Background and aims: Physical activity has been demonstrated to prevent physical impairment in elderly people. Physical impairment often leads to dependency and the need for help or health services. Therefore, participation in physical activity programs (PAP) may reduce health care costs. The aim of this study was to evaluate: i) the effect of a PAP on functional ability and the use of health care services; ii) the possible association between level of functional ability and public health care costs.
Methods: 185 participants aged 65+ (mean: 74.7 yrs) were recruited. The intervention consisted of a group-based multicomponent PAP, 1.5 hours, once a week, for 5 months. Functional ability was assessed by questionnaire and physical performance tests before and after the PAP. Economic analyses were based on data collected retrospectively from public registers and questionnaires describing the use of health care services (e.g., public home care, GPs, hospitals).
Results: Participants revealed a high level of functional ability. Only a few significant differences between pre- and posttests were observed. Many participants incurred no or very low public health care costs. The probability of using health care services decreased with better functional ability scores and lower age.
Conclusions: Participants in this study maintained their level of functional ability in the intervention period with unaltered use of health care resources.