Lazy Aussies costing country $1.5 billion a year
More than half of Australia’s adult population – nearly nine million people – are not active enough and are costing the national health system $1.5 billion a year.
Research carried out for Medibank Private found that falls were the biggest cost with $468.7 million spent treating inactive victims who lost their balance each year. Coronary heart disease treatment took out $371.5 million and $210.7 million was spent on treating type 2 diabetes.
Other major financial health costs from inactivity are identified as depression, strokes, colon cancer and breast cancer which all go towards making up the overall estimated annual cost to the Australian health care system of $1.5 billion.
Medibank Private managing director George Savvides said that “being physically inactive costs you in more ways than one. It costs you in health terms and it costs your hip pocket. And the answer is not as hard as people may think”.
“A 15-minute walk to the bus or train, walking around the block at lunch-time, or walking the kids to school every day teamed with at least one hour of activity a week could quite literally lengthen your life”, Mr Savvides said.
