Low to Moderate-Intensity Exercise on Blood Pressure Response in Hypertensive Older Adults

This study aims to investigate the blood pressure response of a single bout of exercise at low to moderate intensity in older adults with normal/grade 1 hypertension. 120 physically active adults (74.80 ± 6.3 years) randomly completed two aerobic exercise sessions of 30 minutes at low (30% heart rate reserve [HRres]) and moderate (50% HRres) intensity. Blood pressure was assessed pre-exercise, immediately after, and 30 minutes after the completion of the exercise bout. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased after both exercise intensities without significant differences. Both exercise intensities saw a proportionate decrease in post exercise blood pressure response compared to 30 minutes after exercise. There was no statistically significant difference in post-exercise blood pressure response in males aged 65 and older compared to females aged 65 and older following an acute bout of exercise to low or moderate intensity. The standardized mean difference in examining the systolic changes before the intervention was 134.48 ± 17.46, 144.10 ± 18.06 immediately after, and 127.57 ± 16.4 30 minutes after exercise. The standardized mean difference in examining the diastolic changes before the intervention was 75.50 ± 11.53, 75.03 ± 9.02 immediately after, and 73.15 ± 9.9 30 minutes after exercise , respectively, where these differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). In conclusion, older adults can benefit from aerobic exercise in both low and moderate intensity.