title: Long Term Home-Based Exercise is Effective to Reduce Blood Pressure in Low Income Brazilian Hypertensive Patients: A Controlled Trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Home-based exercise programs may increase adherence to physical activity among groups with poor access to exercise facilities. However, their effectiveness to lower blood pressure of hypertensive patients remains undefined.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This controlled clinical trial investigated the influence of a home-based exercise program upon blood pressure, blood metabolic profile, and physical fitness in a Brazilian cohort of low income patients diagnosed with hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-nine patients (22 women, age: 53 ± 11 years) underwent 16 months of home-based exercise, including 30 min of moderate intensity walking and stretching exercises. Fourteen patients (9 women, age: 48 ± 5 years) composed a non-exercise control group. Primary outcomes were assessed each two months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Body mass (3.6 ± 0.2 kg; P = 0.03) and sum of skinfolds (3.0 ± 1.2 cm; P = 0.04) increased in controls vs. baseline. Mean compliance to home-based exercise was 83 ± 7 %, which induced significant improvements from baseline vs. controls in body mass (-5.4 ± 2.0 kg; P = 0.04), body fat (-4.7 ± 0.3 %; P = 0.03), waist circumference (-6.1 ± 1.2 cm; P = 0.03), sum of skinfolds (-14.8 ± 3.7; P = 0.02); aerobic efficiency reflected by slopes of relationships between heart rate and workload (-0.05 ± 0.01; P = 0.05), trunk flexibility (7.8 ± 1.7 cm; P = 0.02), HDL (1.8 ± 0.9 mg/dL; P = 0.04), triglycerides (-12.3 ± 1.0 mg/dL; P = 0.03), and glucose (-6.9 ± 2.9 mg/dL; P = 0.05). Systolic and diastolic BP decreased until the sixth month of intervention vs. baseline and controls, remaining stable at lower levels thereafter (systolic blood pressure: -4.5 ± 0.3 mmHg; P = 0.03; diastolic blood pressure: -2.5 ± 0.6 mmHg; P = 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low income hypertensive patients complied with a long-term home-based exercise program, which was effective for improving their functional capacity, blood metabolic profile, and blood pressure.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion (LABSAU), Institute of Physical Education and Sports, University of Rio de Janeiro State (UERJ), Rua São Francisco Xavier 524/sala 8121F, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP: 20550-900, Brazil. pfarinatti@gmail.com.|Graduate Program in Physical Activity Sciences, Salgado de Oliveira University (UNIVERSO), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. pfarinatti@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Farinatti
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion (LABSAU), Institute of Physical Education and Sports, University of Rio de Janeiro State (UERJ), Rua São Francisco Xavier 524/sala 8121F, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP: 20550-900, Brazil.|Graduate Program in Physical Activity Sciences, Salgado de Oliveira University (UNIVERSO), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Walace D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion (LABSAU), Institute of Physical Education and Sports, University of Rio de Janeiro State (UERJ), Rua São Francisco Xavier 524/sala 8121F, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP: 20550-900, Brazil.|Graduate Program in Exercise Science and Sports, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001823:Body Composition; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises / Q000191:economics; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011203:Poverty; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking / Q000191:economics
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Aerobic training; Cardiovascular risk; Health; Hypertension; Stretching; Walking