Comparative study of body mass index and pulmonary functions between overweight and normal weight women

Background: Obesity is a condition of abnormal or excessive fat accumulation in adipose tissue, to the extent health may be impaired. It has become one of the leading global public health problems and one of the underlying causes of noncommunicable chronic diseases. It has become one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries. Studies have shown that overweight and obesity associated with medical disorders such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular, stroke, certain cancers, premature mortality, and respiratory diseases. Since morbid obesity is always associated with various other alterations, especially those of pulmonary origin, it becomes necessary to assess the respiratory functions of obese individuals. Aims and Objectives: To evaluate and compare the impact of obesity on pulmonary functions of obese and non-obese adult women with no history of respiratory diseases. Materials and Methods: A total of 70 subjects - 35 in each of the two body mass index (BMI) categories, i.e., obese, and normal weight were subjected to pulmonary function tests. Results: Among all the pulmonary function parameters, forced expiratory volume 1/forced vital capacity showed a significant difference between obese and normal weight subjects. Conclusion: The study concludes that increasing BMI has a negative effect on pulmonary functions. Therefore, awareness to maintain normal BMI by lifestyle modifications and interventions might help us in moving forward for eradication of obesity and impairment of pulmonary functions.