Relationship between Physical activity and Cardiovascular Outcomes in the Korean Elderly: Review of Experimental Studies

PURPOSEThe purpose of this study was to review the relationship between physical activity and cardiovascular outcomes in the Korean elderly. METHODSExperimental studies were located using PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane, RISS, KISS, and KoreaMed. The selected studies for analysis were 20 articles of cardiovascular outcomes (total cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), blood pressure, and pulse rate) from 515 articles. RESULTSOne-group pretest-posttest design was the most common. The main physical activity was an aerobic exercise. Five of 14 studies reported a significant improvement of total cholesterol. Four of 14 studies found relationship between exercise and triglyceride. Eight of 12 studies reported a significant improvement of HDL, whereas 3 of 9 studies reported a significant improvement of LDL. In over 60% of selected studies, reported significant improvement of blood pressure. CONCLUSIONBased on the review, it suggests that regular physical activity of the elderly may improve cardiovascular outcomes.