Effect of volume of participation in exercise programs on biochemical parameters of women

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of the volume of participation in exercise programs offered in Primary Health Care (PHC), for 24 weeks on blood biochemical parameters of adult women. Three Basic Health Units in Rio Claro City (São Paulo) were selected and 2 exercise interventions were implemented with different volumes (3 weekly sessions, 90 minutes each; 2 weekly sessions, 60 minutes each). In total, 53 participants remained until the end of the interventions. Regardless of their number of absences, they were divided into 4 groups, according to the volume of participation (calculated individually according to the duration of sessions and the number of classes held), forming groups according to quartiles: Low Volume Group (LVG; 57.62 ± 9.97 years-old), Low Medium Volume Group (LMVG; 56.31 ± 12.18 years-old), High Medium Volume Group (HMVG; 53.00 ± 10.25 years-old), and High-Volume Group (HVG; 59.69 ± 7.66 years-old). Blood biochemical parameters were dosed using the ELISA method. The Generalized Estimation Equation Model was used to compare the biochemical parameters (time, group, and interaction; p ≤ 0.05). The analysis showed significant and positive time effect for low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and glycemia in all groups and for total cholesterol (TC) in LVG, LMVG and HMVG; a significant group effect for HVG on TC (higher levels compared to all other groups) and LDL (higher levels compared to LVG and LMVG). It is concluded that the physical exercise programs offered in the PHC contributed to a significant reduction in LDL and blood glucose levels, regardless of the volume of participation of individuals in the programs.