Abstract

The purposes of this study were: (a) to evaluate the effects of an exercise program upon the body composition of premenopausal (no. 43) and postmenopausal (no. 66) women, aged 35-70 years, and (b) to compare exercise Ss with age matched control Ss. Body composition was assessed by skinfold measurement and hydrostatic weighing. Exercise Ss walked or jogged and performed light resistive exercise for 60 minutes per day three times per week for 24 weeks. Control Ss remained sedentary. ANOVAs revealed: (a) no significant (p>/-.05) differences in exercise training effects between premenopausal and postmenopausal Ss, and (b) exercise Ss exhibited less body fatness while control Ss possessed more body fat as represented by significant changes (p</-.05) for the exercise and control Ss, respectively in: body density (+.002 g/cc, -.001 g/cc); fat (-1.2, +.6); fat weight (-.04 kg, +1.1 kg); suprailiac skinfold (-.3 mm, +7 mm); and abdominal skinfold (-.3mm, +1.5 mm). It was concluded that: (a) menopausal status did not alter the effects of exercise in this study, and (b) exercise training produced a positive effect in the exercise Ss by reversing body composition trends associated with a sedentary lifestyle. Verf.-Referat