Relationship between pulmonary function and anthropometric measurements and body composition in young women

Purpose: This study was planned to evaluate the relationship between pulmonary function and some anthropometric measurements and body composition in healthy young women with different body mass index (BMI). Materials and Methods: One hundred seventeen (n:117) women, aged between 19-30 years, participated in this study. Some anthropometric measurements of the participants (body weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference, and neck circumference) and body composition were evaluated by the researchers. Results: There was no difference in forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and FEV1/FVC values of individuals according to BMI classification. In terms of disease risk according to anthropometric measurements, no difference was found between the groups in the pulmonary function test values (except for the waist circumference). Participants whose waist circumference were 80-88 cm were found to have a significantly higher FEV1/FVC value than participants whose waist circumference were >88 cm. It was determined that there was a positive correlation between body weight, lean body mass, body fat mass, total body water values, and FVC, FEV1 values. Conclusion: Differences in body composition and anthropometric measurements and pulmonary function assessment may be due to methodological and group specific changes in the studies. Long-term studies that question the body composition of individuals, food consumption and physical activity levels, will be beneficial.