Variations of Body Mass Index with Age in Masters Athletes (World Masters Games)
Whilst there is growing evidence that activity
across the lifespan is beneficial for improved health, there are
also many changes involved with the aging process and
subsequently the potential for reduced indices of health. The
nexus between health, physical activity and aging is complex
and has raised much interest in recent times due to the
realization that a multifaceted approached is necessary in
order to counteract a growing obesity epidemic. By
investigating age based trends within a population adhering to
competitive sport at older ages, further insight might be
gleaned to assist in understanding one of many factors
influencing this relationship.
BMI was derived using data gathered on a total of 6,071
masters athletes (51.9% male, 48.1% female) aged 25 to 91
years ( =51.5, s =±9.7), competing at the Sydney World
Masters Games (2009). Using linear and loess regression it
was demonstrated that the usual tendency for prevalence of
higher BMI increasing with age was reversed in the sample.
This trend in reversal was repeated for both male and female
only sub-sets of the sample participants, indicating the
possibility of improved prevalence of BMI with increasing
age for both the sample as a whole and these individual subgroups.
This evidence of improved classification in one index of
health (reduced BMI) for masters athletes (when compared to
the general population) implies there are either improved
levels of this index of health with aging due to adherence to
sport or possibly the reduced BMI is advantageous and
contributes to this cohort adhering (or being attracted) to
masters sport at older ages. Demonstration of this
proportionately under-investigated World Masters Games
population having an improved relationship between BMI and
increasing age over the general population is of particular
interest in the context of the measures being taken globally to
curb an obesity epidemic.
[1] Sydney 2009 World Masters Games Committee. (2009). Sydney 2009
World Masters Games Final Report.
[2] Sawyer, K., & Sceppa, C. (2010). Cardiovascular disease - Review-
Impact of aerobic physical activity on cardiovascular and
noncardiovascular outcomes: is anyone too old to exercise? Aging
Health, 6(2), 251-260.
[3] Williamson, J., & Pahor, M. (2010). Evidence Regarding the Benefits of
Physical Exercise Archives of Internal Medicine, 170(2), 124-125.
[4] Ryan, A. (2010). Review exercise in aging: it-s important role in
mortality, obesity and insulin resistance. Aging Health, 6(5), 551-563.
[5] Kenyon, C. (2010). The genetics of aging. Nature 464, 504-512.
[6] King, A., & Guralnik, J. (2010). Maximizing the potential of an aging
population. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 304(17)
1954-1955.
[7] Doherty, T. (2003). Aging and sarcopenia. Journal of Applied
Physiology, 95(4) 1717-1727.
[8] Garabed, E. (2008). Adolphe Quetelet (1796-1874)ÔÇöthe average man
and indices of obesity. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 23, 47-51
[9] Walsh, J., Climstein, M., Heazlewood, I.T., Burke, S., Kettunen, J.,
Adams, K., & DeBeliso, M. (2011). Body mass index for Australian
athletes participating at the World Masters Games: Proceedings of the
VII. International Conference on Sport Medicine and Sport Science.
Paris, France.
[10] World Health Organisation (2002). The world health report 2002 -
Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life, 4, 60.
[11] Australian Bureau of Statistics (2010). National health survey: summary
of results, 2007-2008 (Reissue).
[12] Sui, X., LaMonte, M., Laditka, J., Hardin, J., Chase, N., Hooker, S. &
Blair, N. (2007). Cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity as mortality
predictors in older adults. Journal of the American Medical Association,
298(21), 2507-2516.
[13] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2008. Australia-s health 2008.
Cat. no. AUS 99. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
[14] Begg, S., Vos, T., Barker, B., Stevenson, C., Stanley, L., & Lopez, A.
(2007). The burden of disease and injury in Australia 2003. PHE 82.
Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
[15] Cleveland, W. & Loader, C. (1995). Smoothing by local regression:
Principles and Methods (Technical report). Murray Hill, NJ: A&T Bell
Laboratories.
[1] Sydney 2009 World Masters Games Committee. (2009). Sydney 2009
World Masters Games Final Report.
[2] Sawyer, K., & Sceppa, C. (2010). Cardiovascular disease - Review-
Impact of aerobic physical activity on cardiovascular and
noncardiovascular outcomes: is anyone too old to exercise? Aging
Health, 6(2), 251-260.
[3] Williamson, J., & Pahor, M. (2010). Evidence Regarding the Benefits of
Physical Exercise Archives of Internal Medicine, 170(2), 124-125.
[4] Ryan, A. (2010). Review exercise in aging: it-s important role in
mortality, obesity and insulin resistance. Aging Health, 6(5), 551-563.
[5] Kenyon, C. (2010). The genetics of aging. Nature 464, 504-512.
[6] King, A., & Guralnik, J. (2010). Maximizing the potential of an aging
population. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 304(17)
1954-1955.
[7] Doherty, T. (2003). Aging and sarcopenia. Journal of Applied
Physiology, 95(4) 1717-1727.
[8] Garabed, E. (2008). Adolphe Quetelet (1796-1874)ÔÇöthe average man
and indices of obesity. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 23, 47-51
[9] Walsh, J., Climstein, M., Heazlewood, I.T., Burke, S., Kettunen, J.,
Adams, K., & DeBeliso, M. (2011). Body mass index for Australian
athletes participating at the World Masters Games: Proceedings of the
VII. International Conference on Sport Medicine and Sport Science.
Paris, France.
[10] World Health Organisation (2002). The world health report 2002 -
Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life, 4, 60.
[11] Australian Bureau of Statistics (2010). National health survey: summary
of results, 2007-2008 (Reissue).
[12] Sui, X., LaMonte, M., Laditka, J., Hardin, J., Chase, N., Hooker, S. &
Blair, N. (2007). Cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity as mortality
predictors in older adults. Journal of the American Medical Association,
298(21), 2507-2516.
[13] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2008. Australia-s health 2008.
Cat. no. AUS 99. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
[14] Begg, S., Vos, T., Barker, B., Stevenson, C., Stanley, L., & Lopez, A.
(2007). The burden of disease and injury in Australia 2003. PHE 82.
Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
[15] Cleveland, W. & Loader, C. (1995). Smoothing by local regression:
Principles and Methods (Technical report). Murray Hill, NJ: A&T Bell
Laboratories.
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:49483", author = "Walsh Joe and Climstein Mike and Heazlewood Ian Timothy and Burke Stephen and Kettunen Jyrki and Adams Kent and DeBeliso Mark", title = "Variations of Body Mass Index with Age in Masters Athletes (World Masters Games)", abstract = "Whilst there is growing evidence that activity
across the lifespan is beneficial for improved health, there are
also many changes involved with the aging process and
subsequently the potential for reduced indices of health. The
nexus between health, physical activity and aging is complex
and has raised much interest in recent times due to the
realization that a multifaceted approached is necessary in
order to counteract a growing obesity epidemic. By
investigating age based trends within a population adhering to
competitive sport at older ages, further insight might be
gleaned to assist in understanding one of many factors
influencing this relationship.
BMI was derived using data gathered on a total of 6,071
masters athletes (51.9% male, 48.1% female) aged 25 to 91
years ( =51.5, s =±9.7), competing at the Sydney World
Masters Games (2009). Using linear and loess regression it
was demonstrated that the usual tendency for prevalence of
higher BMI increasing with age was reversed in the sample.
This trend in reversal was repeated for both male and female
only sub-sets of the sample participants, indicating the
possibility of improved prevalence of BMI with increasing
age for both the sample as a whole and these individual subgroups.
This evidence of improved classification in one index of
health (reduced BMI) for masters athletes (when compared to
the general population) implies there are either improved
levels of this index of health with aging due to adherence to
sport or possibly the reduced BMI is advantageous and
contributes to this cohort adhering (or being attracted) to
masters sport at older ages. Demonstration of this
proportionately under-investigated World Masters Games
population having an improved relationship between BMI and
increasing age over the general population is of particular
interest in the context of the measures being taken globally to
curb an obesity epidemic.", keywords = "Aging, masters athlete, Quetelet Index, sport.", volume = "5", number = "5", pages = "384-4", }