Correlation of body mass index and lung volume in 3-7 year-old children in Rīga pre-school educational institutions

Abstract

The number of people with excess weight increases every year. Overweight and obesity in childhood can cause several chronic diseases in adulthood. Children with excess body mass develop more morphological and functional changes, including pulmonary functions. One of the common methods to assess lung function is spirometry. This method is a challenge in assessing lung function for pre-school age children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between lung vital capacity and body mass index for the pre-school children aged 3–7 years in Rīga. In total 995 pre-school children were included in the study. An informative consent and questionnaire about the development of each individual child was filled in by parents. Several measurements were performed, including height, body mass, and lung vital capacity. This is the first study in Latvia where several morphologic and somatometric measurements were determined in children of pre-school age. There was a positive and statistically significant correlation between lung vital capacity and body height, mass, and chest circumference. The correlation between lung vital capacity and body mass index was not statistically significant. The main results do not differ from the results of similar studies in other countries. The obtained results will help to create a standard of morphological and somatometric parameters in pre-school aged children in Rīga region.