Use the Back button in your browser to see the other results of your search or to select another record.
Blood pressure rise with swimming versus walking in older women: the Sedentary Women Exercise Adherence Trial 2 (SWEAT 2) |
Cox KL, Burke V, Beilin LJ, Grove JR, Blanksby BA, Puddey IB |
Journal of Hypertension 2006 Feb;24(2):307-314 |
clinical trial |
4/10 [Eligibility criteria: Yes; Random allocation: Yes; Concealed allocation: No; Baseline comparability: Yes; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No; Blind assessors: No; Adequate follow-up: No; Intention-to-treat analysis: No; Between-group comparisons: Yes; Point estimates and variability: Yes. Note: Eligibility criteria item does not contribute to total score] *This score has been confirmed* |
OBJECTIVE: Swimming is often recommended in the prevention and treatment of hypertension. Few studies have investigated the effect of swimming training on blood pressure (BP). Our objective was to evaluate 6 months of supervised moderate swimming or walking on BP in previously sedentary, normotensive, older women. DESIGN: Women aged 50 to 70 years (n = 116) were randomly assigned to a supervised 6-month swimming or walking programme. They were further randomized to receive usual care or a behavioural intervention package. METHODS: Exercise comprised 3 sessions/week with a warm-up, cool down, and 30-min of moderate intensity walking or swimming. BP was recorded for 20 min supine, and 5 min standing. Assessments were made at 0 and 6 months. RESULTS: At baseline, mean supine BP (+/- SD) was 115.7 +/- 1.3/66.8 +/- 0.7 mmHg. Swimming improved swim distance by 78.1 m (29.3%) (95% confidence interval (CI) 66.7 to 89.4) and walk time by 0.58 min (3.8%) (0.41 to 0.74). Walking decreased walk time by 1.0 min (6.5%) (0.81 to 1.19). After adjustment for initial BP, age, hypertension treatment status and change in weight, swimming increased supine and standing systolic BP relative to walking by 4.4 mmHg (1.2 to 7.5) (p = 0.008) and 6.0 mmHg (2.6 to 9.5) (p = 0.001), respectively. Supine and standing diastolic BP increased by 1.4 mmHg (-0.14 to 3.0) (p = 0.07) and 1.8 mmHg (-0.02 to 3.5) (p = 0.05), respectively. CONCLUSION: Relative to moderately paced walking, regular swimming significantly elevates BP in previously sedentary, normotensive, older women. This finding may have important implications for exercise prescription in older subjects.
|