ERIC Number: EJ1442687
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Oct
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0017-8969
EISSN: EISSN-1748-8176
Two-Year Follow-Up of a Brisk Walking Programme on Fitness, Perceived Health and Physical Activity Engagement in Postmenopausal Women
Sophie Garnier; Sandra Joffroy; Bernard Thon; Gérard Auneau; Pascale Mauriège
Health Education Journal, v83 n6 p638-649 2024
Objective: Brisk walking helps postmenopausal women to maintain body weight and fat mass losses as well cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and to feel better. However, these long-term benefits have not been fully examined. The aims of this study were to compare the effects of a 2-year follow-up with those of a 4-month walking programme on body composition, resting blood pressure (BP), CRF and perceived health of 248 sedentary postmenopausal women (60 ± 5 years) with overweight-to-moderate obesity (body mass index, BMI, 30 ± 4 kg/m[superscript 2]). Method: From the study-population, 196 women engaged in an outdoor walking programme consisting of three sessions of 45 minutes/week at 60% of their heart rate reserve (initially exercised, IEx, group), and another 52 formed the initial control group (ICo). Ninety-one IEx and 18 ICo women were re-examined 2 years later, for all outcomes. Results: In IEx women, decreased body weight, fat mass and BP versus the increased CRF (0.0001 < p < 0.001) as well as improvements in four on six items of perceived health (0.0001 < p < 0.05) were maintained at follow-up. In ICo women, reduced BP and improved perceived healthy balanced diet were the only benefits at follow-up (p < 0.05). Of the 91 IEx women, 70 remained physically active (60 minutes/week), and 46 of them engaged in physical activity more than 150 minutes/week. In ICo women, 16 became physically active (60 minutes/week), while 9 of them reached 150 minutes/week. Conclusion: The regular practice of brisk walking in greenspaces could thus be considered a useful health education strategy for middle-aged women.
Descriptors: Physical Activities, Physical Fitness, Physical Health, Females, Older Adults, Body Composition, Body Weight, Program Effectiveness, Physiology, Life Style, Obesity, Eating Habits, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: France
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A