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A Preliminary analysis of medical expenditures among active and sedentary US adults with mental disorders
David R Brown1, Guijing Wang, Marc A Safran
1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Physical Activity and Health Branch, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, USA. DBrown@cdc.gov
Objective:
To determine whether leisure-time physical activity is associated with lower direct annual medical expenditures among a sample of adults with mental disorders.
Methods:
Using the 1995 National Health Interview Survey and 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, differences between medical expenditures for sedentary and active persons were analyzed using t-tests.
Results:
The per capita annual direct medical expenditure was US 2785 dollars higher for sedentary than for active persons (P<0.05). The total expenditure associated with sedentary behavior was US 31.7 billion dollars (US 19.1 billion dollars in men; US 12.6 billion dollars in women).
Conclusions:
Physical activity is associated with a reduced economic burden among people with mental disorders.
