10.04.13
7 in 10 adults do too little exercise – but £7bn savings possible
New research shows that 70% of adults are failing to hit the target of 150 minutes of exercise a week – but that if they could be encouraged to do just 12 minutes a day more, over £7bn of savings could achieved.
The findings come in a new report by healthcare charity Nuffield Health and the London School of Economics.
The savings from aggregating costs associated with NHS treatments, welfare and loss of earnings.
Household income for those who do exercise is £6,500 a year higher, the data suggests.
The report uses data from the annual Health Survey for England (HSE), a household level survey that collects information through interview, self-completion questionnaire and medical examination.
Dr Andrew Jones, managing director for corporate wellbeing at Nuffield Health, said: “Health benefits for active people are priceless, but with increased pressures both in the workplace and at home, as well as the struggling economy, we, as employers have a responsibility to help our workforce to be as resilient, fit and well as possible.
“Our research shows the positive impact of regular physical activity on many health measures, but importantly on mental health. As a GP I see time and again people with good reasons to be more active and a genuine desire to do it, but somehow actually doing more doesn’t quite come to fruition. Once the decision to take part in activity is made our research shows about ten sessions in a month are completed. At Nuffield Health we know that if someone doesn’t have a love of physical activity it can be difficult to do enough. We offer regular free educational events, advice and support to find out what works for them.”
People who do not exercise have almost 80,000 more hospital in-patient visits a year. The report calculates that, at with the cost of an in-patient stay in an NHS hospital £3,215, there is a potential cost saving of £257m a year if people were to get active.
People in low-income households (<£23,400) could gain double the benefits of being physically active, further lowering their risk of psychological distress.
David Mobbs, CEO, Nuffield Health, said: “Exercise is a cheap policy option compared with continuing to treat the ill-health which results from physical inactivity.
“It doesn’t require expensive structural changes to the public sector or government legislation. We don’t need to nag people into doing activities they hate. We simply need a more exercise friendly environment and for each of us to think differently about how to be more active every day.”
Tell us what you think – have your say below or email [email protected]