Skip to main content
The Egyptian Journal of Internal Medicine
Download PDF
  • Original article
  • Open access
  • Published:

The impact of obesity on walking and physical performance

The Egyptian Journal of Internal Medicine volume 26, pages 40–44 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Obesity-induced limitations of the cardiopulmonary and the metabolic systems, resulting in exertional dyspnea, contribute to the limitations in the functional capacity frequently observed in obese individuals. In addition, the sedentary lifestyle often adopted by these individuals further compounds and contributes to impaired exercise tolerance.

Aim of the study

The current study was conducted to detect the effect of lifestyle modification in the form of weight reduction by diet and aerobic exercise on walking and physical performance.

Patients and methods

Twenty obese participants were included in this study. Their ages ranged from 25 to 43 years. All participants were evaluated before the first session of physical therapy program and at the end of the program after 2 months of exercise and a low-caloric diet of 25 kcal/kg actual weight/day through physical evaluation, which included anthropometric measurements, BMI, inspiratory capacity, and a physical performance test, which includes four tests (15-m rapid walking test, a timed up-and-go test, and stair climbing and stair descending tests).

Results

Analysis of data revealed significant improvement in the parameters assessed as follows: weight decreased from 81.3 ± 8.5 to 68.00 ± 4.50 kg (P ≤ 0.001); BMI decreased from 29.8 ± 2.0 to 24.1 ±2.0kg/m2 (P ≤ 0.001); waist circumference decreased from 120.3 ± 14.4 to 112.3 ± 9.6cm (P = 0.053); hip circumference decreased from 121.3 ± 6.1 to 112.6 ± 11.4 cm (P = 0.009); inspiratory capacity increased from 14.4 ± 2.7 to 21.0 ± 2.3 s (P ≤ 0.001): time of 15 m walk decreased from 21.2 ± 1.7 to 15.5 ± 2.1 s; timed up-and-go test decreased from 24.1 ± 2.8 to 15.3 ± 2.3 s; stair climbing time decreased from 45.3 ± 6.5 to 34.2 ± 2.6 s; stair descending time decreased from 36.2 ± 2.3 to 27.2 ± 2.1 s. Hence, the total physical performance increased from 31.9 ± 10.3 to 23.0 ± 8.5 s (P ≤ 0.001) and consequently improved the quality of life.

Conclusion

Lifestyle modification in the form of a low-caloric diet accompanied by exercise has a positive effect on physical performance and consequently on the quality of life.

References

  1. Mohammed AG. The effect of obesity on spirometry tests among healthy non-smoking adults. BMC Pulm Med 2012; 12: 10–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Magali P, Mariève D, Geneviève C, Vicky D, Frédéric S, Louis P, et al. The effect of obesity on chronic respiratory diseases: pathophysiology and therapeutic strategies. CMAJ 2006; 174: 1293–1299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Amanda J, Ronald R. Big breathing: the complex interaction of obesity, hypoventilation, weight loss, and respiratory function. J Appl Physiol 2010; 108: 199–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Moinuddin IK, Collins EG, Kramer HJ, Leehey DJ. Exercise in the management of obesity. J Obes Weight Loss Ther 2012; 2: 2–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Guglielmo M. Behavior, nutrition and lifestyle in a comprehensive health and disease paradigm: skills and knowledge for a predictive, preventive and personalized medicine. EPMA J 2012; 3: 8–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Serap T, Nebahat S, Belma F, Faruk I, Demet T. Influence of knee osteoarthritis on exercise capacity and quality of life in obese adults. Obesity 2007; 15: 2071–2076.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Gurevich K. Overweight and obesity prevalence and physical activity among Moscow school children. J Health Sci 2012; 2: 23–28.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Itamar L, Steve S, George J, Andrew S, Cadeyrn J, David L Depressed mood, glycaemic control and functional capacity in overweight/obese men with and without type 2 diabetes. Diabetol Metab Syndr 2012; 4: 46–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Itamar L, Craig G, David L, George J, Steve S. The effect of resistance training on functional capacity and quality of life in individuals with high and low numbers of metabolic risk factors. Diabetes Care 2007; 30: 2205–2210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Steven C, Alpa V, Charles E, Amy B, Yikyung P, Hormuzd A, et al. Leisure time physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity and mortality: a large pooled cohort analysis. PLoS Med 2012; 9: e35–e42.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Julie N, Marie E, Francois P. Physical activity and obesity: biomechanical and physiological key concepts. J Obes 2011; 6: 5–14.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Maria R, Anne L, Elizabeth M, Ron G. Sleep apnoea and metabolic dysfunction. Eur Respir Rev 2013; 22: 353–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Edwards A, Maguire G, Graham D, Richardson G. Four weeks of inspiratory muscle training improves self-paced walking performance in overweight and obese adults: a randomised controlled trial. J Obes 2012;9: 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Thommazo L, Soraia P, Viviane C, Aparecida M, Ross A, Audrey B. Metabolic and clinical comparative analysis of treadmill six-minute walking test and cardiopulmonary exercise testing in obese and eutrophic women. Rev Bras Fisioter 2012; 16: 469–478.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Joseph E, Steven N, John M, Melinda M, Janet W, Bryan K. Appropriate physical activity intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2009; 10: 1249–1260.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Sarah A, David C, Kylie B, Jo S. Understanding determinants of nutrition, physical activity and quality of life among older adults: the Wellbeing, Eating and Exercise for a Long Life (WELL) study. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2012; 10: 109–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Annette O, Cecilia P, Yu A, Ingrid A, Michael S. Obesity is an independent contributor to functional capacity and inflammation in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthitis Rheum 2005; 52: 3651–3659.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Denis E, Conor D, Katherine A, Jordan A. Respiratory consequences of mild-to-moderate obesity: impact on exercise performance in health and in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Pulm Med 2012; 8: 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Márcia A, Reginaldo C, João T, Ajith K. Pulmonary function and quality of life in patients with morbid obesity six months after bariatric surgery. Acta Cir Bras 2010; 25: 407–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. You T, Murphy K, Lyles M, Demons J, Lenchik L, Nicklas B. Addition of aerobic exercise to dietary weight loss preferentially reduces abdominal adipocyte size. Int J Obes 2006; 30: 1211–1217.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Peter M, Robert R. The utility of physical activity in the management of global cardiometabolic risk. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2009; 17: S3–S14.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Davidson L, Hudson R, Kilpatrick K. Effects of exercise modality on insulin resistance and functional limitation in older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern Med 2009; 169: 122–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Chad M, Jennifer W, Donovan F, Ashli R, Lern T, Bill I, et al. Changes in weight loss, body composition and cardiovascular disease risk after altering macronutrient distributions during a regular exercise program in obese women. Nutr J 2010; 9: 59–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Darren E, Sarah C, Adam I, Lindsay N, Shannon S. A systematic review of the evidence for Canada’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2010; 7: 39–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Physical Therapy, Cairo University Hospitals, Giza, Egypt

    Manal K. Youssef PhD

Authors
  1. Manal K. Youssef PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manal K. Youssef PhD.

Rights and permissions

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Youssef, M.K. The impact of obesity on walking and physical performance. Egypt J Intern Med 26, 40–44 (2014). https://doi.org/10.4103/1110-7782.139519

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/1110-7782.139519

Keywords