Effect of a Six-Week Exercise Intervention on Pulse Rate, Blood Pressure and Bmi Among Undergraduate Students in Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

This study investigated the impact of a six-week exercise programme on pulse rate, blood pressure and Body Mass Index (BMI) among undergraduate students in Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Three objectives, three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. A quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study. 182 respondents participated in the study, they were recruited via one-on-one contact and social media platforms. Each session of exercise included 10-minutes warm-up, 20-minutes exercise session on the ergonomic bike and 10-minutes cool-down. The exercise sessions were done twice in a week for 6 weeks and measurements were recorded for each participant at each exercise session. Data was analysed using frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using paired samples t-test at 0.05 alpha level of significance. The findings from study showed that prior to six-week exercise intervention, the mean pulse rate was 67.92bpm for male students and 81.69bpm for female students; it became 79.55bpm for male students and 79.55bpm for female students at post intervention. The mean systolic blood pressure for male student was 118.98mmHg and diastolic was 74.01mmHg prior to intervention. Post intervention systolic blood pressure was 116.57mmHg while the diastolic blood pressure was 74.73mmHg.. The result also revealed the mean body mass index of 24.30kg/m² for male students and 24.38kg/m² for female students prior to 6-weeks intervention; and 21.80kg/m² for male students and 22.69kg/m² post intervention. Furthermore, the paired samples t-tested analysis revealed six-weeks exercise intervention has significant effect on pulse rate (t= -4.528; p= 0.000); systolic blood pressure (t= -5.700; p= 0.000), diastolic blood pressure (t= -2.046; p= 0.042) and body mass index (t= -12.077; 0.000) among the respondents. It was recommended that students should prioritise regular exercise while university management should provide opportunities for students to incorporate exercise into their daily routines for proper weight management and promotion of healthy living.