Original scientific paper
Physical inactivity and healthcare costs in the Republic of Croatia
Evica Obadić
; Hrvatski olimpijski odbor
Branimir Blajić
; Institut za zdravstvenu zaštitu „Bonifarm zdravlje“
Ivana Kerner
; Terme Sveti Martin
Luka Leško
; Kineziološki fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Abstract
Scientific evidence shows that physical inactivity is
a cause and remedy for major public health problems as
well as many diseases are more common among physically
inactive people than those who are regularly engaged in
some physical activity. It has also been shown that physical
activity has a positive impact on quality of life and work
efficiency, a preventative role in the emergence of longlasting
illness, mental symptoms and poor overall health
status of the working population. In recent scientific
studies, physical inactivity is defined as a global pandemic
associated with a number of chronic non-communicable
diseases and is one of the major causes lost of healthy
years of life and premature death. Also, is responsible for
the significant economic burden of worldwide health. It is
estimated that physical inactivity contributes to an increase
of 1-4% of total direct health costs while the economic
burden of physical inactivity varies among countries. Since
all the researches of physical activity among Croatian
popualtion have showed an unsatisfactory state of physical
activity, the aim of this paper was to make the first fifteen
years analysis of the most significant natural and financial
indicators of the healthcare costs in the Republic of Croatia
with determined trends (increase or decrease) in the period
from 2002 to 2016. The results of this research show that
the number of insured persons in the Republic of Croatia in
the period from 2002 to 2016 remained almost at the same
level and while total healthcare costs increased by 66%. The
structure of the most significant costs (expenditures) shows
the highest increase in the cost of especially expensive
medicines (5.392%), hospital healthcare costs (114%) and
prescription medicines (59%), the highest number of recipes
(106%) and the average number of issued recipes per insured
person (103%). The results of this research can be useful as an initial analysis to manage the healthcare costs in order
to reduce a part of the healthcare costs, especially in those
costs that can be influenced by increased physical activity.
Keywords
health; physical activity, prescription medicines; especially expensive medicines; sick leave
Hrčak ID:
197948
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2017.
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