Correlations between Activity and Blood Pressure in African American Women and Girls

Is the level of physical activity recommended by the Surgeon General enough to elicit the beneficial effects of exercise on blood pressure in African American women and girls? This study investigated self-reported physical activity level and its relationship to blood pressure in a population of African American women (N=25) between the ages of 21 and 53 years and girls (N=52) between the ages of 5 and 17 years, in Dayton, Ohio, USA. Physical activity levels were estimated by an interviewer-administered questionnaire, which determined the average hours per week over the past year spent in occupational and leisure activities. Blood pressure was also measured. 56% of the women had average physical activity levels of 3.7 MET-hours per week, and 73% of the girls had average physical activity levels of 3.9 MET-hours per week compared to the Surgeon General’s recommendation of 7.5-15 MET-hours per week. Inverse correlations between self-reported physical activity level and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were statistically significant in some but not all of the groups. These data suggest that increasing physical activity levels should be considered as part of an intervention program for African American women to control systolic and diastolic blood pressures.