title: Step treadmill exercise training and blood pressure reduction in women with mild hypertension.
abstract: Stepping as an exercise modality has gained increasing popularity. The step treadmill is an exercise machine which simulates actual stair-climbing. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a 16-week supervised aerobic step treadmill exercise training protocol in reducing resting blood pressure in women with unmedicated mild hypertension. During the training protocol, subjects exercised during a self-selected appointment three times a week on the step treadmill, increasing from 20 minutes up to 60 minutes per session, at a target heart rate corresponding to 70-80% heart rate reserve for 16 weeks. Utilizing paired t-test analysis, mean resting systolic blood pressure decreased from 142.2 +/- 9.1 to 132.7 +/- 8.2 mm Hg (p < .01) and mean resting diastolic blood pressure decreased from 93 +/- 4.9 to 87.4 +/- 5.4 mm Hg (p < .01) during the 16-week protocol. Mean maximal oxygen uptake was significantly increased, whereas mean body weight did not change significantly over the 16-week period. Large scale trials are needed to further delineate the effectiveness of stepping as a health care intervention in adults with unmedicated mild hypertension, especially in women.
authors.affiliation: Ohio State University College of Nursing, Department of Adult Health and Illness Nursing, Columbus 43210, USA.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Fish
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Frid
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Christman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Post
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Montalto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001835:Body Weight; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010865:Pilot Projects