Associations between Physical Activity Level and Health Services Use in Spanish Adults

Ángel Denche-Zamorano, María Mendoza-Muñoz, Jorge Carlos-Vivas, Laura Muñoz-Bermejo, Jorge Rojo-Ramos, Frano Giakoni-Ramírez, Andrés Godoy-Cumillaf and Sabina Barrios-Fernandez
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Ángel Denche-Zamorano: Health Economy Motricity and Education (HEME), Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Caceres, Spain
María Mendoza-Muñoz: Research Group on Physical and Health Literacy and Health-Related Quality of Life (PHYQOL), Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Caceres, Spain
Jorge Carlos-Vivas: Promoting a Healthy Society Research Group (PHeSO), Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Caceres, Spain
Laura Muñoz-Bermejo: Social Impact and Innovation in Health (InHEALTH), University of Extremadura, 10003 Caceres, Spain
Jorge Rojo-Ramos: Social Impact and Innovation in Health (InHEALTH), University of Extremadura, 10003 Caceres, Spain
Frano Giakoni-Ramírez: Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Las Condes 7550000, Chile
Andrés Godoy-Cumillaf: Grupo de Investigación en Educación Física, Salud y Calidad de Vida, Facultad de Educación, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Temuco 4810101, Chile
Sabina Barrios-Fernandez: Social Impact and Innovation in Health (InHEALTH), University of Extremadura, 10003 Caceres, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-14

Abstract: One of the main concerns of governments and organisations worldwide is the cost and burden of health services, with sedentary lifestyles being a significant impacting factor, and physical activity is one of the potential solutions. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the possible associations between the physical activity level, hospitalisation prevalence, and the use and number of visits to emergency services in the Spanish population, examining potential differences between sex and age groups. This is a cross-sectional study based on data from the Spanish National Health Survey 2017 (ENSE 2017), the last one before the COVID-19 pandemic, with 17,199 participants. A descriptive analysis was performed using median and interquartile range (continuous variables) and absolute and relative frequencies (ordinal variables). Intergroup differences were analysed with non-parametric tests: chi-square and z-test for independent proportions (categorical variables), and Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U (continuous variables). Spearman’s rho was used to study correlations between variables. A multiple binary regression analysis was performed to predict hospitalisations. Hospitalisations and emergency services use showed a dependence relation with the physical activity level ( p < 0.001): those who performed moderate and/or vigorous physical activity used those services less than sedentary individuals and those whose only activity was walking. Thus, associations could be drawn between the hospitalisation prevalence, the use and number of visits to emergency departments, and the physical activity level in the Spanish population aged 18–69 years in the pre-pandemic period.

Keywords: physical activity; physical activity level; sedentariness; health services; health costs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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