Clinical studyA controlled trial of the health benefits of regular walking on a golf course∗☆,
Section snippets
Subject selection
Study subjects were recruited through announcements in the local newspaper and golf clubs. Golfers were advised to ask coworkers to act as control subjects. To be included, subjects and controls were required to be previously healthy 45- to 65-year-old men with no diseases or disabilities that precluded exercise training. Regular use of medication, smoking, or physical exercise more than once a week during the 7-month period before the study (October to April) were also exclusion criteria. Of
Results
Subjects assigned to the golfing intervention and control subjects had generally similar characteristics at baseline (Table 1). Two golfers and 2 controls did not complete the study. One golfer developed ventricular tachycardia during exercise testing, and the other golfer had worsening of previous osteoarthritis of the knee during the intervention. One of the controls became seriously ill during the trial, and the other moved from the city.
Reported training compliance was very good. The
Discussion
We explored the effects of regular walking on a golf course on several indicators of health and fitness in middle-aged men and observed favorable effects on body composition, cardiorespiratory performance, trunk muscle endurance, and HDL cholesterol levels. Walking during a golf game was found to be a practical and safe form of physical activity for these previously sedentary men. The major strengths of the study were the very good compliance with the intervention and the low drop-out rate
Acknowledgements
We thank the study subjects, the personnel of the UKK Institute, and the Finnish Golf Association and its workgroup for the Health Enhancing Golf Program.
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Supported by the Finnish Ministry of Education, the Juho Vainio Foundation, and the Medical Research Fund of Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
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