Table 4.
Comparison of San Francisco Cold-water Swimmers to International and North American Pool Swimmers*
| San Francisco Cold-water Swimmers (total group; N=103) | International Masters Pool Swimmers (total group; N=527) | North American Masters Pool Swimmers (total group; N=64) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMI kg/m2 (mean ±SD) | 25.9 ±3.6 | 25.3 ±4.0 (p=0.16) | 25.1 ±3.2 (p=0.15) |
| Obesity % | 10.7 | 9.1 (p=0.81) | 9.4 (p=0.81) |
| Overweight/Obesity % | 53.4 | 45.2 (p=0.32) | 51.6 (p=1.0) |
*
BMI and obesity category values are from men and women together; see the Supplemental Appendix for results for men and women separately. P-values are from direct comparisons of San Francisco cold-water swimmers to each other group (unpaired t-tests used for comparisons of BMI means; Fisher exact tests used for comparisons of obesity categories). Obesity corresponds to BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, and overweight/obesity corresponds to BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2.