Duke Activity Score Index in Obese Individuals

The 6 Minute Walk Test is a sub-maximal exercise test used to assess aerobic capacity and endurance. The distance covered over a time of 6 minutes is used as the outcome by which to compare changes in performance capacity.

Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) allow physicians to evaluate the respiratory function of their patients in many clinical situations and when there are risk factors for lung disease, occupational exposures, and pulmonary toxicity. National guidelines for the measurements and interpretation of PFT are regularly updated, and the most recent guidelines developed by the international joint Task force from the European Respiratory Society and the American Thoracic Society (EUR/ATS) were published in 2022.

FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC parameters will be evaluated. In tests, patients sit with a clip on their noses. After 3 technically appropriate tests, the best-measured values are recorded and compared against reference values. The measurements obtained are recorded as a percentage relative to their ratio to the expected reference values.FEV1 measurements are recorded as a volume in ml.

The mMRC scale is a self-rating tool to measure the degree of disability that breathlessness poses on day-to-day activities on a scale from 0 to 4: 0, no breathlessness except on strenuous exercise; 1, shortness of breath when hurrying on the level or walking up a slight hill; 2, walks slower than people of same age on the level because of breathlessness or has to stop to catch breath when walking at their own pace on the level; 3, stops for breath after walking ∼100 m or after few minutes on the level; and 4, too breathless to leave the house, or breathless when dressing or undressing

The HADS is a self-report rating scale of 14 items on a 4-point Likert scale (range 0-3). It is designed to measure anxiety and depression (7 items for each subscale). The total score is the sum of the 14 items, and for each subscale the score is the sum of the respective seven items (ranging from 0-21). It is worth noting that items referring to depression symptoms that describe somatic aspects of depression (e.g. insomnia and weight loss) are not included in the scale.