Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Some Parameters of Cardiovascular Health among Male Problem Gamblers

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess some parameters of cardiovascular health among male problem gamblers and the possible effect oflong‑term participation in aerobic exercise training on the parameters. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and sixty‑eight male volunteersaged between 35 and 55 years, were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial, they were confirmed as problem gamblers from the resultsobtained from the analysis of the South Oaks Gambling Screen. After the exclusion of 168 participants, 200 participants were randomlyassigned to the control group (n = 100) and treatment group (n = 100), respectively. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), heartrate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured. Participants in the treatment group participated in asupervised vigorous‑intensity aerobic exercise training program; jogging for 30 min/day at an estimated intensity of 6.32 metabolic equivalents,three times/week, consistently for 1 year. Data were analyzed using the SPSS (version 20 Armonk, NY, USA), and significant differencewas determined at the level of P < 0.05. Results: The findings from this study shows statistically significant improvements in BMI (control:27.18 ± 0.52, treatment: 21.73 ± 0.30, P < 0.000), SBP (control: 134.35 ± 1.63, treatment: 110.69 ± 1.11, P < 0.000), DBP (control: 89.18 ± 1.16,treatment: 77.14 ± 0.52, P < 0.000), HR (control: 76.85 ± 0.70, treatment: 72.06 ± 0.25, P < 0.000), and WC (control: 91.14 ± 0.78, treatment:86.26 ± 0.41, P < 0.000) among participants in the treatment group compared to the control group. Conclusion: Vigorous‑intensity aerobicexercise training led to a statistically significant decrease in BMI, SBP, DBP, HR, and WC among male problem gamblers.

Keywords:

Aerobic exercise , behavioral addiction , cardiovascular risk , gambling disorder , problem gambling