THE COMPARISON OF PULMONARY PARAMETERS BETWEEN ATHLETE AND NON-ATHLETE WORKERS IN TILE FACTORIES (A CASE STUDY)

The respiratory system is one of the most important organs in the body which can be affected by disorders and adverse consequences of inhaling suspended particles. Considering the positive effects of physical activity on the respiratory system, this study was performed to compare pulmonary parameters between athlete and non-athlete workers in a tile factory.
Materials & Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study. 74 tile factory workers were eligible for the study, they were selected based on available sampling method. According to Beck questionnaire, 40 subjects were in the non-athlete group and 34 subjects were in the athlete group. Spirometry device was used to determine the lung capacity of workers. Measured pulmonary function indices included vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume per second (FEV1), FEV1 to FVC ratio, and forced expiratory flow of 25-75% (FEF 25-75%). Independent T-test was used for comparison between the two groups and SPSS software ver. 23 was used for data analysis.
Results: According to data analysis except FEF 25-75% other indices (VC, FEV1 / FVC) in athlete group were significantly higher than the non-athlete group (p =0,038) (p= 0.28) (p =0.015).
Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that respiratory performance of athlete workers is better than non-athlete workers. It seems that exercise has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the respiratory system. Therefore, workers with a minimum of regular exercise can have good results in improving function of their lungs.