Effect of 24-week repeated short-time walking based training program on physical fitness of black Cameroonian obese women

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effects of a training program based on repetition of short-time walk sequences on cardiorespiratory response, physical performance and metabolic parameters in black Cameroonian obese women. One hundred thirty-nine obese women (body mass in-dex [BMI]>30 kg/m2) were divided into three groups: premenopausal (Pre-M; 39.7±7.9 yr; n=48), postmenopausal (Post-M; 55.0±2.5 yr; n=61) and control group (CONT; 48.7±9.4 yr; n=30). Only Pre-M and Post-M completed 24-week repeated short-time walking program. An-thropometric, cardiorespiratory, metabolic parameters, and the 6-min walk distance (6MWD) were measured at baseline (S1), 12 weeks follow-up (S2), and 2 days after the last session (S3). Significant changes were observed in weight, BMI, fatty mass and 6MWD in Pre-M and Post-M after 24 weeks. The waist and hip circumferences, percentages of water, muscle mass and bone mass changed in Post-M. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein and forced expiratory volumes in 1 and 6 sec showed significant improvements in Pre-M and Post-M. High density lipoprotein increased only in Post-M (0.5±0.2 g/L vs 0.7±0.1 g/L, P=0.041). In conclusion, this training modality could constitute an option for obese women rehabilitation.

Effect of a 12-week training program on the anthropometric and physiological profiles of some participants registered in a fitness center in Douala, Cameroon

“…Wong et al (2008) argued that it takes more than 3 months to record physical benefits inherent in regular physical and sports activities. Guessogo et al (2016b) assessed the impact of a 24-week training program including 6 min and 2-km walking tests on anthropometric and lipid profiles in a population of obese Cameroonian women; 2 (8.7) 3 (17.6) 5 (12.5) 4 (17.5) 3 (17.6) 7 (17.5) Obesity (type 2) (35-39.9) 1 (4.3) 1 (5.9) 2 (5.0) -1 (5.9) 1 (2.5)…”

“…This shows that the intensities of the exercises used in the fitness center of this study were low. It is likely the reason why the study of Guessogo et al (2016b) showed significant improvements in body and lipid parameters which were achieved after 24 weeks of a training program including 2 km and 6-min walking tests. Another factor that needs to be taken into consideration is the qualification of the people who conduct the training in these centers.…”

“…In the study of Guessogo et al (2016b), an improvement in body composition and lipid profile was observed in obese women after 24 weeks of a training program including 2 km and 6-min walking tests. However, in the same study, no significant change in these same parameters was observed after 12 weeks.…”

“…Owing to the increased adhesion of a heterogeneous population (normal and ill) to fitness centers, it becomes appropriate to assess the effectiveness of the programs offered by these structures. Previous study (Guessogo et al, 2016b) has been conducted in outdoor settings. However, sports participation in outdoor settings can also produce higher restorative health benefits than do indoor settings (Hug et al, 2009).…”

“…Scientific literature has high interest, to the benefits of training programs in people who present a particular risk (obesity, in people at risk) or a given pathology ( Guessogo et al, 2016a ; Guessogo et al, 2016b ; Park et al, 2019 ; Sun et al, 2019 ). The training programs implemented in these studies differ in intensity, duration, and protocols, thus justifying sometimes controversial results.…”