Effect of exercise on oxygen saturation and heart rate in healthy young adults of different body mass index

Sedentary people with low level of physical activity are at higher risk of heart disease. This study was done with to find the effect of exercise on oxygen saturation and heart rate in healthy young adults of different body mass index. This was a cross- sectional study done on 136 medical students of 17-25years. 56 subjects who were doing minimum 30min of exercise per day for 3 days a week were control and another 80 subjects who did not do any type of exercise were cases. Informed consent and approval from the college ethics committee was taken. BMI was calculated and subjects were divided into normal, low and high BMI groups. The 6-min walk test was conducted according to a standardized protocol. Oxygen saturation and pulse rate were assessed at the start and end of the 6-min walk test using Pulse Oximetry. A statistical package SPSS Version 17.0 used. P≤ 0.0 considered significant. The oxygen saturation of normal BMI non-exercising subjects (97.52±1.82) were low compared to exercising subjects (98.17±0.44) and it was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Physical exercise done only three to four times a week in young adults improves oxygen saturation and heart rate.