Effects of prescribed low-intensity resistance exercise on prehypertension and other related factors in individuals living within Homa bay township, western Kenya

Abstract

Prehypertension is the precursor to hypertension stage I which can gradually lead to hypertension stage II in case there is no intervention It is anticipated. that prehypertension will affect up to one-third of the adult population worldwide by 2025. In Homa Bay County, the Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital has reported an increase in the number of patients diagnosed with prehypertension over the past 5 years, mostly emerging from individuals living within Homa Bay Township. This study examined the effects of low-intensity resistance exercise on prehypertension and other related factors in individuals living within Homa Bay Township. Its specific objectives were; to find out the awareness of lifestyle risk factors of prehypertension in individuals with prehypertension, to determine the effects of prescribed low-intensity exercise on anthropometric measures, and to quantify the effects of prescribed low-intensity resistance exercise on fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, and lipid levels. This was a hospital-based study in which a randomized controlled trial study design was employed. Thirty-four (17 experimental and 17 controls) adults were purposively recruited into the study and followed for three months. Participants performed four, 2 minutes weight lifting contractions of the upper extremities at 30% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) with ½ minute rest between contractions for 30 minutes. For the lower extremities exercise; participants performed four, 2 minutes contractions at 40% MVC with 1 minute’s rest between contractions for 30 minutes. Biochemical and anthropometric data were collected on pre-training, mid-training, and post-training. In pre, mid and post-training sessions, blood samples (5ml) were obtained by venipuncture for the assessment of LDL, HDL, Cholesterol, triglyceride, and fasting blood sugar levels. Blood pressure and anthropometric measurement were also taken. ANOVA with a within-subjects factor of time of the study (pre, mid, and post-study) and a between-subject factor of treatment type (experimental and control groups) was used to determine the differences between the two groups. The majority of the respondents statistically did not know the lifestyle risk factors of prehypertension at the start of the study for instance smoking tobacco (χ2=5.93, df=2, p-value=0.049) and less consumption of fruits (χ2=6.59, df=2, p-value=0.04). Except for BMI [F (1, 32) =8.06, p-value=0.008], the study statistically found that the prescribed low-intensity resistance exercise did not affect the weight, waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio of prehypertensive individuals. Low-intensity resistance exercises significantly, F (1, 32) =5.01, p-value=0.03, lowered the prehypertensive pressure in the experimental group to normal pressure at post-study (from 127.59+5.01 to 115.88+6.06 mmHg systolic pressure) as compared to the control group (from 128.94+4.64 to 122.47+2.87 mmHg systolic pressure). Although Total Cholesterol (TC), Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), and Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG) decreased in both experimental and control groups, the decline was more marked in the experimental group, suggesting that prescribed low-intensity exercise could decrease the variables. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that low-intensity resistance exercises prescription in prehypertension can prevent progression to hypertension.