Abstract

Physical exercise has been reported to reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients; strenuous physical activity performed by college alumni has been shown to have been protective against the later development of arterial hypertension. The aim of this study has been to evaluate the effect of the level of physical activity on blood pressure in a population of high school-students aged 18 years. All participants had been divided into three groups: (1) sedentary subjects (2) subjects performing non-competitive physical activity (3) subjects performing competitive physical activity. Blood pressure, height, weight, BMI, subscapular and tricipital skinfold thickness were measured in all subjects. Body weight and height were higher in group 3 in male as well as in female subjects. Blood pressure was similar in all groups. Our data demonstrate that the level of physical activity does not influence blood pressure in this population of students and that subjects performing competitive physical activity have a larger body size than sedentary subjects. Verf.-Referat