Additional billions for the economy? Experts say that physical activity can save you money
A few years ago, the cost of low physical activity of the society in Poland amounted to approximately EUR 2 billion a year. If we update these calculations and take the negative changes in lifestyle resulting from the pandemic and the increasing health debt into account, the price of lack of activity will be even more acute for our country, including the health care system and the labour market. According to experts, preventive measures that will mobilise Poles to move are necessary, because, as indicated by the results of the MultiSport Index 2022 survey, as many as 59% of working age people still do not meet the basic recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) with regard to physical activity.
– There is no doubt that the pandemic-related unfavourable changes in lifestyle and work, difficult access to sports facilities as well as limited access to specialists will translate into an increase in the incidence of diseases of affluence and an increased mortality of the Polish population. We can say that the long-term health damage caused by decreased physical activity during the pandemic may be greater than the morbidity and mortality directly related to COVID-19 – indicates Dr. Ernest Kuchar, sports medicine and infectious diseases specialist at the Medical University of Warsaw.
During the first lockdown, as many as 43% of physically active Poles limited their physical activity, mainly due to limitations in the operation of sports facilities.[1] Today, the level of activity among the society has returned to its pre-pandemic levels. The latest MultiSport Index 2022 survey indicates that 65% of adult Poles exercise at least once a month. However, this result is still below expectations, as only 41% of these people declare that they fulfil the WHO recommendations, which includes at least 150 moderate or 75 intense physical activity per week. Insufficient levels of activity, combined with the stresses we experienced during the pandemic, already translates into a negative health balance today.
– Research shows that after two years of the pandemic Poles are not only in poor physical but also mental condition. Let us remember that we have had a problem with diseases of affluence, which are directly related to our lifestyle, including the level of physical activity, for years. Long before the pandemic, in 2017 and 2018, about 60% of Poles struggled with overweight or obesity, over 30%, which is nearly 10 million of us, had hypertension, and another 3 million had diabetes. The diseases we contracted during the pandemic will only increase the scale of the health debt of Poles which we have been consistently incurring for years – says Dr. Małgorzata Gałązka-Sobotka, Director of the Healthcare Management Institute at the Lazarski University.
According to the results of the MultiSport Index 2022 survey, 33% of adult residents of Poland admit that the pandemic had a negative impact on their physical health and 40% declare that it also damaged their mental condition. The scale of the occurrence of health problems is undeniably increased by a sedentary lifestyle: 72% of people who sit between seven and eight hours a day admit that they experience mental health ailments more often than before the outbreak of the pandemic and 52% have problems with physical health. And more health problems translate into higher costs.
How much does the lack of physical activity cost us?
– A few years ago, the costs of hypokinesis – low physical activity – among the residents of our country were estimated at over EUR 2 billion a year, which was equivalent to 8.4% of national health care expenditure. Meanwhile, if half of the physically inactive people started to move, Poland could save about half a billion zloty on health care alone. This is just the beginning of savings because other costs resulting from lack of physical activity that can be reduced, such as sickness absenteeism, should also be considered – explains Dr. Małgorzata Gałązka-Sobotka.
The Institute for Structural Research estimated that a 10% increase in the percentage of Poles who meet the basic WHO recommendations in the field of physical activity might translate into an improvement in employment rates, meaning an increase in the number of working people and an approximately 2% decrease in the amount of absenteeism. As a result, it may bring significant savings for the economy, amounting to approximately PLN 1 billion.
Employers have long recognised the benefits and have acted upon them
Employers have been investing in the physical activity of their employees for years. Numerous surveys and expert opinions as well as the experience of companies indicate that programmes supporting health, including those involving physical activity, can increase the productivity and commitment of employees, and even improve the long-term results of the company. They can also reduce employee turnover and – according to IBS calculations – reduce sickness absenteeism. In the 2020 “Health Capital” survey conducted by the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, as many as 82% of companies admitted that during the pandemic they increased their spending on employees’ health and 41% of decision-makers in companies in Poland stated then that in the future the promotion of physical activity would be a key activity in this regard.Employees themselves are of a similar opinion. According to the MultiSport Index 2022 survey, currently as many as 92% of working Poles consider physical activity an important element of preventive health care, while 88% emphasise the positive impact of exercise on improving or maintaining a good mental condition. The scale of challenges related to the mental health of employees is illustrated, among others, by data on sickness absenteeism in 2021, when mental and behavioural disorders accounted for over 25 million days of absence from work.
Employers have an influence on the physical activity of Poles
Health-promoting activities undertaken by employers translate into the level of physical activity of employees, and thus also into the health of teams and company savings. As shown by the results of the MultiSport Index 2022 survey, in companies that offer sports cards as part of non-financial benefits, the level of physical activity of employees using this benefit is as high as 79%, which means that it is by 14% higher than the national average (65%). In the case of MultiSport cards, which have been available on the Polish market for nearly 20 years, the level of its users’ activity is even higher and fluctuates around 99% (34% higher than the whole society).
– By offering non-financial benefits in the field of sport and recreation, employers break the barrier of sport availability that is still present in our society and support regular physical activity. This is also noticed by employees. According to the MultiSport Index 2022 report, one in four Poles believes that it is employers that have the greatest impact on the popularisation of physical activity – says Emilia Rogalewicz, Management Board Member at Benefit Systems. – Research has shown that thanks to the card 73% of MultiSport Programme users exercise more often and 60% did not have a fitness club pass before joining the programme. Today, the programme is used by 940,000 people in Poland. This means that, together with the employers, we support the health of nearly one million Poles – sums up Emilia Rogalewicz.
[1] MultiSport Index Pandemic survey
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MultiSport Index is the first comprehensive survey of physical activity undertaken at least once a month and regular sports activity undertaken at least once a week of Poles conducted in Poland. The survey is commissioned by Benefit Systems and each time enhanced with a special part, which this year covers the impact of the pandemic and physical activity on the health and wellbeing of Poles. The Multisport Index 2022 survey was conducted by Kantar in cooperation with the Minds & Roses research company on 14-24 November 2021 on a representative random sample of 1,400 Poles over 18 years of age using the computer-assisted telephone interview technique (CATI).
MultiSport Programme is offered as part of non-financial benefits. It enables employees and their relatives to use over 25 sports disciplines in nearly 4,500 sports and recreational facilities located in 650 Polish cities. The MultiSport card is used by over a million users in Poland and abroad (Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia). Since 2021, the programme has also been developed on the Turkish market. The MultiSport mission is to activate all generations as well as to build awareness of a healthy and active lifestyle. More information on the MultiSport Programme can be found at www.kartamultisport.pl.
Benefit Systems has been operating on the Polish market for over two decades and is one of the leaders in providing non-financial benefits that support the wellbeing of employees. The company is the creator of the MultiSport Programme which allows its users to take up physical activity in sports facilities all over the country. The Benefit Systems portfolio also includes the MyBenefit cafeteria platform with the MyBenefit Active gamification module as well as the MultiLife wellbeing program which comprehensively meets the needs related to a healthy and active lifestyle of employees. For several years now the company’s sports offer has been developed on foreign markets, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Croatia. An important area of Benefit Systems’ activities is promoting an active lifestyle at every stage of life, which is why the company implements initiatives supporting physical activity of children, adults, and seniors. Since 2018, Benefit Systems has been a part of the global B Corp initiative bringing together companies involved in solving the most important social problems. More information on the company can be found at www.benefitsystems.pl.
