Effects of two types of training on anthropometry and physical fitness in covid-19 convalescents

Abstract

The aim of this study has been to analyze the effects of two types of training, in a research context and another in a university extension project, on anthropometric and physical fitness variables in patients recovering from COVID-19. Height, body weight, waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were measured before and after 8 weeks, as well as chair stand (CS), agility and dynamic balance (ADB), and 6-minute walk (6MW) tests. In this study, the research group (ResG) performed moderate-intensity interval aerobic training, and in the extension group, the participants (ExtG) performed a multicomponent model. Data have been analyzed through a generalized linear regression model, with Bonferroni post-hoc. The total sample consisted of 117 participants, predominantly women (62.39%) and a mean age of 50.09 (9.57) years. Decreases in WC, HC, and WHR were observed in the ResG (p<0.05) with 4.08%, 1.21%, and 3.30% delta, respectively. In physical fitness, intra-group differences (p<0.05) were observed, with ResG showing a relative increase of 27.06% and ExtG 12.62% in CS. Both ResG and ExtG showed a delta of 6.60% and 8.71% for ADB and 9.78% and 6.01% for 6MW, respectively. Although only ResG showed positive effects on anthropometric measurements, both the research training and the extension training were effective in improving physical fitness.