Lung Functions And Their Correlations With Height, Weight And Body Surface Area Among The High And Low Altitude Monpas Of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Background and objectives: Generally highlanders show altitudinal stresses on biological traits than their lowland counterparts. This study examines lung functions and their correlations with height, weight and body surface area in two Monpas groups namely, the Dirang and Tawang Monpas residing in low and high altitude area of Arunachal Pradesh.Methods: Anthropometric measurements were taken and lung functions tests were conducted among the adults aged 18-55 years.Results: Tawang Monpas are taller than Dirang Monpas, while Dirang Monpas are heavier than Tawang Mnpas. Values of lung function tests are higher in Dirang males than Tawang males. But in females no such trend emerges. In contrary to other Indian studies lung function values are more related to stature than body weight in these populations.Interpretation and Conclusion: Pearson coefficient of correlation ('r') between anthropometric and respiratory parameters shows statistically significant association in 3 cases (out of 24 cases) in Dirang Monpas and in 13 cases (out of 24 cases) in Tawang Monpas. This is indicative of altitudinal stresses on biological traits in highlander Tawang Monpas.