FEV1/FVC and Inspiratory Capacity (IC) were compared. Results: The results showed that the Inspiratory Capacity was higher for the exercising group also being statistically significant. The other two values were higher for the exercising group but statistically not significant. Conclusion: The difference in the Inspiratory Capacity shows that regular exercises have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system in obese individuals.