D.M. Landers, C.X. He, D. Romero, S.M. Arent, J.L. Etnier, & R. Lutz, Arizona State University; C. Bouchard, Pennington Biomedical Research Institute; J. Gagnon, Laval University; A.S. Leon, University of Minnesota; D.C. Rao, Washington University; J.H. Wilmore, Texas A&M University; and J.S. Skinner, Indiana University

The purpose of this project was to examine pre- to post-training reductions in Black and White subjects for measures of state anxiety, and resting measures of heart rate and blood pressure.  At pre-, mid- and post a 20-week exercise training program, questionnaire measures of state anxiety, perceptions of body shape, and weight were obtained from 77 Black and 173 White subjects, and measures of resting diastolic/systolic blood pressure (BP), VO_2max (unadjusted for body weight) were analyzed using a mixed effects ANOVA with Race as a between-subjects factor and Time of Testing as a within-subjects repeated measures variable.  Compared to pretest values, at posttest all subjects showed significant (ps ranged from < .01 to .001) changes in the following: (a) lower state anxiety (ES = -.35), (b) more satisfaction with body shape and weight (ESs = .27), (c) lower resting heart rate ((ES = -.36), and higher VO_2max (ES = .56).  The Race main effects revealed that Blacks were less satisfied with body shape and weight (p < .01), had higher resting systolic and diastolic BP (p < .01), and had higher HR (p < .01) than Whites.  The only interaction between Race and Time of Testing was for VO_2max  (p < .01).  Whites showed greater improvement in VO_2max  across the 20-week exercise program than did Blacks.  It is concluded that regardless of higher levels of state anxiety at the pretest, Blacks experience the same degree of anxiolytic benefites of exercise as do Whites.

Supported by multiple grants from NIH and NHLBI