Effects of Two Community-Based Exercise Programs on Adherence, Cardiometabolic Markers, and Body Composition in Older People with Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death globally, and cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) are major behavioral risk factors. Therefore, community-based programs are being designed based on the prescription of physical exercise from primary care centers to improve people’s health through changes in lifestyle. The objective was to compare the effects of two types of community exercise on adherence, lipid profile, body composition and blood pressure. A prospective observational cohort study was designed with two cohorts of study depending on the duration and type of physical exercise program performed. Fifty-one participants (82.4% women) with CRF completed the observation period in which they carried out a short-term, non-individualized exercise program (3 months), and 42 participants (71.4% women) with CRF completed the observation period in which they conducted a long-term, individualized exercise program (6 months). The results suggest that participants who carried out the longer program with an individualized progression produced greater adherence to physical exercise and a decrease in diastolic blood pressure. In addition, LDL and insulin levels decreased in both groups. Therefore, our results suggest that a longer duration and individualized evolution of the loads of a community exercise program lead to higher levels of physical activity (PA) and improvements diastolic blood pressure.