Effect of physical activity status and dietary habits on pulmonary functions

Abstract

Bader Eldeen Hassan Ibrahim , Asim Alaaeldin Osman

Background: There is a widely recognized fact that people who are more physically active and have healthy dietary habits tend to have a higher degree of fitness and physical activity that can promote respiratory health, which increases the efficiency of pulmonary function. Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of physical activity, physical inactivity, and dietary habits on pulmonary function. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed during the period from August to December 2017, at the Faculty of Medicine, Omdurman Al-Ahlia University, Omdurman, Sudan. The study included 207 medical students (100 males–107 females) between the ages of 15 and 25 years. The smoker and the asthmatic were excluded. Pulmonary function test (PFT) was measured by using digital portable spirometer and peak flowmeter instruments. Arab Teens Lifestyle Study questionnaire was used for the determination of physical activity status and dietary habits. Results: Data analysis showed that PFT parameters were statistically significantly higher in males than females (p-value 0.000). PFT parameters were significantly higher in active subjects (p-value 0.003), while the physical inactivity does not affect the PFT parameters. In addition, PFT parameters were significantly positively correlated with many physical activity types. PFT parameters were significantly negatively correlated with many foods stuff. PFT parameters were significantly positively correlated to height, weight, sum of metabolic equivalent, and age. Conclusion: Our study concluded that physical activity and regular exercise improve the pulmonary function, and sedentary lifestyle has no direct effect on pulmonary function. Foodstuff with high fiber content was better than low fiber content for pulmonary function.