Correlation of spirometry with the six-minute walk test in eutrophic and obese individuals

• Published in: Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira 2011-07, Vol.57 (4), p.380-386
• Main Authors: Gontijo, Patrícia Lúcia, Lima, Tiago Pessoa, Costa, Thais Ribeiro, dos Reis, Ederson Paulo, de Faria Cardoso, Flavia Perassa, Cavalcanti Neto, Florêncio Figueiredo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: exercise test; obesity; pulmonary function tests; spirometry; Walk
• ISSN: 2255-4823; 2255-4823
• DOI: 10.1016/S2255-4823(11)70081-9

To assess the distance covered by both eutrophic individuals and individuals with different grades of obesity and correlate the data obtained with spirometrie values. This study is justified by the existing difficulty in assessing the functional capacity in obese individuals, and by the low cost and good specificity of six-minute walk test (6MWT) in predicting reduced capacity for activities of daily living for any individual. One hundred fifty-four individuals of both genders were assessed after being divided into two groups: Gl, obese individuals (n=93, BMI≥30kg/m2) and G2, eutrophic individuals (n=61, BMI 18.5 to 24.99kg/m2). The 6MWT was performed using the methodology described by the American Thoracic Society (ATS-2002). Spirometry was performed both before and after the application of a bronchodilator agent (BDA) in accordance with the Guidelines for Pulmonary Function Tests by the Brazilian Society of Pneumology and Phthisiology (SBPT-2002). The statistical analysis, consisting of mean, standard deviation, Pearson's correlation, Student's t test and Spearman's correlation, considered p