Statistical Evaluation of Endurance-training Effects on Systolic Blood Pressure in Elderly People Using a Single-case Design

Abstract

We evaluated the effects of endurance training on systolic blood pressure (SBP) in elderly people individually, by using a single-case study design and a statistical technique, e.g., the randomization test. Six people (4 females and 2 males, 60-77 yr) participated in 12-week endurance exercise training (cycling at 80% of the work rate corresponding to the ventilatory threshold, 30-min, 5-day/wk) and recorded their own daily SBP. The mean SBP in all subjects was significantly lower than the baseline after the 7th training week (P<0.05). Individual changes in SBP with training varied among subjects. The earliest and latest occurrences of significant training effects were in the 3rd training week (-6 mmHg) and the 11th training week (-5 mmHg). In the subject who had the highest SBP at the baseline, SBP decreased 12 mmHg in the 12th training week. The subject who had the lowest SBP at the baseline (99 mmHg) did not show significant changes in SBP throughout training. We concluded that the randomization test in the single-case study design was useful to evaluate individual training effects on SBP.