Effect of Exercise on Blood Pressure and Body Mass Index in At-Risk Populations

Higher blood pressure and basal metabolic rate (BMI) are health problems in the United States (U.S.), but particularly in high risk minority populations, in part because of limited access to adequate resources to help themselves become healthier. This Honors Paper aimed to examine the effect of an exercise intervention on blood pressure and BMI in high risk minority populations. The honors project is a part of the Finding A Better You (FABU) project by College of Health Profession faculty Dr. Murrock, Dr. MacCracken, and Dr. Juvancic-Heltzel. The FABU project assessed at risk individuals (lower income older adults) in Summit County and determined the outcomes of intervention classes about proper exercise and nutrition. Using a non-experimental design and convenience sampling, this honors project was guided by Bandura’s Social Cognition Theory, which describes behavior change in group settings. The project initially aimed to generate preliminary findings about whether or not exercise affects blood pressure and BMI in at risk populations. However, the coronavirus disrupted the delivery of the intervention and resulted in revising the research question to examine the effect of exercise classes over 12 weeks on blood pressure and BMI in a sample of minority adults