Research of economic burdens linked to physical inactivity

Interest in monitoring living standards has gradually risen in our country in recent years. The National Development Plan’s main goal was to increase living standards for the domestic population in the period between 2004 and 2006. Unfortunately, it couldn’t reach its goal, and the Hungarian indicators’ scores fall at the end of European ranking list, according to the WHO report of May 2010. The result of Eurobarometer’s representative case of 2010 is depressing, showing that 77% of the population is physically inactive. This paper’s objective was to produce numerical data of the economic burdens in sick-pay, furthermore to measure the costs could be saved in sick-pay with a decrease in physical inactivity. We have used national and international studies, reports, and methodologies in our research. We have accessed sources in the database of the National Health Insurance Fund Administration, and created our own questionnaire (n=1158). Our conclusions indicate that it is the responsibility of the decision-makers to take action to decrease physical inactivity so as to spare drastic expenses every year. Keywords: physical inactivity, lifestyle, economic burdens, sick-pay allowance

A fittség (m)értéke. A fizikai inaktivitás nemzetgazdasági terhei Magyarországon (The value (degree) of fitness. The national economic costs of physical inactivity in Hungary)

Az elmúlt években Magyarországon is fokozatosan nőtt az érdeklődés az életminőség vizsgálata iránt. A 2004-2006 közötti időszakra készült első Nemzeti Fejlesztési Terv fő célkitűzése a lakosság életminőségének javítása volt, de célját nem érte el, mivel a WHO 2010 májusában közzétett statisztikája szerint a magyarországi életminőség-mutatók az európai rangsor végén találhatók. Elszomorító az Eurobarométer 2010. évi reprezentatív kutatásának eredménye: a népesség 77 százalékának életmódja mozgásszegény, fizikailag inaktív. Kutatásunk során azt a ténylegesen hiánypótló célt kívántuk elérni, hogy meghatározzuk és számszerűsítsük a mozgásszegény életmódból adódó nemzetgazdasági terheket, valamint megbecsüljük a fizikai inaktivitás csökkentésével elérhető megtakarítások számszerűsíthető mértékét. Az Országos Egészségbiztosítási Pénztár (OEP) és egy saját országos kérdőíves kutatás (n = 1158) adataira támaszkodtunk. A fizikai inaktivitás betegségeire vonatkozó megtakarítási lehetőségeket tételesen határoztuk meg, majd megállapítottuk az inaktivitásból származó gazdasági terheket, aminek alapján a döntéshozók elkészíthetik a fizikai inaktivitás csökkentésre alkalmas akcióterveiket. Ezzel nemcsak a lakosság "közérzete" javulhat számottevően, de komolyabb költségeket is meg lehet takarítani közép- és hosszú távon. / === / Interest in examining the quality of life has increased steadily in Hungary in recent years. Improving it was the main objective of the first National Development Plan, for the 2004-6 period, but it failed to do so, for Hungary's indices for quality of life were at the bottom of the European list according to figures published by the WHO in May 2010. The results of the representative research Furobarometer 2010 are saddening: 77 per cent of the population pursue a low-exercise, physically inactive lifestyle. The authors' researches sought to fill a gap by measuring and quantifying the national economic costs of a low-exercise lifestyle and to estimate quantitatively the savings to be made by reducing such physical inactivity. The paper relics on the data of the National Health Insurance Fund and on an authors' questionnaire (n = 1158). The potential savings on illness relating to physical activity are listed one by one. to arrive at the economic costs of such inactivity, based on which it is possible for decision-makers to prepare adequate action plans for reducing physical inactivity. This will improve the "morale" of the public and bring appreciable savings in the medium and long term

Research of Economic Burdens Linked to Physical Inactivity

Interest in monitoring the living standards has gradually risen in our country in recent years. The National Development Plan’s main goal was to increase living standards for the domestic population in the period between 2004 and 2006. Unfortunately, it couldn’t reach its goal, and the Hungarian indicators’ scores fall at the end of European ranking list, according to the WHO report of May 2010. The result of Eurobarometer’s representative case of 2010 is depressing, showing that 77% of the population is physically inactive. This paper’s objective was to produce numerical data of the economic burdens in sick-pay, furthermore to measure the costs could be saved in sick-pay with a decrease of physical inactivity. We have used national and international studies, reports, and methodologies in our research. We have accessed sources in the database of National Health Insurance Fund Administration, and created our own questionnaire (n=1158). On conclusions indicate that it is the responsibility of the decision-makers, to take action to decreasing the physical inactivity so as to spare drastic expenses every year. Keywords: physical inactivity, lifestyle, economic burdens, sick-pay allowances

Research of Economic Burdens Linked to Physical Inactivity

ABSTRACT Interest in monitoring the living standards has gradually risen in our country in recent years. The National Development Plan’s main goal was to increase living standards for the domestic population in the period between 2004 and 2006. Unfortunately, it couldn’t reach its goal, and the Hungarian indicators’ scores fall at the end of European ranking list, according to the WHO report of May 2010. The result of Eurobarometer’s representative case of 2010 is depressing, showing that 77% of the population is physically inactive. This paper’s objective was to produce numerical data of the economic burdens in sick-pay, furthermore to measure the costs could be saved in sick-pay with a decrease of physical inactivity. We have used national and international studies, reports, and methodologies in our research. We have accessed sources in the database of National Health Insurance Fund Administration, and created our own questionnaire (n=1158). On conclusions indicate that it is the responsibility of the decision-makers, to take action to decreasing the physical inactivity so as to spare drastic expenses every year. Keywords: physical inactivity, lifestyle, economic burdens, sick-pay allowances