The Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study is comprised of women and men who received a preventive medical examination at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, TX during 1970-2006. The examination consists of a medical history questionnaire that includes information on exercise habits and other lifestyle factors, a clinical examination by a physician, and an extensive clinical evaluation that includes a maximal exercise test on a treadmill to assess cardiorespiratory fitness. Nearly 75,000 individuals have completed this evaluation.
For this presentation we used data from the medical history questionnaire to identify people who reported their exercise habits. Some people (n=26,270) reported no exercise in the past month of the 48,694 individuals who reported exercising in the past month 2,681 swam, 21,832 walked, 20,925 ran, and 3,256 participated in aerobics classes.
Treadmill test data were used to sort participants into low, moderate, and high categories of cardiorespiratory fitness. Low fitness was present in 27 of those reporting no exercise and the percent in the low fitness category was much lower for swimmers (4), walkers (9), runners (2), and those attending aerobics class (3). More than 70% of swimmers, runners, and aerobics class participants scored in the high fitness category.
We also evaluated risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the various exercise groups. In general, the swimmers had favorable risk factor profiles. We conclude that regular swimming is associated with good health and fitness, and that these benefits are comparable to those seen in individuals who participate in other common forms of regular exercise.
