Economic burden of low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour in Finland

2022

BackgroundLow physical activity and high sedentary behaviour are unquestionably relevant for public health while also increasing direct and indirect costs.MethodsThe authors examined the direct and indirect costs attributable to low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour in Finland in 2017. Costs related to major non-communicable diseases drawn from Finnish registries covered direct costs (outpatient visits, days of inpatient care, medication and institutional eldercare) and indirect costs (sickness-related absences, disability pensions, unemployment benefits, all-cause mortality and losses of income tax revenue). Prevalences of low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour (≥8…