IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF BALLOON BLOWING EXERCISE ON COUGH STRENGTH IN OBESE INDIVIDUALS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Background: Obesity impairs respiratory mechanics and cough strength, significantly elevating infection risks. Despite these dangers, the therapeutic impact of simple interventions remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by evaluating balloon blowing, an inexpensive exercise that enhances immediate respiratory muscle strength and improves peak cough flow to prevent future pulmonary complications. Objective: To assess the immediate effect of balloon blowing exercise on cough strength in obese individuals. Methods: This pre-post study evaluated 30 obese adults (BMI ≥25 kg/m², aged 30–50) to assess the effect of a balloon-blowing exercise on peak cough flow (PCF). Individuals with recent infections, recent thoracic/abdominal surgery (<3 months), hernia, or interfering cardiopulmonary, neurological, or musculoskeletal conditions were excluded. Baseline PCF was recorded using a peak flow meter (best of three trials). Participants then completed three sets of three balloon-blowing repetitions with one-minute rest intervals in between, followed by immediate post-exercise PCF reassessment. Data passed the normality test via the Shapiro-Wilk test and was analysed using a paired t-test. Results: The Pre PCF mean was 268.33 (SD = 82.55) and the Post PCF mean was 309 (SD = 65.78). The mean difference was 40.67 which was found to be statistically significant with a p-value of 0.0003 (<0.05) using the paired T-test. Conclusion: This study concludes that there is a significant immediate effect of balloon blowing exercise on cough strength in obese individuals, offering physiotherapists an accessible intervention to improve airway clearance and acute pulmonary outcomes. Keywords: Obesity, cough, balloon blowing, peak cough flow