居家行走運動計畫對心血管疾病危險群婦女危險因子及情緒狀態之影響

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a home-based walking program on the risk factors and mood status of middle-aged women at high risk of cardiovascular disease. A quasi-experimental design and a purposive sampling were applied in this study. Subjects were recruited from the community and from a medical center in Taipei. These subjects, females aged between 35 and 64 years and at high risk of cardiovascular disease were randomly assigned into an exercise and a control group. The exercise group (n=23) participated in a twelve-week, home-based exercise program, three times a week, for 30 minutes each time. Subjects in the control group (n=24) continued their previous daily routine. Data on exercise testing, blood pressure, biochemical blood examination and the short form of the Profile of Mood States (SF-POMS) of each subject were collected at the start of the study, in the eighth week, and in the twelfth week of the study. The data were analyzed by SPSS software and t-test, Chi-square, repeated-measures and two-factors ANOVA. The results showed: body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and scores for ”Fatigue-Inertia” mood status were improved significantly for the subjects in the exercise group after twelve-week walking exercise training. However, no significant differences were found in diastolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose level and blood lipid profile. The results of this study suggest that a home-based walking program might play an important role in the reduction of cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged women.