This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Prolonged sitting or lying down could cost NHS £700m per year
New research has found theat prolonged sedentary behaviour, where people are sitting or lying down for long periods during the day, could be costing the NHS up to £700 million per year.
The report Direct healthcare costs of sedentary behaviour in the UK published by the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, suggests it could also be the cause of almost 70,000 deaths.
The report, authored by Leonie Heron, Ciaran O'Neill, Helen McAneney, Frank Kee and Mark A Tully, states:
"The total NHS costs attributable to prolonged sedentary behaviour in the UK in 2016–2017 were £0.8 billion, which included expenditure on CVD (£424 million), type 2 diabetes (£281 million), colon cancer (£30 million), lung cancer (£19 million) and endometrial cancer (£7 million). After adjustment for potential double-counting, the estimated total was £0.7 billion. If prolonged sedentary behaviour was eliminated, 69 276 UK deaths might have been avoided in 2016."
"In this conservative estimate of direct healthcare costs, prolonged sedentary behaviour causes a considerable burden to the NHS in the UK. This estimate may be used by decision makers when prioritising healthcare resources and investing in preventative public health programmes."
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