| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
Physical activity for the over-65s
— could it be a cost-effective exercise for the NHS? | | Author(s) | James Munro, John Brazier, Rachel Davey |
| Journal title | Journal of Public Health Medicine, vol 19, no 4, December 1997 |
| Pages | pp 397-402 |
| Keywords | Exercise ; Courses [adult education] ; Cost effectiveness ; National Health Service ; Social surveys ; Sheffield. |
| Annotation | Interest in the health-promoting potential of physical activity in older adults prompted this study. Its aim was to estimate the likely costs, health benefits and consequences for the National Health Service (NHS) of a publicly funded programme of regular exercise for over 65s. Risk reduction data from observational studies were used to calculate the possible impact of a community-based programme of activity on hospital admissions and deaths from coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, femoral neck fractures and mental disorders. The avoided costs of health care and net cost per life-year saved were estimated. Providing twice-weekly exercise classes for 10,000 participants would cost approximately £854,700 per year, but would prevent 76 deaths and 230 in-patient episodes, avoiding annual health care costs of some £601,000. The programme would cost about £330 per life year saved; or with extreme variations between £100 and £1,500. Such a programme could achieve important benefits at relatively low cost. The estimates provided by this analysis should now be tested in a rigorous randomised trial, and health commissioners should begin to think of purchasing exercise programmes alongside other health promotion programmes. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-980813001 A |
| Classmark | CEA: GP:VE: WEC: L4: 3F: 85C |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|