Key result
US Masters Swimming performances improve ~0.5% annually, with women reaching parity with historical male records.
Observational
Secular effects must be considered along with longitudinal age-related changes and cross-sectional cohort effects in interpreting age differences in physiological function.
Secular gains warrant caution when attributing masters athletes' declines solely to aging; leaves open extension to clinical cardiovascular function.
Archival records of US Masters Swimming performances were examined for changes between 1981 and 2021. Both national records and top 10 swimmers were used. Substantial secular changes were found averaging 0.52%/yr, with women improving more than men and with improvements in national records greater than in the top 10. Performances by women in 2021 were at parity (national records) or near parity (top 10) with men in 1981. The results indicate that secular effects must be considered along with longitudinal age-related changes and cross-sectional cohort effects in interpreting age differences in physiological function.
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Hartley et al. (2023) conducted an observational in Masters Swimming. Secular changes over time was evaluated on Changes in swimming performances (0.52%/yr).
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