A randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of an arm swing exercise and low sodium intake education program with low sodium intake education alone on cardiovascular outcomes in postmenopausal women with prehypertension

Abstract

© JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF THAILAND | 2020. Objective: To investigate the effects of an arm swing exercise program and to compare them with standard treatment outcomes in post-menopausal women with pre-hypertension. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with two treatment groups (n=42 each) for 12 weeks. The arm swing exercise program was performed by the experimental group. Eighty-four post-menopausal women with prehypertension underwent an examination to measure their blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiorespiratory fitness at the beginning of the study and after three months and six months in training. Results: After completing the arm swing exercise program, systolic blood pressure in the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group (p<0.05) at three months and, six months. Heart rate and cardiorespiratory fitness improved, although there were no significant differences when both treatments were compared. The effects of time and interaction of treatment in systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiorespiratory fitness were significantly different at different time points in the experimental group (p<0.01, <0.01, and <0.01, respectively). Conclusion: The arm swing exercise program had an effect on systolic blood pressure reduction and cardiorespiratory fitness improvement in post-menopausal women with pre-hypertension.