Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Nov 15:12:1425601.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1425601. eCollection 2024.

The crowding-out effect of physical fitness activities on medical expenditure in the aged group

Tao Liu  1 , Yujiao Yao  2 , Zhandong Yang  3 , Kaigeng Li  4 , Tao Yu  3 , Yalong Xia  5
Affiliations

The crowding-out effect of physical fitness activities on medical expenditure in the aged group

Tao Liu et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Introduction: China is facing the challenge of "deep aging", and promoting healthy aging has become a key research topic. Both medical care and physical exercise are important for health, but while medical services focus on treating illness, physical fitness activities focus on prevention, making them a more effective approach for promoting healthy aging.

Methods: This study uses data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), focusing on individuals aged 60 to 80, to investigate the relationship between physical fitness activities and medical expenditures. A Tobit model was employed to analyze the data.

Results: (1) Active participation in physical fitness activities significantly improves the health of older adults, making physical activity an essential pathway to achieve healthy aging. (2) Participation in sports and fitness activities leads to a crowding-out effect on medical expenditures, significantly reducing healthcare costs for participants. (3) High-intensity physical activities are most suitable for individuals aged 60-65, moderate-intensity activities for those aged 66-70, and low-intensity activities for those aged 71-80.

Discussion: (1) Policies should focus on raising awareness of physical fitness benefits among older adults, encouraging regular physical activity to improve health and reduce medical costs. (2) A shift from treatment to prevention in health management is needed, promoting exercise as a cost-effective way to reduce healthcare spending. (3) Age-specific fitness guidelines should be developed to provide tailored exercise recommendations for different older aldult age groups.

Keywords: crowding-out effect; healthy aging; medical expenditure; physical activity; tobit model.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

References

    1. Ji C. Advancing the use of urban employee basic medical insurance personal accounts for sports and fitness consumption: reasons and strategies. Sports Sci. (2017) 37:40–7. doi: 10.16469/j.css.201709004 - DOI
    1. Li X. Exploring new paths in public sports services: The "Jiangsu model" and the awakening of dormant medical insurance cards. China: China Sports Daily; (2014).
    1. Dong X, Zhang B. Discussion on the legality of using basic medical insurance fund personal accounts (medical insurance cards) for personal sports and fitness expenses. J Sports Sci. (2015) 22:8–12. doi: 10.16237/j.cnki.cn44-1404/g8.2015.04.001 - DOI
    1. Huang L. Study on the participation of rural elderly in sports in Fuzhou city under the background of new rural construction over 10 years. Contemporary Sports Technol. (2016) 6:121–2. doi: 10.16655/j.cnki.2095-2813.2016.16.121 - DOI
    1. Kuvaja-Köllner V, Valtonen H, Komulainen P, Hassinen M, Rauramaa R. The impact of time cost of physical exercise on health outcomes by older adults: the DR’s EXTRA study. Eur J Health Econ. (2013) 14:471–9. doi: 10.1007/s10198-012-0390-y, PMID: - DOI - PubMed