Systolic Blood Pressure Response to Exercise in Black and White Preadolescent and Early Adolescent Boys

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Abstract
Objective: To investigate differences in the response of systolic blood pressure (SBP) to exercise in black and white boys while controlling for the possible confounding effects of relative body weight, body surface area, physical work capacity index, preexercise SBP, and average power output. Design: Comparative and correlational. Participants: Eighty-seven black and 52 white boys between the ages of 5 and 16 years. Participants were recruited from day camps, community centers, and summer recreation programs in and near Augusta, Ga. Interventions: None. Measurements/Main Outcomes: The slope of the SBP response to exercise was not significantly different between groups. Analysis of covariance revealed race, age, relative body weight, body surface area, preexercise SBP, and average power output to be significant univariate predictors of SBP at each power output. With multiple regression analyses, the effect of race was removed, and only preexercise SBP and average power output were found to be significant predictors of exercise SBP. Conclusion: There were no significant differences between black and white boys in the SBP response to exercise after controlling for the effects of preexercise SBP and average power output. (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1994;148:1027-1031)