Summary

The aim of the following study was to determine if chest measurements cause changes in the predictive equations of inspiratory capacity (IC) and peak expiratory flow (PEF). Twenty- four male subjects between 18 and 26 years old, all sedentary students of the Universidad Catolica del Maule, Chile, were evaluated. They were subjected to basic body anthropometry (weight and body size) and chest specificity, anteroposterior diameter (APD) and transverse (TTD) of the thorax and mesosternal perimeter (MSP). After this, the ventilatory function was evaluated through body plethysmography. To estimate the linear regression equations, the least squares method were used, relating IC and PEF. The comparison between the established predicted value and our proposal was compared using the student t-test or Mann-Whitney U test as appropriate, considering a level of statistical significance of p <0.05. The results indicate that the TTD and MSP were considered for the proposal of the PEF equation, achieving significant differences with the values o f Knudson et al. Therefore, it is concluded that measurements of TTD to RV and MSP to TPC influenced the predictive equation of PEF in sedentary students.

KEY WORDS: Chest anthropometry; Lung function; Predictive equations.

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