Chronic medical conditions and health care utilization in Indian marathon athletes: a cross-sectional observational study

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of chronic medical conditions and healthcare utilization among Indian marathon athletes through a digital survey. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, observational study that employed a questionnaire-based digital survey of Indian marathon athletes. The survey collected data on participants' demographics, training history, chronic medical conditions, and healthcare utilization. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 224 marathon athletes participated in the survey from April 2023 to June 2023. The largest segment of respondents (40.6%) fell within the age bracket of over 50 years, and 82.3% were male. Among the participants, 84.9% were married, and 77% were employed in the private sector. About 56% were involved in some sports activity prior and 90% opined they follow a healthy lifestyle. On comorbidities, hypertension was most prevalent (23.2%) followed by diabetes (13%), hyperlipidemia (9.3%), and asthma (2.2%). About 95% do not take any pain medications during a marathon and 29 % were not aware of the precautions to be taken for running a marathon with chronic medical conditions. Around 69.6% do not consult a physician to get advice and approval before a marathon and 73.1% mentioned that they do not take regular medication for chronic medical conditions like diabetes and hypertension Conclusion: Indian marathon athletes have a significant prevalence of chronic medical conditions, with hypertension, asthma, and diabetes being the most common. A substantial proportion of athletes sustain injuries during training and competition, leading to healthcare utilization, particularly for physical therapy. These findings highlight the importance of comprehensive pre-participation medical evaluations and targeted injury prevention strategies for this population.