Background: Regular practice of slow breathing technique shows improvement in the cardiorespiratory functions. The previous studies have reported that it is well known to decrease the effect of stress which, in turn, improves the physical and mental health of an individual.
Aims and Objectives: This study aims to assess the effect of 12 weeks of slow breathing exercise practice on anthropometric parameters in healthy volunteers.
Materials and Methods: A total of 59 young, healthy volunteers of both genders participated in this study. The subjects were allocated to the study group (n = 29) and control group (n = 30) based on simple random technique. Slow breathing exercise training was given to the study group for 20 minutes daily in two sessions for 12 weeks. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist/hip ratio were recorded at the start of the study and after 12 weeks in both the groups. Longitudinal changes in both the groups were compared by Students paired t-test. Comparison between the study group and control group was done by Students unpaired t-test. The statistical analysis was carried out at 5% level of significance and P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Results: The average age of the study group and control group participants was 19.9 ± 1.8 years and 19.2 ± 1.9 years, respectively. BMI was significantly decreased in the study group from 21.75 ± 4.14 to 19.51 ± 3.95 (P < 0.05). There was a trend toward decrease in the waisthip ratio from 0.77 ± 0.67 to 0.71 ± 0.58 (P > 0.05) which was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: Results of our study indicate that 12 weeks of slow breathing exercise training improve the anthropometric parameters in the study group. This indicates that regular, long-term slow breathing exercise training helps in weight reduction among the obese population.
Key words: Anthropometric Parameters; Slow Breathing Exercises; Healthy Volunteers
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