ABSTRACT

Background: We aimed to assess systolic blood pressure (SBP) responses in relation to the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels of apparently healthy, young Nigerian adults during and after a submaximal-effort exercise test.

Methods: One hundred and twelve young adults (62 males and 50 females) participated in the study and were grouped according to their CRF levels—low, moderate, and high. The participants performed submaximal ergometer exercise tests to elicit exercise and postexercise blood pressure responses.

Results: Males and females with high CRF indicated significantly (P < 0.05) higher change of exercise SBP at peak exercise (ΔEx·SBP_peak), and post-SBP decline compared with the other CRF groups. In addition, higher (P < 0.05) ΔEx·SBP_2min and faster SBP recovery time were observed in the high CRF group compared to low CRF group. Females with high CRF had a significantly (P < 0.05) higher peak oxygen pulse and energy expenditure compared with the lower CRF groups. There was a very low incidence of abnormal SBP responses among the study population.

Conclusion: Greater exercise SBP responses, an indication of higher cardiac output due to greater metabolic demand, and faster SBP recovery were observed in participants with a high CRF compared with the other CRF groups. These findings suggest that regular exercise which maintains a higher CRF in young Nigerian adults may be related to a healthy SBP exercise response.