Physical Activity and Cumulative Long-Term Care Cost among Older Japanese Adults: A Prospective Study in JAGES.

Hiroshi Hirai,Katsunori Kondo,Masashige Saito,Toshiyuki Ojima,Naoki Kondo

doi:10.3390/ijerph18095004

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the impact of physical activity on the cumulative cost of long-term care insurance (LTCI) services in a cohort of community-dwelling people (65 years and older) in Japan. Using cohort data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) on those who were functionally independent as of 2010/11, we examined differences in the cumulative cost of LTCI services by physical activity. We followed 38,875 participants with LTCI service costs for 59 months. Physical activity was assessed by the frequency of going out and time spent walking. We adopted a generalized linear model with gamma distribution and log-link function, and a classical linear regression with multiple imputation. The cumulative LTCI costs significantly decreased with the frequency of going out and the time spent walking after adjustment for baseline covariates. LTCI’s cumulative cost for those who went out once a week or less was USD 600 higher than those who went out almost daily. Furthermore, costs for those who walked for less than 30 min were USD 900 higher than those who walked for more than 60 min. Physical activity among older individuals can reduce LTCI costs, which could provide a rationale for expenditure intervention programs that promote physical activity.

Highlights

Many developed and developing countries are expecting to face a large increase in the proportion of older adults
Physical activity reduces the risk of mortality [5,6], cardiovascular disease [7], diabetes mellitus [8], hypertension [9], obesity [10], glycemic control [11], pain and disability [12], bone and joint diseases [13], musculoskeletal diseases [14], cognitive and physical decline [15,16], and depression [17]
This study aimed to determine the impact of physical activity on the cumulative cost of long-term care insurance (LTCI) services

Summary

Introduction

Many developed and developing countries are expecting to face a large increase in the proportion of older adults. Aging is associated with a higher risk of chronic diseases and functional and cognitive impairment [1,2]. The aging of the population will increase the cost of healthcare services. Physical activity reduces the risk of mortality [5,6], cardiovascular disease [7], diabetes mellitus [8], hypertension [9], obesity [10], glycemic control [11], pain and disability [12], bone and joint diseases [13], musculoskeletal diseases [14], cognitive and physical decline [15,16], and depression [17]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion