Effects of Walking Exercise Program Based on Duration on the Body Composition and Lipid Profile in Overweight and Obesity Female College Students

Abstract

The lack of physical activity is one factors that causes the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in Indonesia. A walking exercise program is a simple strategy for weight loss and the prevention of various chronic diseases. This research aims to analyze the effects of walking exercise programs base on duration which involve an increased number of daily steps on the body's composition and lipid profile. The quasi-experimental design included 40 female university students aged 20–30, whose body mass index (BMI) was ≥25 kg/m2. They are divided into two groups: 60 minutes (WE-60) and 40 minutes (WE-40) walking program. All groups performed the program intervention five times per week, carried out for a total of 12 weeks, with a heart rate of 50%-75%. The results showed that an additional 60-minute walking exercise program led to a greater increase in the total daily steps (P<0.001), and it has a significant effect on weight (P=0.005), BMI (P=0.002), WC (P=0.003), visceral fat (P=0.001), fat mass (P=0.001) and the body fat percentage (P=0.007), compared to the 40 minutes walking group intervention. However, the lipid profiles of both groups were not significantly different. In conclusion, the addition of a 60-minute walking exercise program (WE-60) five times per week, improved the daily steps and significantly affected body composition, but it had no significant effect on the lipid profile.