Physical Inactivity Costs Economy Billions Each Year

A Queen’s University study finds that physical inactivity costs the Canadian economy $2.4 billion each year in direct costs and $4.3 billion in indirect costs. (photos.com)

Physical inactivity is costing the Canadian economy $6.8 billion per year, accounting for 3.7 percent of overall health care costs, according to a Queen’s University study.

“[P]hysical inactivity has surpassed epidemic proportions in Canada and accounts for a significant portion of health care spending,” says the study, conducted by Ian Janssen, a Queen’s University associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Obesity.

The study considered seven chronic diseases associated with physical inactivity, including coronary artery disease, stroke, hypertension, and colon cancer. It found that the risk of these diseases is raised by 21 percent to 74 percent in physically inactive adults.

The study estimated the total direct cost to the economy at $2.4 billion, and the indirect cost at $4.3 billion.

Direct costs include the money spent on medical care professionals, medications, and other medical costs related to illness or injury, while indirect costs were deemed as the value of economic output lost due to illness, injury-related work disability, or premature death.