Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the relationship between waist circumference, as a measure of central fat distribution, and lung ventilation function in both sexes among different weight categories in comparison with body mass index (BMI). Subjects and Methods: One hundred healthy adults from both sexes were volunteered in this observational-cross-sectional study (53 males aged 19-69 years and 47 females aged 19-51 years). Subjects were recruited from Mosul Medical College students, teaching as well as administration staff. After collecting personal and health information necessary for the study, all subjects underwent anthropometric measurements (height, weight, and waist circumference) before spirometry test using computerized spirometer. The study was conducted in the Department of Medical Physiology-Mosul Medical College.Results: All spirometric data were within 80-120% of the normal predicted values, thus excluding the possibility of any asymptomatic airway disease. A consistent negative correlation between, both waist circumference and BMI, with FVC and FEV1 were clearly observed in both sexes. Unlike BMI, waist circumference revealed stronger and significant negative correlation with lung function especially in male subjects. The significant negative correlation between waist circumference and FVC and FEV1 was more evident in overweight and obese subjects. Conclusion: Waist circumference, as a measure of body fat distribution, seems more reliable predictor of poor lung function, secondary to overweight and obesity, than BMI. This might be attributed to the fact that BMI relies only on body weight and height without consideration to the distribution of body fat, muscle and bone mass which might possess a more significant role. Keywords: Waist circumference, body fat distribution, lung function tests.
Highlights
The percent predicted values for lung function parameters in both sexes are given in table [2]
All spirometric parameters were well within the normal predicted range (80-120%) insuring the absence of any asymptomatic airway disease: subjects perfectly fulfilled the criteria for inclusion in the study
forced vital capacity (FVC)=Forced Vital Capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)=Forced Expiratory volume in the first second. ** correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2tailed). * correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed)
Summary
One hundred healthy adults (53 males and 47 females) among Mosul Medical College students, teaching and administration staff volunteered in the present study. Our study group fulfilled the following criteria: 1. Anthropometric measurements: Height, weight and waist circumference were measured by using standard techniques as follows: height to within 0.5 cm, without shoes; weight to within 100 g, without heavy clothing; and waist circumference to within 0.1 cm by using plastic measuring tape, with the waist defined as midway between the lowest rib and the iliac crest as the participant breathed out gently[9]. Spirometry: Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) were measured by using electronic spirometer (Discovery-2 version 8B Futurmed-America Inc.-Granada Hills, USA). The forced expiratory vital capacity procedure was described and demonstrated to the subject before the test, emphasizing the tight fit between lips and tongue and encouraging the subject to breathe out as long and forcefully as possible. The SPSS statistical package (windows version 8.0) was used to analyze the data
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