Abstract P054: The Benefits Of Physical Activity On Cardiovascular Indicators In Community-dwelling Hypertensive Older Adults: A Nationwide Health Examination Cohort Data In Korea
Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the effects of physical activity on cardiovascular indicators in community-dwelling hypertensive older adults. Methods: This study was a longitudinal study using the Elderly Cohort Database of National Health Insurance Service in Korea between 2002 and 2013. Participants were 10,588 older adults with hypertension. The author extracted variables of physical activity, blood pressure, blood glucose, body mass index, and total cholesterol levels for 11 years from the database. Participants were divided into 4 groups according to the changes in physical activity performance over time in 2013; Group I (totally inactive), II (inactive to active), III (active to inactive), and IV (totally active). Cox proportional hazard model was used to confirm the risk of cardiovascular indicators over time in each group. Results: Participants’ mean age was 64.2 years in the initial year of 2002. The number of participants in Groups I, II, III, and IV was 4032, 2697, 1919, and 1940, respectively. As a result, Group IV had a significantly decreased risk for uncontrolled hypertension by 13% compared to Group I (HR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.800-0.948). Also, Group II showed a significantly decreased risk for uncontrolled diabetes by 6% compared to Group I (HR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.888-0.999). Conclusion: Physical activity is one of the most important non-pharmacological and self-management intervention that can be easily applied to older adults with hypertension. It is considered that the continuous performance of physical activity can significantly lower the long-term cardiometabolic risks in older adults. Healthcare providers should be aware of the importance of the physical activity of older adults and encourage them to perform and maintain it steadily for better long-term cardiometabolic outcomes.