Aerobic conditioning, blood pressure (BP) and body mass index (BMI) of older participants of the Brazilian Family Health Program (FHP) after 16 weeks of guided physical activity

Because physical exercise is an efficient means to improve maximum consumption of oxygen (VO2max) and reduce body fat, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of 4 months of a guided physical activity program on BMI, BP and estimated VO2max of older participants of the FHP. The sample was composed of 70 older participants who were divided into two groups: the experimental group (EG) (26 women and 9 men) and the control group (CG) (20 women and 15 men). The program of physical activity included walking, hydrogymnastics, weight-training exercises and stretching exercises. The intensity of the aerobics exercises was set such that participants would achieve 55-65% of the estimated maximum heart rate, with the corresponding effort to be subjectively rated by the participant as 12-13 points on a 6-20 point scale. After 4 months of guided physical activity, there was a significant 19.26% improvement in the VO2max in the EG (p <= 0.001), and the diastolic pressure in the EG was significantly lower than that in the CG (p <= 0.001). In conclusion, the 16-week program of physical activity significantly improved the cardiorespiratory capacity of older individuals. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.