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Physical inactivity of adults and 1-year health care expenditures in Brazil

International Journal of Public Health volume 60, pages 309–316 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

Objectives

To analyze the association between physical inactivity in different domains and direct public healthcare expenditures in adults and to identify whether the clustering of physical inactivity in different domains would contribute to increased public healthcare.

Methods

The sample composed of 963 adults randomly selected in a middle-size Brazilian city. Annual healthcare expenditure was estimated including all items registered in the medical records in the last 12 months prior to the interview. Habitual physical activity was estimated using Baecke questionnaire, which considers three components of physical activity (work, sports and leisure-time activities).

Results

Higher healthcare expenditures of medicines were associated with lower physical activity at work (OR 1.58 [1.06–2.35]), sport (OR 1.57 [1.12–2.18]) and physical inactivity in three domains (OR 2.12 [1.18–3.78]). Expenditures related to medicine (r = 0.109 [95 % CI 0.046–0.171]) and overall expenditures (r = 0.092 [95 % CI 0.029–0.155]) were related to physical inactivity, independently of age, sex, smoking, blood pressure and obesity.

Conclusions

Physically inactive subjects in different domains of physical activity have increased likelihood to be inserted at groups of higher healthcare expenditure.

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Acknowledgments

The development of this work was partially supported by Brazilian Government through a PhD scholarship from CAPES and by the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology (CNPq) Projects no: 457448/2013-0, Project no: 401178/2013-7 and Project no: 476244/2013-7.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Education, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Presidente Prudente, Bauru, Brazil

    Jamile Sanches Codogno, Rômulo Araújo Fernandes, Diego G. Destro Christofaro & Henrique Luiz Monteiro

  2. Laboratory of InVestigation in Exercise (LIVE), Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), 305, Roberto Simonsen St., 19060-900, Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil

    Jamile Sanches Codogno, Rômulo Araújo Fernandes & Diego G. Destro Christofaro

  3. Post Graduate Program in Movement Sciences, Institute of Biosciences, UNESP, Rio Claro, Brazil

    Jamile Sanches Codogno, Bruna Camilo Turi, Rômulo Araújo Fernandes, Diego G. Destro Christofaro & Henrique Luiz Monteiro

  4. Department of Occupational Health, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Han C. G. Kemper

Authors
  1. Jamile Sanches Codogno
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  2. Bruna Camilo Turi
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  3. Han C. G. Kemper
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  4. Rômulo Araújo Fernandes
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  5. Diego G. Destro Christofaro
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  6. Henrique Luiz Monteiro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jamile Sanches Codogno.

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Codogno, J.S., Turi, B.C., Kemper, H.C.G. et al. Physical inactivity of adults and 1-year health care expenditures in Brazil. Int J Public Health 60, 309–316 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-015-0657-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-015-0657-z

Keywords

  • Cost control
  • Motor activity
  • Health expenditures
  • Public health
  • Adults