Saddleback Journal of Biology - Saddleback College

Fall 2009 Biology 3B Paper
(European Community for Coal and Steel: Guidelines
for Spirometry, 1973)," Westernhagen, et al. (1978).
Many studies have shown large differences
between the lung function of swimmers verses nonswimmers,
such as Mickleborough, et al., (2008). This
concept of increased lung function via training could
be applied to patients with pulmonary issues as a
successful, drug-free treatment option. In this study,
the forced vital capacity of thirty males was measured
and analyzed based on their experience in activities
which require highly controlled voluntary breathing.
Materials and Methods
Thirty individuals that met the agreed upon
requirements were selected; the specific standards were
set to decrease potential statistical errors. All
participants were between the ages of sixteen and
twenty-six. A specific age range was determined to
exclude age as a contributing factor. Researchers
selected ten marching band wind instrumentalist, ten
varsity water polo players, and ten members for the
control group. Prior to testing, all subjects were asked
for their height, weight, years of experience, and
age. Every instrumentalist and polo player had between
three and nine years of experience. Members of the
control group were individuals who did not play wind
instruments or partake in any cardiovascular exercise
more than once a week. Experienced wind musicians
and swimmers were defined as highly trained players
who practice a minimum of eight hours a week.
Trumpet players and water polo players were selected
for this experiment due to their need for highly
controlled voluntary breathing.
The trumpet players were all subsequently
enrolled in the Aliso Niguel High School marching
band. The data were collected during their usual
rehearsal at Aliso Niguel High School, in Aliso Viejo,
California. Measurements were taken after thirty
minutes of non-stop marching and playing, because
researchers preferred to measure active forced vital
capacity as opposed to resting forced vital capacity
(FVC).
Dana Point’s Dana Hills High School water
polo varsity players participated in this experiment.
Following the thirty minutes of warm-up, which
consisted of non-stop laps in the pool, data were
collected using a spirometer to measure active
maximum breath, or FVC. The partakers were told to
take a deep breath and blow into the spirometer has
hard and as long as possible.
Results
Mean of each groups are 4375cm 3 for the water
players, 4225cm 3 for the instrumentalist, and 3220cm 3
for the control. Significant difference was found in
FVC between the control group and the two others
using ANOVA single factor test. To find where the
difference lie we run a Bonferroni test, it showed that
there was significant difference between the control
group and the water polo players and a difference with
the control group and the musicians. There is no
significant difference in FVC between the water polo
players and musicians; there was a P value of 0.23.
Differences were considered significant at
P