Normative Value for Physiological Cost Index in Young Adults of Gujarat: An Observational Study

Introduction: Physiological cost index (PCI) measures energy expenditure. Whenever person has difficulty in walking, due to any problem in body, energy required for walking increases. Normative value for any measure is necessary to compare changes due to any abnormality in body and so does value of energy expenditure. But the normative value for physiological cost index is not available for the Indian population. So, this study was done to find out the normative value of Physiological cost index in young population of Gujarat. Methodology: Study design: An observational study. Inclusion criteria: Male and female aged between 18 to 35 years. Exclusion criteria: Subject having pain while walking. Procedure: Written consent from the participants was taken. The subjects were asked to sit on a chair for 10 minutes before starting the test and the heart rate was measured. The subject was then asked to stand up and start walking when ready. The stop watch was started as soon as the subject started walking and distance covered in 6 minutes was recorded. The walking heart rate was calculated when it reaches to steady state or after 6minute. For the calculation of walking speed distance was recorded.