Influence of Gender and Anthropometric Parameters on Peak Expiratory Flow Rate and Vital Capacity among Medical Students of a Teaching Institution

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Factors such as age, sex, body surface area,Body mass index (BMI), posture, physical activity, ethnicityetc which can influence Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR)as well as vital capacity. This study was aimed to find theinfluence of gender and anthropometric parameters on PEFRand vital capacity.Material and methods: Healthy medical students (17-23years) were enrolled in the study. PEFR was recorded usingMini Wight’s flow meter and vital capacity was assessed usinga wet spirometer. The data were analyzed statistically.Results: The study included 90 students (59 females and 31males). The study found that males had a significantly higherPEFR and vital capacity compared to females (p=0.0001).A statistically insignificant trend of negative correlation wasnoted between BMI with PEFR (r = -0.02, p= 0.84) or withvital capacity (r = -0.004, p = 0.97) in females. A significantdifference was found between the observed and predictedvalue for vital capacity in both males and females.Conclusion: Significantly higher PEFR and vital capacityin males could be due to the high stature, muscle build anddecreased body fat. This study noted a significant differencebetween males and females for the observed and predictedvalue for vital capacity which could be due to the use ofinadequate prediction equations for this population. Furtherstudies are needed to derive a better prediction equation tocorrelate predicted one with the actual vital capacity.