The Blood Pressure Response during Graded Exercise Test in Obese Adults

Obesity has been directly associated with the development of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the blood pressure response during graded exercise test in obese adults. 189 subjects (age: $47.96{\pm}10.23$) were assigned to two groups: non-obese group (N=105, BMI: $22.05{\pm}1.57$, waist circumference: $76.90{\pm}6.17$) and obese group (N=84, BMI: $26.96{\pm}2.51$, waist circumference: $88.29{\pm}6.41$). The subjects underwent health screening and exercise treadmill test from January 2012 to December 2014. Graded exercise test was performed according to the Bruce protocol. Exercise duration (P=0.046) and METs (P=0.015) were significantly lower in obese group than non-obese group. There was no difference in the rate of change in blood pressure response between obese group and non-obese group during exercise, and the recovery rate of systolic blood pressure was delayed in the obese group compared to non-obese group in the first recovery period (P=0.020). The significant factors of increasing rate of change in maximum systolic blood pressure was waist (P=0.046) and hip circumference (P=0.008). In conclusion, these results demonstrate that, for hypertension prevention in obese adults, waist and hip circumference levels should be managed within normal range.