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MU researcher Frank Booth credits the rise in health care
costs to a sedentary lifestyle that has contributed to
many diseases that could have been prevented.
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Your
Waistline Can Affect Your Bottom Line
By Christian Basi
The next time you think about eating
some ice cream or cake, take a 20-minute walk instead. It could
save you more than $20 each month. According to a University
of Missouri-Columbia researcher, America’s waistline could
be costing taxpayers more than $250 each year, and unless Americans
change their activity habits, that figure will only get worse.
“Our government does not have
enough money for us to remain physically inactive,” said
Frank Booth, a professor of biomedical sciences at the MU
Health Activity Center and co-author of the new book Exercise.
“Some people may think that being sedentary is a symbol
of our success. I’m not saying that we need to go backward,
but we do need to add some physical activity to our daily routine.”
According to recent estimates from
the Center for Disease Control,
physical inactivity costs U.S. taxpayers approximately $77 billion
every year. That figure is the sum of consumer costs in insurance
premiums and payments to the medical industry plus government
expenditures through the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Booth
credits the rise of health-care costs to a sedentary lifestyle
that has contributed to many diseases, such as type 2 diabetes,
that could have been prevented.
In his book, Booth discusses various
diseases or conditions — metabolic diseases, such as type
2 diabetes; many forms of cancer, including pancreatic and colon
cancer; osteoporosis; and cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension
and congestive heart failure — that may worsen with little
or no physical activity. Booth wrote the book by surveying various
research studies, including his own study that observed the
numerous effects of exercise on the human body.
“It’s frustrating when
people underestimate the importance of exercise,” Booth
said. “We also need to address how physicians should talk
to their patients and how we can reach those people who are
outside of the health-care field. Those individuals who cannot
afford to go to the doctor on a regular basis also need to hear
this message.”
Booth gives the following tips for
starting a moderate exercise program:
- Find an activity that is enjoyable,
whether it is swimming, running or playing with children.
- Start with small activities like
hand exercises or walking short distances and slowly build
over time.
- Take the stairs at work instead
of the elevator and walk to appointments instead of driving
if possible.
- Don’t over exercise, such
as running marathons. Studies show that low to moderate exercise
builds the immune system, but over-exercising can have adverse
effects.
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Copyright © 2007 — Curators of the University of Missouri
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Published by the Mizzou Alumni Association
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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