Physically Active People Have Lower Medical Expenses

The benefits of moderate physical activity are well known: lowered risk for heart attack and stroke, reducing weight, and improving mood. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently documented another major advantage - improving the health of the Nation's health care expenditures. A study described in the October 2000 issue (Vol. 28, No. 10) of The Physician and Sportsmedicine by Michael Pratt and colleagues reports that physically active individuals had lower annual direct medical costs than did inactive people. The cost difference was $330 per person, based on 1987 dollars.

The potential savings if all inactive American adults became physically active could be $29.2 billion in 1987 dollars, or $76.6 billion in 2000 dollars.

This is the first study ever to examine direct medical costs associated with various levels of physical activity by reviewing actual medical expenditures. The CDC researchers analyzed the relationship between physical activity and medical expenditures from the 1987 National Medical Expenditures Survey, the most comprehensive healthcare information source available. They found that Americans 15 years and older who engaged in regular physical activity -- at least 30 minutes of moderate or strenuous physical activity three or more times a week -- had average annual direct medical costs of $1,019 versus costs of $1,349 for those who were inactive. Persons with health conditions that limited regular moderate physical activity were excluded from the study.

The study suggests that health care costs can be significantly reduced by encouraging regular physical activity. The level of physical activity measured in this study was even more modest than current Federal guidelines of 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity five or more days a week, suggesting that following current recommendations could yield even greater cost savings.

The researchers found that physically active people had fewer hospital stays and physician visits and used less medication than physically inactive people. The cost savings were consistent for men and women, for those with and without physical limitations, and even for smokers and nonsmokers. The biggest difference in direct medical costs was among women 55 and older, supporting the widely held belief that the potential gain associated with physical activity is especially high for older women.

The authors state that "a population-wide strategy might produce cost savings among most adult age groups."

"We must make it easier for people to be active," said Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, Director of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. "We need to make a serious national effort to promote physical activity and support changes in the environment that get people moving again." Changes that promote physical activity may be as simple as improving the location and appearance of stairwells to encourage walking at work or as complex as the redesign of communities. Some communities have existing infrastructure that supports physical activity, such as sidewalks and bicycle trails, and work-sites, schools, and shopping areas in close proximity to residential areas. In many other areas, such community amenities need to be developed to foster walking and cycling as a regular part of daily activity.

Each year, Medical College of Wisconsin physicians care for more than 180,000 patients, representing nearly 500,000 patient visits. Medical College physicians practice at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, and many other hospitals and clinics in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.