Souto Gabriel Costa, Nunes Ana Clara Cassimiro, Browne Rodrigo Alberto Vieira, Freire Yuri Alberto, Bandeira Paulo Felipe Ribeiro, Costa Eduardo Caldas
Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Department of Physical Education, ExCE Research Group, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
PLoS One. 2025 Jul 30;20(7):e0329280. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0329280. eCollection 2025.
Understanding the associated factors of immediate post-exercise blood pressure, a proxy for exercise blood pressure, is relevant for improving cardiovascular risk assessment and guiding interventions. This study investigated associations between fitness and movement behavior components with immediate post-exercise blood pressure in older adults using network analysis. In this cross-sectional study, 237 older adults (66 ± 5 years), without known cardiovascular disease were included. Blood pressure was measured before and immediately after a 3-minute moderate walking test (5 METs). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary time were assessed using hip-worn accelerometers for one week. Proxies for fitness were: six-minute walking test, handgrip strength, and 30-second sit-to-stand test. Network analysis, a multivariate statistical approach which captures interrelations among multiple variables within a system, was used to examine direct and indirect associations between fitness, movement behaviors, and post-exercise blood pressure. Lower handgrip strength (weight: -0.136) and 30-second sit-to-stand (weight: -0.106) performances were directly associated with greater immediate post-exercise blood pressure, indicating that reduced muscular strength is linked to greater cardiovascular load after exertion. Lower handgrip strength (weight: -0.176) and reduced physical activity (weight: -0.128) were directly associated with higher resting BP, which in turn had the strongest direct association with immediate post-exercise blood pressure (weight: 0.581), suggesting an indirect pathway through resting blood pressure. Centrality indicators suggested six-minute walking test, 30-second sit-to-stand test, and sedentary time as potential interventions targets, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity as a central hub within network, and handgrip strength as a highly connected node. Our findings suggest a complex interplay - both direct and indirect (via resting blood pressure) - between fitness, movement behaviors, and immediate post-exercise blood pressure in older adults. Increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle strength, along with reducing sedentary time, may be potential targets for attenuating immediate post-exercise blood pressure in this age group.
了解运动后即刻血压（运动血压的一个替代指标）的相关因素，对于改善心血管风险评估和指导干预措施具有重要意义。本研究采用网络分析方法，调查了老年人的健康状况和运动行为成分与运动后即刻血压之间的关联。在这项横断面研究中，纳入了237名无已知心血管疾病的老年人（66±5岁）。在3分钟中等强度步行测试（5代谢当量）前后测量血压。使用佩戴在髋部的加速度计评估一周的中等到剧烈身体活动和久坐时间。健康状况的替代指标包括：六分钟步行测试、握力和30秒坐立测试。网络分析是一种多变量统计方法，可捕捉系统内多个变量之间的相互关系，用于研究健康状况、运动行为和运动后血压之间的直接和间接关联。较低的握力（权重：-0.136）和30秒坐立测试表现（权重：-0.106）与运动后即刻血压升高直接相关，表明肌肉力量下降与运动后更大的心血管负荷有关。较低的握力（权重：-0.176）和身体活动减少（权重：-0.128）与较高的静息血压直接相关，而静息血压又与运动后即刻血压具有最强的直接关联（权重：0.581），这表明存在一条通过静息血压的间接途径。中心性指标表明六分钟步行测试、30秒坐立测试和久坐时间是潜在的干预目标，中等到剧烈身体活动是网络中的中心枢纽，握力是高度连接的节点。我们的研究结果表明，老年人的健康状况、运动行为和运动后即刻血压之间存在复杂的相互作用——既有直接作用，也有间接作用（通过静息血压）。增加中等到剧烈身体活动、心肺健康状况和肌肉力量，同时减少久坐时间，可能是降低该年龄组运动后即刻血压的潜在目标。
