Cardiovascular Risk Factors and their Responses to a 10 Weeks Training Program in Young Qatari Adults
Journal Title: Obesity Research - Open Journal - Year 2015, Vol 2, Issue 2
Abstract
Rapid development in Qatar in recent years has led to numerous changes, particularly the increased prevalence of lifestyle related health risks, with almost 50% obesity rates amongst Qataris of all ages. We investigated the effects of a 10-week exercise training program aimed at young Qatari adults, on a number of Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. With Qatar University IRB approval, we screened 158 (89 males, 69 females) Qatari student volunteers from Qatar University for CVD factors of hypertension indicated by Systolic Blood Pressure (BPS) and Diastolic Blood Pressure (BPD), overweight and obesity indicated by Body Fat percentage (%BF), Body Weight (BW) and Body Mass Index (BMI). Thirty six participants (23% of total number) were identified with one or more risk factors (hypertension and overweight), and were enrolled to follow a 10-week recreational-type exercise training program. The training involved 30-45 min of either walking, cycling, jogging and swimming at an exercise intensity corresponding to 50-85% of each participant’s maximum heart rate, on 3-5 times/week. The intervention significantly reduced BW (93.4±14.1 vs. 86.7±14.5, and p<0.05), BMI (31.0±3.6 vs. 28.7±3.9, p<0.05) and BF% (31.2±9.0 vs. 21.2±4.4, p<0.05) in males, and there was a significant reduction in BPD (83.4±5.3 vs. 76.0±9.2 mm Hg, p<0.05). The effects in female participants were not significant. This recreational-type exercise intervention was effective in substantially reducing the CVD indices. However, the alarmingly high prevalence of sedentary-related CVD risks amongst Qatari young adults, especially those related to obesity, overweight and hypertension necessitate further public health interventions in this age-group as an early prevention strategy.
Authors and Affiliations
Ahmad Alkhatib
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP554908
- DOI 10.17140/OROJ-2-110
- Views 161
- Downloads 0
Possible Mechanisms of Insulin Resistance in Obese Subjects
Obesity is characterized by excessive triglyceride accumulation in adipose tissue cells (adipocytes); the adipocytes are not just a reservoir for storage of energy in the form of triglyceride, but more importantly act as...
Obesity: A Growing Problem in China
Obesity is defined as excessive body fat accumulated to the extent that presents a risk to health. A measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), a person’s weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of the person’s...
Hypothalamic Inflammation and Glioses as Aetiopathogenetic Factor in High Fat Diet Induced Obesity and Various Therapeutic Options to Resolve it
We reviewed the literature relating to hypothalamic inflammation (HI); gliosis in relation to high-fat diet (HFD) and that how this could be reversed with various types of therapies. We searched PubMed articles with the...
Daily Calcium Intervention for a Weight-Loss Program Resulted in More Significant Decreases in Body Weight, BMI, Body Fat Mass, and Body Fat Percentage
The purpose of this study was to assess of calcium intervention on the effectiveness of a weight-loss program for obese people. All subjects had an initial BMI (body mass index) >24 kg/m2 and low calcium diet (<500 mg/d...
Childhood Obesity: Need for Multipronged Approach
Childhood obesity is a growing public health problem. Between 1970 and 2000, the number of obese children in United States tripled.1 In 2009-2010, 30.4% of children and adolescents aged 2 through 19 years were found to...