Investigating the Relationship between Heart Rate and Obesity By: Stephany Hinojosa

Introduction: During class we were instructed to read a fit ness article about heart rate ("Wellness Letter: University of California, Berkeley"). The article suggested that heart rate was a good indicator of ones fitness level. It also suggested that having a high resting heart rate was indicative of health problems. We decided to pose the question: Does resting heart rate and heart rate after exercise increase as BMI goes up? Materials and Methods: First, we measured our resting heart rate by locating our radial pulse. Then we counted the beats while using a clock to watch 15 seconds elapse. We then took our measured beats and multiplied them by 4 to calculate our BPM. This was our resting heart rate. We then calculated out BMI by taking our weight and height and comparing it to the BMI chart we were supplied with. Finally, we decided the best way to calculate our heart rate after exercise was to climb up a flight of stairs for a complete minute and record our heart rate immediately after doing so. We performed this procedure and recorded our results. Results: The results yielded no definitive correlation between a high heart rate and obesity.
160 150 140 130 Heart Rate (BPM) 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 18 20 22 24 26 28 BMI 30 32 34 36 38 40 40 20 0 120 100 80 60 HRR HRAE 180 160 140

Figure 1 - Heart Rate resting and after exercise in correlation to BMI

Discussion: The data did not support our hypothesis that heart rate rose as BMI increased. The data was inconclusive and there was neither a positive or negative correlation between BMI and heart rate. According to the data, there were a higher number of overweight people with a high resting heart rate than obese people. Ideally, there would have been a larger sample size or more obese people to test the hypothesis on.

Conclusion: Ultimately, BMI seems to be a poor indicator of health. There was no clear positive correlation between BMI and heart rate to suggest obesity puts one at risk for serious health problems. References: "Your Heart Rate As A Fitness Guide." Wellness Letter: University of California, Berkeley. 16.12 (2000): n. page. Print.