The Effect of Seasonality on Pulmonary Function Tests
Nicholas James Cotter, University of South FloridaFollow
M.S.P.H.
MS in Public Health (M.S.P.H.)
Giffe Johnson, Ph.D.
Marie Bourgeois, Ph.D.
Raymond Harbison, Ph.D.
allergies, seasons, respirator, fitness
Lung spirometry data from three working-class industry populations were analyzed using logistic and linear regression to see if seasonality adversely affected test outcomes. Populations included emergency responders, general industry, and shipwrights. The data was organized into allergy and non-allergy seasons using NOAA meteorological data and regression and logistic analysis was run on these separate populations to test for demographic and seasonal effects on lung spirometry test outcomes. The American Thoracic Society gold standard was as a point for determining impaired lung function (FEV1/FVC > 0.80). It was found that seasonality imparted a slight linear effect on the predictive values of FEV1 and FVC for determining impaired lung function FEV1 and FVC values were Pr > 0.0003 and Pr > 0.0002, respectively. For demographic variables, age imparted the greatest linear effect for FEV1 and FVC, with significant p-values of 0.0002 and
Cotter, Nicholas James, "The Effect of Seasonality on Pulmonary Function Tests" (2016). Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
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