Respiratory compromise in overweight and obese children measured among school going children in Cuttack city, Odisha - A Community based cross sectional study

To find out the correlation between Body mass Index and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate(PEFR) in overweight and obese school going children of Cuttack city. Total 480 children were studied which included 240 obese and overweight children and 240 normal age and height matched control group. PEFR was measured in all children using mini wrights peak expiratory flow meter. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 16 and correlation co-efficient was calculated. PEFR was found to increase linearly with increasing BMI in all children. But PEFR in overweight and obese children was found to have negative linear correlation. In overweight children it was not statistically significant but in obese children with increasing BMI, PEFR was found to decrease and the correlation coefficient was statistically significant. PEFR is lower in obese and overweight children. There is increased predisposition to obstructive airway disease and childhood asthma in obese children. Hence weight management should be strongly encouraged in order to prevent respiratory morbidities in obese and overweight children.