Spirometric Values of Healthy School Children in Three Rural Schools of
Bangladesh
Abstract
Background: The prevalence of asthma in Bangladesh is about
7%. The spirometric values in healthy children were obtained in a
single urban school more than a decade ago. No rural data is available
till date. Objective: To determine the spirometric values of
healthy school going children in three rural schools of Bangladesh.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried
out from July 2019 to June 2020 among 300 healthy children among both
boys and girls aged 11 to 15 years in three rural schools. Among 350
approached students 332 students responded to the study, 18 students did
not meet inclusion criteria and 14 students could not follow spirometry
procedure. Informed written consent was taken from guardians. History
regarding socio-demographic profile, passive smoking, concurrent or past
respiratory illness and medication were taken and weight, height and BMI
were measured of the children. Spirometry was done with spirometer
machine and reports were generated by software installed in a laptop.
Results: Boys showed higher FVC, FEV1 and PEFR but lower
FEV1/FVC ratio than those of girls. Regression equations for lung
function values were determined for boys and girls considering height as
independent variable. Conclusions: Spirometric indices were
higher in boys than those of girls and they tended to increase with
height, except FEV1/FVC ratio that was higher in girls with a negative
correlation with height.