Comparison of Spirometric Parameters between Normal Weight and Obese Female Middle School Students

Obesity is a serious problem threatening public health. It is an important risk factor for many pulmonary diseases، and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among people. Therefore، it seems that obesity and the percent of body fat are associated with respiratory problems. The present study undertakes to examine spirometric parameters in obese female students at middle school، compared to normal weight. Subjects and Two hundred and eighty three students from middle school students in Isfahan (aged 12. 79±0. 88، with body mass index of 20±39. 9 Kg/m2) were selected in a cluster random way and were categorized، based on the percentile body mass index (CUT OFF، BMI) and age، into three groups of obese (n=50) with a percentile of 95≥BMI، overweight (n=62) with a percentile of 85≥BMI≤95 and optimal weight (n=171) with a percentile of 15≥BMI≤85. Spirometric parameters were measured using spirometric model of J. G. LSD post hoc test was used for analysis of the results A significant increase (p≤0 /01) in pulmonary function of students with normal weight was observed، while it decreased significantly for obese and overweight students. Results showed that obesity is particularly influential on pulmonary function and significantly decreases pulmonary capacity and volume. However، its exact mechanism is not well-understood and requires further elaborative studies.