Assessment of pulse rate and oxygen saturation of obese and non-obese 509 healthy males in Erbil city

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality among both men and women; heart rate is an important indicator of cardiovascular health. There are few studies indicating that increasing level of obesity is associated with an elevated pulse rate. Objective: To assess the association between obesity and resting heart rate in our healthy population, as both are regarded as risk factors for ischemic heart disease. Materials and Methods: A total of 509 apparently healthy male individuals have been selected by convenience method. An oxemeter device was used to investigate heart rate in beats per minute, and saturated pressure of oxygen measured as percentage. Data entry and analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 19. Chi-square was used for categorical data analysis and a P value of ≤0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Results: The results showed that 75% of overweight and obese participants have high pulse rate (more than 100 b/m) with significant association between body mass index & pulse rate, results also showed that the majority of overweight and obesity were between 40-60 years of age with significant relationship between body mass index and age groups, no significant association was found between association and Oxygen saturation. Conclusion: High prevalence of obesity in this study was noticed. There was significant association between resting pulse rate and BMI among males. No significant association was found between body mass index and oxygen saturation among healthy males.