The Effects of Stair Climbing on Arterial Stiffness, Blood Pressure and Leg Strength in Stage-1 Postmenopausal Women

The Effects of a 12-week Stair Climbing Regimen on Arterial Stiffness, BP and Leg Strength in Stage-1 Hypertensive Postmenopausal Women

We used a parallel experimental design. Following an initial screening and familiarization session of study tests and procedures, eligible postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to a stair climbing (SC) group or non-exercising control group. SC training session was progressive program, and was performed 4 days a week for 12 weeks. Measurements were collected at baseline and after 12 weeks during the same time of day (±1 hour) in the morning following an overnight fast and abstinence from caffeinated drinks, alcohol, and between 48 and 72 hours after the last exercise session.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Hypertension; Menopause
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Stair climbing

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 41
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 58 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Stage-1 hypertension
• Postmenopausal

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pulmonary, renal, adrenal, pituitary, severe psychiatric, thyroid, or cardiovascular disease other than stage-1 systolic hypertension (140-159 mmHg)
• Hormone replacement therapy during the 6 months prior the study
• Smoker or having any medication changes in the previous year
• Experience with psychological and physical therapy in the previous year
• History of steady exercise or exercise training in the last year

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Stair Climbing (SC); N=20, 12 weeks of stair climbing exercise training.	Behavioral: Stair climbing; Stair climbing (SC) training was 12 weeks of progressive SC program. Each training session consisted of a general warm-up (5 min: slow and fast skipping, stretching) followed by the SC training and was supervised by experienced personnel. The program began with two bouts of stair climbing four days a week in weeks 1 and 2, increasing by one climb a day every three weeks. By the last three weeks (10-12) of the study, all subjects were completing 5 climbs four days a week. During each climb participants ascended 12 flights (192 steps) divided into 3 sets of 4 flights, with a 2 min rest period between each set. There was a 5 min rest period between climbs that allowed the participants to reach the ground floor using an elevator. Subjects in the non-exercising control group did not participate in a supervised exercise program for the duration of the study.
No Intervention: No Exercise (CON); N=21, No exercise for 12 weeks

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Arterial stiffness	Arterial stiff ness was measured by brachial to ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV, m/s) using volume plethysmographic device (VP-1000).	12 weeks
Blood pressure (BP)	BP (mmHg) was measured by volume plethysmographic device. Diastolic blood pressure and systolic blood pressure were measured.	12 weeks
Muscle strength	Muscle strength was measured by the eight repetition maximum (8RM) test using extension machine (Cyber 6000).	12 weeks
Body composition	Body composition was measured using eight-polar tactile-electrode impedance meter (InBody 720). Body weight (kg), fat mass (kg), and fat free mass (kg) were assessed.	12 weeks
Height	Height (m) was measured with a stadiometer	12 weeks
Heart rate (HR)	Heart rate was measured by ECG	12 weeks
Body mass index (BMI)	BMI was calculated as weight/height^2 (kg/m^2)	12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Pusan National University
• Collaborators: University of Nebraska; Dong-Eui University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Wong A, Figueroa A, Son WM, Chernykh O, Park SY. The effects of stair climbing on arterial stiffness, blood pressure, and leg strength in postmenopausal women with stage 2 hypertension. Menopause. 2018 Jul;25(7):731-737. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001072. Erratum In: Menopause. 2021 Feb 1;28(2):230.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 9, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 3, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): April 10, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 16, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 16, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): August 18, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 3, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 30, 2020
• Last Verified: October 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: PusanNU-3

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No