Benefits and risks of running among women: an epidemiologic study

Abstract

To describe some of the suggested health benefits and risks of regular running in young and middle-aged women, a group of 428 Swiss female contestants in a popular 16-km race was studied by questionnaire (response rate 86%). The estimated endurance estimate capacity of female runners (VO2max equivalents, based on 16-km running time) was superior to the endurance capacity of both the female and the male general population. The strongest predictor of runners' VO2max was habitual weekly training distance. Training and life-style characteristics of the contestants were able to explain part of, but not the whole, difference in VO2max seen between runners and women of the general population. Running activity was positively associated with reported weight loss and quitting smoking. However, during the year preceding the race, 40% of the female contestants sustained running-related injuries or complaints, 17% sought medical help therefore, and 14% had to interrupt running for 6 weeks on average. Sites and types of running injuries showed specific female properties. Female runners had significantly less outpatient physician visits than the general population, but among runners the highly active (greater than or equal to 25 km/week) had more visits than the moderately active (less than 25 km/week), due to excess consultations because of running-related complaints. This cross-section study used epidemiologic methods to quantify some benefits and risks of running.