Abstract
Physical inactivity is a pandemic that requires intensive, usually costly efforts for risk reduction of related chronic diseases. Nevertheless, it is challenging to determine the effectiveness of physical activity in healthcare cost reduction based on existing literature. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of physical activity (daily steps) on healthcare costs utilising the data retrieved from a health promotion project (the e-wellness Project, held in three municipalities in Japan). Evaluating the effects of daily steps, measured by pedometers, on healthcare costs by a quasi-experimental approach among participants aged 40–75 years (about 4000 person-years of observation, between 2009 and 2013), we found that a one-step-increase in the annual average daily step reduced outpatient healthcare costs by 16.26 JPY (≒ 0.11 GBD) in the short run. Based on the assumption of a dynamic relationship between the health statuses in multiple years, the long-run effects of daily steps on healthcare costs were estimated at 28.24 JPY (≒ 0.20 GBD). We determined the health benefits of walking in a sample of middle-aged and older Japanese adults by our findings that an increase in step counts reduced healthcare costs.
Highlights
Physical inactivity is a pandemic that requires intensive, usually costly efforts for risk reduction of related chronic diseases
Previous studies lacked an objective measurement of physical activity or healthcare costs data, which led to a hypothetical study on the relationship
A longitudinal relationship based on panel data, in which both physical activity and healthcare costs data were measured during the follow up, was rarely analysed
Summary
Physical inactivity is a pandemic that requires intensive, usually costly efforts for risk reduction of related chronic diseases. A pandemic that requires global e fforts[1,2], contributes to a significant increase in the disease burden of non-communicable diseases. The Japan age-standardised prevalence of physical inactivity, defined as attaining less than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or less than 75 minutes of vigorousintensity physical activity per week, or equivalent, is 33.8% and 37% in men and women, respectively. These are higher than the global prevalence of 23.4% and 31.7% in men and women, r espectively[2,9]. Significant variations occurred in samples, methods, and estimated effects of physical activity on healthcare services usage between studies, which makes it difficult to generalise the effects
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