Causal impact of sedentary lifestyle and poor physical fitness of the population on healthcare costs (SED-COST)
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Project description
Public health expenditure is one of the largest and fastest growing spending items for governments globally and a central political concern in many societies. Specifically in Finland, healthcare costs reached €27 billion in 2022, equivalent to 10.2% of Gross Domestic Product. The highest costs for healthcare are estimated to be caused by cardiovascular diseases and other non-communicable diseases which could potentially be prevented with physical activity and exercise. In Finland, the estimated total cost of low levels of physical activity is annually €3.2 billion with both direct (€0.7 billion) and indirect (€2.5 billion) health care costs.
Although the current literature provides a strong scientific rationale for the benefits of physical activity with healthcare costs, no causal evidence is available. Previous evidence is based on observational studies, which could be subject to reverse causality where less active individuals hold covert or prevalent disease states and therefore use more healthcare services.
This research project will explore the potential of promoting physical activity and physical fitness to contain health care costs at the population level. Mendelian randomisation will be used to assess causal relationships.
