Masters or pawns? Examining injury and chronic disease in male Masters Athletes and chess players compared to population norms from the Canadian Community Health Survey

Identifying the optimal type and amount of activity for the maintenance of function in older adults has proved challenging. On the one hand, Masters Athletes have been proposed as the ideal model of successful aging but most of this research has focused on physical functioning. On the other hand, the importance of cognitive engagement has been emphasized, which may be more strongly related to activities such as playing chess. The current study aimed to compare physical health outcomes (i.e., prevalence of physical injury and chronic disease) among older athletes and chess players. Masters Athletes and chess players were recruited from track and field and chess competitions within the province of Ontario. In addition to these primary groups, moderately active and inactive older adults from Canadian Community Health Survey were also included for comparison.

Masters Athletes had significantly higher rates of injury with the lowest rates of chronic disease, compared to all other activity groups. In contrast, chess players reported lower rates of injury compared to Masters Athletes as well as lower prevalence of chronic diseases compared to the moderately active and inactive groups. The normative groups reported the lowest rate of injury, but increased prevalence of chronic diseases compared to Masters Athletes and chess players.

Findings from this study indicate that both athletic and cognitive engagement may be positively related to the physical health of older adults, since Masters Athletes and chess players reported a lower prevalence of chronic disease. Importantly, the results expand our current understanding of health by providing evidence for physical health outcomes associated with an activity that is primarily associated with cognitive health.