Exercise, Blood Pressure and Mortality: Findings of Eight Years of Follow-Up

Abstract

Introduction: In the last decades, unhealthy habits, such as low levels of physical activity and poor diet, have increased. Consequently, the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and mortality has increased significantly among adults. However, it is known that regular physical exercises help to improve health outcomes. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the effects of eight years of regular participation in an exercise program on blood pressure and mortality in the Brazilian public health system. Methods: The sample consisted of 34 participants with hypertension and/or type II diabetes who were followed up for eight years. They were paired by age, body mass index and chronic disease in two groups: exercise and control. During the follow-up period, medical records were used to assess systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as number of medical appointments and the occurrence of deaths. Results: In the follow-up period, five participants died in the control group and none in the exercise group. The Kaplan-Meier analysis identified 29.4% lower mortality among active participants (Fisher's exact test with p = 0.044). The number of medical appointments and the values of diastolic blood pressure were significantly lower for active participants. Conclusion: After a follow-up of eight years, participants in the exercise group attended fewer medical appointments, had better blood pressure control and a lower occurrence of deaths.

Association of insufficient practice of physical activity with demographic, anthropometric and biochemical factors in hypertensive patients

“…Hypertensive patients with fewer than 8 years of schooling were 1.6 times more likely to be insufficiently active than those with more schooling. This finding corroborates other studies that have observed a direct association between physical activity and education level 27 .…”

“…High rates of physical inactivity have become a global concern 1 , as the literature has shown their association with demographic, socioeconomic and health variables 2,3,4 . Among inactive hypertensive patients, a more than 2-fold increase in the risk of mortality compared with active individuals has been observed 27 .…”

“…According to the literature, individuals with higher education levels have higher levels of physical activity during leisure time 19 , while those with lower education levels have less access to exercise equipment, adequate and safe public places or private places for exercising, and less knowledge about the health benefits of physical activity 27 . A study revealed that the variable lipid profile did not differ between men with good and poor levels of physical activity 28 .…”

Impacto e aderência de indivíduos com diabetes no Programa Academia da Cidade

“…Com o objetivo de analisar os efeitos de oito anos de participação regular em um programa de exercícios sobre a pressão arterial e a mortalidade no sistema brasileiro de saúde pública, Turi et al 26 identificaram uma mortalidade 29,4% menor para os participantes ativos que apresentavam HAS e/ou DM, assim como, uma menor quantidade de consultas médicas e valores de PAD.…”