Introduction
Research has documented the health benefits of physical activity among older adults,
but the relationship between physical activity and healthcare costs remains unexplored
at the population level. Using data from 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia,
this study investigates the extent to which physical activity prevalence is associated
with healthcare costs among older adults.
Methods
Twelve-year state-level data (2003–2014) were obtained from 5 secondary sources (n=611). Healthcare costs were captured by Medicare Parts A and B spending. Fixed-effect
models were estimated in 2019 to assess the relationship between the state-level physical
activity prevalence and Medicare costs. The potential lagged associations were captured
by lagged variables of physical activity prevalence (i.e., t−1, t−2, and t−3).
Results
Physical activity prevalence was not associated with Medicare costs occurring in the
concurrent and subsequent year (p>0.05); however, the 2-year lagged variable (p=0.03) and the 3-year lagged variable (p=0.01) for physical activity prevalence were negatively associated with Medicare costs,
indicating a time-lagged relationship. It was estimated that a 10 percentage point
increase in physical activity prevalence in each state is associated with reduced
Medicare Parts A and B costs of 0.4% after 2 years and 1.0% after 3 years.
Conclusions
Results revealed a time lag effect highlighted by a delayed inverse relationship between
state-level physical activity prevalence and healthcare costs among older adults.
This evidence offers governments and communities new insights to guide policymaking
on long-term public investment in physical activity intervention programs.
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: February 14, 2020
Identification
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© 2020 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
