Body mass index for athletes participating in swimming at the World Masters Games

Whilst there is growing evidence that physical activity across the lifespan is beneficial for improved health, there are many physiological changes involved with the aging process and subsequently the potential for reduced indices of health. The experimental aim was to gain improved understanding of the nexus between health, physical activity and aging by testing the hypothesis that prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) in the World Masters Games swimming cohort would be less than adult national populations. Body mass index (BMI) of 527 (49.7% male, 50.3% female) World Masters Games (WMG) swimmers aged 25-91 yrs (mean 54.3, standard deviation ±12.2) was investigated using a survey tool. Analysis demonstrated significantly (χ2=44.9, P