Physical inactivity cost Canada $6.8 billion a year

$6.8 billion a year is the new cost of physical inactivity in Canada, says researcher Ian Janssen. The report, from Queen’s University, looks at treatment costs for diseases caused by physical inactivity.

“Physical inactivity has surpassed epidemic proportions in Canada and accounts for a significant portion of health care spending,” said the report.

Between 2007 and 2009, only 15% of Canadian adults received the recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise, a number continuing to drop. In the same three-year span, only 9% of Canadian youth achieved their recommended weekly exercise.

The more Canadians settle into a life of physical inactivity, the more they exact a toll on the country’s health care system, a new study from Queen’s University suggested.