Publication: Effects of brisk walking on plasma lipoprotein(a), waist circumference and resting blood pressure in overweight and obese females
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Date
2017-06
Authors
Hisham, Nurul Shafiqah Kamarul
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Abstract
Introduction: Obesity has become a global epidemic and represents a major public health challenge of getting chronic diseases. Physical activity is a major modifiable determinant of chronic diseases. To our knowledge, studies about the effects of brisk walking on plasma lipoprotein(a), waist circumference and resting blood pressure in overweight and obese females in Malaysia is scarce. Objective: To investigate the effects of 6 weeks of brisk walking programme on plasma lipoprotein(a) level, waist circumference and resting blood pressure in overweight and obese females. Methods: 38 overweight and obese females with age ranged from 20 to 35 years old were randomly assigned into 2 groups: control group (C) and brisk walking group (BW). Pretest and post-test were carried out to measure participants’ body anthropometry, waist circumference, resting blood pressure and blood sample for lipoprotein(a) level measurement. During 6 weeks of study period, participants in C group were required to carry out their usually sedentary lifestyle and they were informed to avoid any other training programme and continue their normal diet. Participants in BW group performed the brisk walking exercise for 2.2 km with intensity of 55%-75% of participants’ maximum heart rate per session, 3 sessions per week for 6 weeks. They were also required to continue their normal diet during brisk walking programme. Results: After 6 weeks of intervention, plasma lipoprotein(a) level were significantly reduced in both C group and BW group (p<0.001). There was also a significant decrease in waist circumference (p<0.001) in BW group. BW group also showed significant reduction in both resting systolic blood pressure and resting diastolic blood pressure at p<0.001. Resting blood pressure also indicated a significant difference between BW group and C group at post-test (p<0.05). Conclusion: 6 weeks of brisk walking programme with 2.2 km per session, 3 sessions per week reduces waist circumference and resting blood pressure in overweight and obese females. Therefore, brisk walking exercise can be recommended for overweight and obese females to reduce risk of getting chronic diseases.