NHS: 'Inactive' population to blame for health costs
Inactive lifestyles are costing the NHS an extortionate amount of money every year, according to research published in March.
The result of the study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, showed the total cost of inactivity to the health service was around £1bn a year.
Despite evidence that physical inactivity is a risk factor for a number of diseases, only a third of men and a quarter of women are actually meeting Government targets for physical activity, the study revealed.
Diseases that are attributable to physical inactivity include ischaemic heart disease, ischaemic strokes, breast cancer, colonic/rectal cancer and diabetes mellitus.
The conclusion drawn from the research was that there is a considerable financial public health burden due to physical inactivity in the UK. Therefore, accurately establishing the financial cost of physical inactivity and other risk factors should be the first step in developing a national public health strategy.
Steve Shaffelburg, policy manager of the British Heart Foundation, said: "This research is yet more evidence showing how important physical activity is for our overall health, and especially for our heart health."
He added that one answer to the problem of overburdening the health service in the UK is to encourage all adults to undertake half an hour of moderate physical activity on five days a week at least.
