Association between physical fitness and body composition with blood pressure in night school students in Brazil

Abstract

Aim: To compare levels of physical fitness and body composition according to the cardiovascular risk group in blood pressure for each gender among evening students. Methods: The sample consisted of 186 students (121 males) attending a night school in southern Brazil, aged between 15 and 30 years (mean:17.51 ± 3.62 years in males and 17.74 ± 2.71 years in females), without a diagnosis of hypertension and no limitations for performing physical fitness tests. Data on strength were collected through the sit-up test, and VO2max was estimated through the six-minute walk/run test, for both cases following the PROESP-Br protocol. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, and hip circumference were also assessed. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were evaluated using the Korotkoff technique. Results: There are significant interactions and differences between gender and risk categories, mainly for blood pressure profiles to SBP (effect R2 =0.465; p=0.001) and DBP (effect R2=0.243; p=0.001). Participants with higher physical fitness exhibit better blood pressure. In the risk group, men showed a difference of 7.71 kg compared to the healthy risk group, while in women, the difference was 27.59 kg. Conclusion: The level of physical fitness and body composition are associated with cardiovascular risk in blood pressure according to the risk group.