Majority of Elderly Sedentary Kenyans Show Unfavorable Body Composition and Cardio-Metabolic Fitness

BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med

Patel

Thairu

2018

Self Cite

BackgroundSedentary lifestyles and related morbidities are rising among adults despite existing exercise recommendations. Appealing exercise regimes yielding similar/better body composition should be sought.ObjectiveWe investigated the effect of moderate-intensity exercise bouts of <10 min on body composition in previously sedentary adults.MethodsThis unblinded study enrolled 53 healthy sedentary volunteers aged ≥50 years, randomised into one of two gender-balanced exercise interventions: (1) male and (2) female short-duration bouts (MS, n=14; FS, n = 13), and (3) male and (4) female long-duration bouts (ML, n=13; FL, n=13). Short-duration bouts entailed 5–10 min of jogging thrice daily; long-duration bouts, 30–60 min 3–5 days weekly. Body composition was determined at recruitment and 8-weekly thereafter, for 24 weeks.ResultsAt baseline, 14.3% of MS, 38.5% of ML, 92.3% of FS and 69.2% of FL were obese, dropping to 7.1%, 15.4%, 61.5% and 30.8%, respectively. For waist:height ratio, 64.3 % of MS, 76.9% of ML, 100% of FS and 84.6.3% of FL had ratios >0.5, dropping to 42.9%, 30.8%, 92.9% and 26.2%, respectively. While baseline MS and ML waist:hip ratio (WHR) ≥0.9 were 64.3% and 69.2%, respectively, they correspondingly dropped to 23.1% and 21.4%. The FS and FL with WHR ≥0.85 dropped from 46.2% to 15.4% and from 30.8% to 7.7%, respectively. Body composition variables improved for both sexes (all p <0.05) and mean change between exercise regimes was comparable for both sexes.ConclusionIn equal cumulative times, moderate-intensity exercise bouts lasting <10 min are comparable with current 30–60 min bouts in body composition modification for adults of ≥50 years.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effect of moderate-intensity exercise bouts lasting <10 minutes on body composition in sedentary Kenyan adults aged ≥50 years

BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med

Patel

Thairu

2018

Self Cite

“…Sedentary lifestyles are on the rise, and high inactivity levels can be found in both rural and urban areas [6][7][8][9]. Sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for mortality globally [1] and this is worrying because in Eldoret, Kenya, 82% of elderly inhabitants do not participate in any known form of PA [10]. The start of the novel COVID-19 pandemic immediately led to control measures that entailed individuals having to social distance and stay at home.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The start of the novel COVID-19 pandemic immediately led to control measures that entailed individuals having to social distance and stay at home. Due to the pre-existing low involvement levels of participation in outdoor PA, there was concern that the levels of PA would decline further [10]. There have been extensive debates and discussions on how to improve outdoor PA in the past, and there was now concern that even indoor home-based PAs may also be negatively impacted [1,4,5,[10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical activity engagement in Eldoret, Kenya, during COVID-19 pandemic

PLOS Glob Public Health

Mbuthia

2022

Self Cite

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that individuals of all ages participate in regular physical activity (PA) for optimal health and to support with the control of multiple non-communicable diseases. In Kenya however, involvement in PA across the general population is low and there is an increase in sedentary lifestyles in both rural and urban areas. An inverse relationship exists between socioeconomic status and involvement in PA. The novel COVID-19 ushered in associated control measures to limit the spread of the virus. These measures included staying at home, social distancing, and closure of physical spaces such as gyms, public parks, sports grounds, outdoor playing areas and schools. The impact was immediate, impacting patterns and routines of PA in Kenya. The primary aim of this study was to verify if COVID-19 affected PA prevalence and patterns amongst adults in Eldoret, Kenya. The secondary aim was to ascertain if the modification in behaviour is consistent amongst individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds. We used a cross-sectional study to examine self-reported PA data amongst 404 participants. All participants were ≥18 years and resided in Eldoret, Kenya. Data were collected using a self-administered, structured questionnaire adapted from the WHO Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (WHO GPAQ). The characteristics of participants’ is summarized using descriptive statistics, and bivariate analyses for measures of associations of variables was done using Chi-squared and Fishers exact tests. Binary logistic regressions were performed to adjust for the various factors and report associations between variables. The p-value considered for significant differences was set at <0.05. Participants in this study had mean age of 30.2±9.8 years. Almost 90% of the participants were not aware of the current WHO guidelines on PA, 9% stopped PA engagement after COVID-19 was first reported in Kenya, and only 25% continued regular PA. Less than half maintained PA intensity after the advent of COVID-19, with almost half reporting a drop. Males had a drop in time taken per PA session while females maintained session lengths after COVID-19 (p = 0.03). Males preferred gym-setup or mixed-type PA while females opted for indoor (home) aerobics before and after COVID-19 (p = 0.01, p = 0.02 respectively). Compared to males, females were less likely to achieve both vigorous- and moderate-intensity PA recommendations (p<0.01 and p = 0.02 respectively). Zone of residence was associated with participation in aerobic PA (p = 0.04; 95% CI = 0.02499–0.96086) and, similarly, level of education was associated with knowledge of WHO recommendations for PA (p = 0.01; 95% CI = -1.7544 - -0.2070). A majority of the urban population of Eldoret, Kenya and especially those with lower level of education are unaware of WHO recommendations for PA, and 30% of them have not engaged in any form of PA for many years. The majority that report involvement in PA do not achieve the WHO recommended threshold levels of PA. The results also indicated that COVID-19 has negatively affected intensity of PA, and that there has been an increase in time spent sitting/reclining amongst individuals in the higher socio-economic classes and specifically amongst females.

“…This was a randomized controlled field trial amongst residents from western region of Kenya where >80% are sedentary [37]. This followed an improved adherence and appreciable body composition and cardio-metabolic finding in an older cohort [38].…”

Section: Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of fixed 7.5 minutes’ moderate intensity exercise bouts on body composition and blood pressure among sedentary adults with prehypertension in Western-Kenya

PLOS Glob Public Health

Mbuthia

Akiruga

et al. 2022

Self Cite

Prehypertension is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease observed to affect an estimated 25–59% of global population and closely associated with body composition. Without appropriate interventions, one-third of individuals with prehypertension would develop full-blown hypertension within 4 years. The existing exercise recommendations need substitutes that appeal more yet accord similar or better outcomes in desire to halt this progression. This study evaluated the effect of Fixed 7.5-minute Moderate Intensity Exercise (F-7.5m-MIE) bouts on Body Composition and Blood Pressure (BP) among sedentary adults with prehypertension in Western-Kenya in a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) performed throughout the day compared to the single-continuous 30-60-minute bouts performed 3 to 5 times weekly. This RCT, with three arms of Experimental Group1 (EG1) performing the F-7.5m-MIE bouts, Experimental Group 2 (EG2) performing current World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of ≥30-min bouts, and, control group (CG), was conducted among 665 consenting pre-hypertensive sedentary adults enrolled from western Kenya. EG1 and EG2 performed similar weekly cumulative minutes of moderate intensity exercises. Adherence was determined using activity monitors and exercise logs. Data regarding demographic characteristics, heart rate, BP, and anthropometric measures were collected at baseline and 12th week follow-up. Data regarding univariate, bivariate and multivariate (repeated measurements between and within groups) analysis were conducted using STATA version 13 at 5% level of significance. The study revealed that males (92.1% in EG1, 92% in EG2 and 96.3% in CG) and females (94.6% in EG1, 89.3% in EG2 and 95% in CG) in the three arms completed the exercise at follow-up respectively. At 12th week follow-up from all exercise groups, males’ and females’ measurements for waist-hip-ratio, waist-height-ratio, systolic BP (SBP), heart rate and pulse pressure showed significant drops from baseline, while diastolic BP (DBP) and body mass index (BMI) reported mixed results for males and females from the various treatments. Both treatments demonstrated favourable outcomes. However, differences in the change between baseline and endpoint yielded mixed outcomes (SBP; p<0.05 for both males and females, DBP; p<0.05 for males and females, waist-height-ratio; p = 0.01 and <0.05 for males and females respectively, waist-hip-ratio; P = 0.01 and >0.05 for males and females respectively, BMI; p>0.05 for both males and females, heart rate; p<0.05 for males and females and pulse pressure; p = 0.01 and >0.05 for males and females respectively). The study design however could not test for superiority. The study demonstrated that the F-7.5m- MIE treatment programme and the WHO recommended 3–5 times weekly bouts of 30–60 minutes regime produced comparably similar favourable outcomes in adherence and BP reductions with improved body composition. Trial registration: Trial registered with Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (www.pactr.org): no. PACTR202107584701552. (S3 Text)