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Professor Adrian Bauman MBBS, MPH, PhD, FAFPHM
Epidemiology Unit, Hugh Jardine Building
Locked mail bag 7017, Liverpool BC 1871
New South Wales , Australia
TELEPHONE 61 2 9828 6000
FACSIMILE 61 2 9828 6012
email a.bauman@unsw.edu.auTo: Mr Harold Scruby
Pedestrian Council of Australia
Re: The health benefits of walking – assessing the importance of an under-recognised issue
Dear Harold,
You asked me to comment on the health benefits of walking, and the potential
cost-savings if most adults walked regularly. The benefits of walking fit into the
broad area of physical activity and health, where Australia has a poor recent
record. Contrary to our self-perceived national image, rates of physical activity
among adults have declined in recent years, making us an international leader
among couch potatoes. This is our greatest current public health threat, as we
have made positive gains in addressing similar health risk factors, with recent
declines in tobacco use, and better management of high blood pressure.
However, physical inactivity, or as Frank Booth describes it, ‘SeDS’ (Sedentary
Death Syndrome) remains a leading contributor to morbidity, death and disability
in Australia (AIHW 1999).
This unenviable record is associated with around $400 million in direct costs of
inactivity per year to the health sector alone (Stephenson et al 2000), and with
untold indirect costs, including adverse effects on quality of life, and possibly on
the economic sector associated with leisure, sport and recreation.
Given the increase in work commitments, and reduction in perceived time for
many adults, the excuse ‘no time’ or ‘cant do exercise’ is often heard. Physical
activity needs to be strategically introduced into people’s lives, such that it
becomes an ‘incidental’ part of everyday life, if we are to reverse these worrying
trends.
There is clear epidemiological evidence that accumulating up to half an hour of
physical activity each day would contribute to many health outcomes. One of the
best ways to achieve this, and almost the only way in the short term, is to
encourage more adult Australians to walk more often. For example, local
neighbourhood walking for recreation, or walking each day to the bus stop,
station or to work is an excellent strategy for achieving population change in the
short term.
From many population surveys we know that walking is the most prevalent
activity, with more than three-quarters of adults reporting some walking each
week; mostly this is only occasionally, and only a fifth of these achieve ‘half an
University of New South Wales
Sydney 2052 Australia
hour per day’ or the minimum amount required for health. Thus, if we could
increase walking, among those already doing some, health costs would be saved,
and health benefits would rapidly accrue. For example, if we increased walking
five days per week [say, to and from the bus stop each day] for a further 10% of
the adult population, we would note:
• A total of $76 million would be saved in direct measurable health care
costs each year, with even larger savings in indirect costs
• 1038 fewer heart disease deaths in Australia each year
• savings of $31 million from cardiovascular disease costs alone
• a marked reduction in the incidence of diabetes, possibly by 20%, and
around 300 fewer diabetes-related deaths each year, and direct health care
cost savings of $22 million
• at least 15% of bowel cancer cases would be prevented (the second or third
greatest cause of cancer mortality]
• a probable increase in community well-being and quality of life
For these reasons, I strongly support initiatives to increase walking, and the need
for a walking strategy or Australia, to help to reverse our dismal physical activity
record. Although we have had some relative gains in some regions, for example
through Physical Activity Taskforces and some media campaigns in recent years,
much more remains to be done in physical activity promotion. Walking is an
obvious starting place, as the population is already able to, and interested in
walking, and can fit this activity into everyday lifestyles. I would be prepared to
assist with any initiatives to get Australians walking, and to develop a muchneeded
strategic, inter-agency and coordinated framework for ‘Australians
Walking’.
Yours sincerely,
ADRIAN BAUMAN
27TH MARCH 2002PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND EPIDEMIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF NSW
DIRECTOR, NSW CENTRE FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH [AFTER MAY 2002]
CHAIR NSW PREMIER’S TASKFORCE ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY |
