A study finds smoking, excess weight, over-consumption of alcohol and physical inactivity are some of the leading causes of chronic disease among Canadian men and the annual economic burden attributable to these four factors is $36.9 billion.
“The cost of men’s poor health is a huge problem that more and more people are talking about,” says Dr. Larry Goldenberg, the founder of the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation (CMHF). “Encouraging men to make some changes in their lifestyle is helping to prevent up to 70% of these problems without adding another doctor or hospital to the healthcare system.”
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The study, commissioned by CMHF, breaks down the economic burden: Direct health care accounts for $11.9 billion, with the remaining $25.1 billion caused by premature mortality ($14 billion), short-term disability ($2.4 billion) and long-term disability ($8.6 billion). Of this, $13 billion is attributable to smoking, $11.9 billion to excess weight, $7.6 billion to alcohol, and $4.4 billion to inactivity.
These four risk factors contribute to approximately 40 different chronic conditions including 78% of chronic lung diseases, 73% of cancers of the head and neck, 72% of lung cancers, 67% of type 2 diabetes, 58% of heart diseases, 56% of strokes, 52% of colorectal cancers, and 30% of chronic back pain.
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“The personal costs associated with family tragedy are incalculable,” says Scotiabank chief economist Warren Jestin. “However, the study’s estimate that men’s poor lifestyle choices are costing Canadians $11 billion in short- and long-term disability is a very big deal to the business sector, and to provincial governments struggling to contain health care costs that already absorb more than 40 cents of every dollar spent on programs.”
The study’s release coincides with the second annual Canadian Men’s Health Week, an awareness campaign by the CMHF that encourages men to make small but essential changes to their lifestyles.
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