Compliance to Walking Type Exercise Among Obese Women Without Comorbidities

Objective: Regular physical exercise has been shown to be substantial for health. For this purpose, walking on most days of the week is considered an appropriate choice. This study was de - signed to determine the rate of compliance to walking type exercise among healthy obese women and the results of 12-week exercise. Material and Methods: Six hundred and forty-eight healthy women aged 18-55 years with a body mass index (BMI) between 30-35 kg/m 2 and with adequate SF-36 scores for continuing physical activity were randomly assigned into a walking group (gr-I), a treadmill group (gr-II), a treadmill group supported by a visual apparatus (gr-III) and finally a fitness center group (gr-IV). The compliance of the subjects to walking was determined for a 12-week period. Body weight of the cases were mesured once at the beginning of the study and once at the end whereas the follow up was performed monthly. Results: The compliance from highest to lowest was in gr-I, followed by gr-III, gr-II and gr-IV and showed a significant fall during the three-month period for all groups. The weight loss was highest in gr-I and lowest in gr-III. Subgroup analysis showed that advanced age was associated with low compliance as well as low body weight loss. Conclusion: Ex - ercise prescription is needed to be established with respect to the compliance pattern of the obese, which may be related to safety, environmental and time-related factors. It should be kept in mind that age and rational use of time are important determinants of exercise compliance.