Effects of a program through vigorous-intensity physical activity on blood pressure and heart rate of 8-9 year-old school children

Abstract

Introduction: Nowadays, research aimed at improving the cardiovascular health of people is of the utmost importance. Objective: This paper focuses on studying the effects of a vigorous-intensity physical activity program on the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) of a group of school children. Methods: This investigation involved 41 children (19 boys and 22 girls), aged between 8 and 9 years (average age=8.49 and standard deviation=0.51). The variables considered were: blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) and resting heart rate. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured by arm sphygmomanometer Visomat Comfort 20/40. The procedure was as follows: pre-test, intervention and post-test. The intervention consisted of 3 days per week of high-intensity physical activity, 15 minutes per day, during 12 weeks. Results: Data analysis was performed through SPSS 22 and significant improvements were obtained in systolic blood pressure and heart rate (Sig p < 0.05). Conclusions: The physical activity program implemented in this study may be useful to improve systolic blood pressure and heart rate in 8- and 9-year-old school children.