[A health promotion programme's effectiveness in reducing medical care costs].
OBJECTIVE
Regularly engaging in physical activity should enable disease incidence to become reduced and may result in reducing healthcare costs. Exploring possible health care cost reduction in active people.


METHODS
An active group of people's medical costs were contrasted with those of a control group of people taken at random from the rest of the population so covered in a health-care providing institution.


RESULTS
Medical costs were lower for active people in areas such as emergency room visits, hospitalization and providing medication; a reduction was observed in the frequency of cases and the average cost per patient and per service.


CONCLUSIONS
Regular physical activity reduces health care requirements and thereby leads to significant savings in health-care costs. This leads to promising perspectives for implementing health promotion programmes amongst the population and rationalising health sector financial resources.
Facultad Nacional de Salud Pública, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. elkmartz@guajiros.udea.edu.co
Elkin
E
Martínez-López
Isabel C
IC
Grajales
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003105:Colombia; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics*; D017721:Hospital Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D055815:Young Adult