Influence of Body Mass Index on 6 Minute Step Test [6MST] performance in females with an age group of 20-30 years : A Comparative Observational Study.

ABSTRACT : Body composition is indirectly measured by the body mass index, which ishighly correlated with body fat. Females have more body fat, leading to impaired functionalexercise capacity. So this study focuses on studying the influence of BMI on 6 Minute StepTest [6MST] performance in females. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: To find out the influence of BMI on 6MST performance infemales in the age group 20-30 years and compare it. METHOD: The study aimed to show the influence of body mass index on 6MSTperformance in females in the age group 20-30 years. A total of 160 females were screenedand were grouped into 2 groups based on BMI within normal and overweight. 6MSTperformance was calculated and compared within both the groups. RESULT: Findings showed that as the BMI was on a higher side , the 6MST performancewas found to be reduced and vice versa. The reasons attributed for decreased 6MSTperformance with increased BMI can be as the body weight increases or decreases, the centreof gravity changes and during activity of stair climbing the body weight is raised againstgravity. CONCLUSION: The study showed significant influence of body mass index on 6 MinuteStep Test Performance, as performance decreased with increasing BMI.