Media Clipping — October 19, 2004, The Halifax Herald

Get a move on

Inactivity is a burden on society and our cities should be tailored towards hoofing it or biking it

By Dr. Lydia Makrides

Physical inactivity is taking a terrible toll on the health of our city, our province our country - and our economy. This toll is spelled out clearly in a new report prepared by GPI Atlantic for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia, The Cost of Physical Inactivity in the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Nearly half of Halifax's population over the age of 12 is inactive, and this costs Nova Scotia $68 million a year in direct and indirect costs. It is also the cause of 200 premature deaths a year.

This is not inevitable. We can make a start by exploring ways to encourage - and enable - us to get more physically active: in our leisure, in our commutes, and in our workplaces.

The shape and structure of our cities can promote active commuting: walking and bicycling to work, using public transportation combined with walking to and from the bus or ferry stop. Bicycle paths and pedestrian trails can make walking and cycling simpler and safer. Improved access to sports facilities and outdoor activities will entice Haligonians off their couches into more active lifestyles.

We can make Halifax a more walkable city: providing services locally so people can walk to get them, encouraging walkable neighbourhoods so people don't have to jump in their cars for every errand.

A recent study conducted in Atlanta, Ga. found that walkability and connectedness of neighbourhoods are strongly associated with a decrease in the risk of obesity, while increased time spent in a car is associated with an increased risk of obesity: People who lived in walkable neighbourhoods lowered their risk of obesity by 35 per cent.

Each additional kilometre walked per day was associated with a 4.8 per cent reduction in the likelihood of obesity. Each additional hour spent in a car per day was associated with a six per cent increase in the likelihood of obesity.

The potential payoff for this reordering of our priorities is huge as detailed in the Heart and Stroke Foundation's report:

Physical inactivity in HRM costs the provincial health care system $16 million a year in hospital, physician and drug costs alone. When all direct health care costs are added, including private expenditures, the sedentary lifestyle of nearly half of HRM residents costs the province, and, therefore, the taxpayer, $23.6 million a year in direct medical care expenditures.

This spending is currently added to the provincial Gross Domestic Product and economic growth statistics, and is thus taken as a sign of prosperity and progress. The Genuine Progress Index counts this spending due to physical inactivity as a cost - not a gain - to the economy. Physical inactivity in HRM costs the provincial economy an additional $ 44.7 million each year in indirect productivity losses due to premature death and disability. Adding direct and indirect costs, the total economic burden of physical inactivity amounts to $180 per person per year in Halifax Regional Municipality.

In the Halifax Regional Municipality, 30 per cent of heart disease, 22 per cent of osteoporosis, 16 per cent of stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer, and 9 per cent of breast cancer is attributable to physical inactivity.

Studies show that regular exercisers have much less overall lifetime morbidity than those who are sedentary, indicating that avoided medical costs due to physical activity are not simply deferred to older ages.

Two hundred HRM residents die prematurely each year due to physical inactivity, accounting for seven per cent of all premature deaths in the municipality. These premature deaths result in the loss of 850 potential years of life every year in HRM before age 70. In other words, if all HRM residents were physically active, the municipality would gain 850 productive years of life each year, with corresponding gains to the economy.

A 10 per cent improvement in Haligonians' level of activity would save the province $4.75 million.

The good news is that Nova Scotians are getting more active. In 2001, 53 per cent of Nova Scotians were inactive. In 2003, 50 per cent were inactive. We are improving - and individuals, communities and workplaces are benefiting. The 25-year regional plan for HRM is an opportunity to ensure that we continue to improve. Let's use it.

Dr. Lydia Makrides is president, Creative Wellness Solutions and director of the Atlantic Health and Wellness Institute.

Copyright © 2004 The Halifax Herald