Physical activity and healthcare utilization in France: evidence from the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) 2014

Abstract

Background A growing need and focus on preventing and controlling the diseases and promoting a healthier lifestyle is more evident at global, regional, and national levels. In this respect, it is well-known the positive association between physical activity and population’s health, but also its negative association with the demand of healthcare, which could lead to lower spending on healthcare systems. In France, a lack of physical activity, a high prevalence of sedentary behaviours, and a continuous deterioration of these behaviours are observed since 2006. Therefore, promoting and increasing physical activities could contribute to major societal issues. Within this context, the study aims to analyse how the use of different healthcare services are related to physical activity in a nationally representative sample of French population. Methods The data used was retrieved from the second wave of the EHIS-ESPS 2014. The relationship between physical activity and healthcare utilization, controlled by a set of socioeconomic, demographic, and health behaviour factors, was explored both at the level of the entire population and separately for two age groups (less than 65 years, 65 years and older), employing probit and recursive multivariate probit models. Results Our findings underline that the relation between healthcare utilization and physical activity depends on the type of healthcare services and age group. In this respect, only among adult respondents, we observe a significant negative association between physical activity and prescribed medicines consumption and day hospitalization, while preventive services use is positively related to physical activity. Common to both age groups, the positive association of physical activity with general physician services and non-prescribed medicines reveal that moderately and highly active adults and elders may be more health conscious and therefore may seek referrals to generalist and other prevention measures more frequently than their inactive counterparts. This explanation is also sustained by the negative association between physical activity and overnight hospitalization or home healthcare services. Conclusions This study highlights the double role of physical activity on health as preventive measure and treatment and thus support the implementation of public health policies aimed at increasing the level of physical activity in French population.

Associations of Social, Cultural, and Community Engagement With Health Care Utilization in the US Health and Retirement Study

“…The short-term findings were supported by our longitudinal analyses, as decreased engagement and consistent nonparticipation in creative and physical activities were associated with increased length of hospital stay and (for physical activities) use of community health care. This is also in line with previous evidence on the associations of physical activity with lower levels of health care utilization in later life, which could be explained through the health benefits of physical activity, including improved physical functional abilities, facilitated disease recovery, and phycological benefits …”

“…This is also in line with previous evidence on the associations of physical activity with lower levels of health JAMA Network Open | Health Policy care utilization in later life, which could be explained through the health benefits of physical activity, including improved physical functional abilities, facilitated disease recovery, and phycological benefits. [45][46][47] Our results are consistent with previous theories that SCCE could reduce demand for secondary care services, 24 although they show nuance in 2 ways. First, it was length of hospital stay rather than admissions or readmissions that were associated with SCCE.…”

“…This is also in line with previous evidence on the associations of physical activity with lower levels of health care utilization in later life, which could be explained through the health benefits of physical activity, including improved physical functional abilities, facilitated disease recovery, and phycological benefits. 45 , 46 , 47 …”

Behavioral Risk Factor and Primary Healthcare Utilization in South Africa

“…Studies [ 44 , 45 ] have also validated the reducing effect of physical activity on healthcare utilization. However, [ 46 , 47 , 48 ] noted that the association of physical and healthcare utilization is dependent on age. Similarly, regarding the co-occurrence or clustering of behavior, [ 35 ] found that participants having seven unhealthy lifestyles are 24 percent less likely to visit a GP for medical consultation.…”

Diurnal switching of physical activity reduces depression-related behaviors: A time-series analysis of wearable device data

“…These studies have used total or mean values for intensity or duration of a physical activity. In addition, these were subjective and often focused on an activity domain of interests, including leisure time, household, transportation, and work [2,4,5]. Therefore, objective and comprehensive information about habitual physical activity in daily life has not been accurate enough because of overly compressed and subjective information prone to memory bias [6].…”