Regular physical activity is beneficial for reducing mortality in patients with high BP .
BACKGROUND Physical activity has been shown to be beneficial for the prevention and management of hypertension .
In the general population , physical activity has been shown to decrease mortality .
PURPOSE The purpose of this systematic review was to identify and synthesize the literature examining the impact of physical activity on mortality in patients with high blood pressure ( BP ) .
Physical activity, change in blood pressure and predictors of mortality in older South Africans--a 2-year follow-up study.
OBJECTIVE A 2-year follow-up study of a cohort of 200 historically disadvantaged older South Africans was conducted to : ( i ) characterise current levels of habitual physical activity ; ( ii ) relate physical activity to current risk factors for chronic disease ; and ( iii ) identify risk factors associated with 2-year mortality . The baseline sample , drawn in 1993 , was found to have a high prevalence of hypertension ( 71.7 % ) . RESEARCH DESIGN Retrospective cohort study . METHODS A baseline sample of 200 persons aged > or = 65 years , resident in the Cape Peninsula , was r and omly drawn by means of a two-stage cluster design . Baseline measurements included : anthropometry , waist/hip ratio , systolic and diastolic blood pressure , body mass index ( BMI ) , serum albumin , serum ferritin , haemoglobin and fasting plasma glucose levels , plasma lipid profiles , oral glucose tolerance test and self-reported health status . Subjects were revisited after 2 years , at which time an adapted version of the Yale Physical Activity Survey was administered and measurements of blood pressure and anthropometry were repeated . STATISTICAL ANALYSES Spearman 's rank-order correlations were used to describe relationships between various current risk factors and physical activity . Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of 2-year mortality from baseline data . RESULTS At follow-up , 142 of the subjects ( 66 men , 76 women ) were traced and measurements collected . Thirty-two subjects were reported to have died by relatives living in the same household ( 22 men , 10 women ) . Levels of reported physical activity  in the survivors were two-thirds lower than those reported in a sample of North Americans of similar age . There was an inverse association between age and physical activity ( r = -0.31 ; P < 0.0005 ) and a positive association between BMI and physical activity ( r = 0.29 ; P < 0.005 ) . There was , however , no association between physical activity and systolic or diastolic blood pressure . In men , BMI in the lower tertile ( P = 0.07 ) and serum ferritin levels were positively associated with increased mortality . Serum albumin levels were protective over the 2-year follow-up period ( OR = 0.85 ; P < 0.05 ) . In women , being diabetic ( OR = 4.88 ; P = 0.06 ) and having a waist/hip ratio in the upper tertile ( OR = 3.26 ; P = 0.06 ) were associated with mortality . CONCLUSIONS Physical activity levels in this sample of older historically disadvantaged South Africans were habitually low . Simple anthropometric assessment s incorporating weight and waist/hip ratio , together with serum albumin measurements , may be useful to screen general health risk for older adults at primary care level and provide indications for social or medical intervention . Further , strategies for earlier detection and effective management of diabetes , particularly in older women , may reduce premature mortality in this population
Regular physical activity is beneficial for reducing mortality in patients with high BP .
BACKGROUND Physical activity has been shown to be beneficial for the prevention and management of hypertension .
In the general population , physical activity has been shown to decrease mortality .
PURPOSE The purpose of this systematic review was to identify and synthesize the literature examining the impact of physical activity on mortality in patients with high blood pressure ( BP ) .