Inadequate physical activity and health care expenditures in the United States
Author: Susan A Carlson1, Janet E Fulton2, Michael Pratt3, Zhou Yang4, E Kathleen Adams4
Affiliation:
1 National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA; Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Electronic address: scarlson1@cdc.gov.
2 National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
3 National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA; Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
4 Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
Conference/Journal: Prog Cardiovasc Dis
Date published: Jan-Feb 2015
Other:
Volume ID: 57 , Issue ID: 4 , Pages: 315-23 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2014.08.002. , Word Count: 187
This study estimates the percentage of health care expenditures in the non-institutionalized United States (U.S.) adult population associated with levels of physical activity inadequate to meet current guidelines. Leisure-time physical activity data from the National Health Interview Survey (2004-2010) were merged with health care expenditure data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2006-2011). Health care expenditures for inactive (i.e., no physical activity) and insufficiently active adults (i.e., some physical activity but not enough to meet guidelines) were compared with active adults (i.e., ≥150minutes/week moderate-intensity equivalent activity) using an econometric model. Overall, 11.1% (95% CI: 7.3, 14.9) of aggregate health care expenditures were associated with inadequate physical activity (i.e., inactive and insufficiently active levels). When adults with any reported difficulty walking due to a health problem were excluded, 8.7% (95% CI: 5.2, 12.3) of aggregate health care expenditures were associated with inadequate physical activity. Increasing adults' physical activity to meet guidelines may reduce U.S. health care expenditures.
Keywords: BMI; Body Mass Index; Exercise; Health care; Health expenditures; MEPS; Medical Expenditure Panel Survey; NHIS; National Health Interview Survey; Physical activity; U.S.; United States.
PMID: 25559060 PMCID: PMC4604440 DOI: 10.1016/j.pcad.2014.08.002
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