Artículo
Valuing preventable deaths from major non-communicable diseases and all causes associated with sedentary behavior in Argentina
Registro en:
0033-3506 (impreso)
1476-5616 (en línea)
10.1016/j.puhe.2023.02.011
Autor
García Witulski, Christian Martín
Institución
Resumen
Abstract: Objective: This study estimated the population attributable fractions, preventable deaths, and indirect
economic costs from major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and all causes associated with excessive
sitting time in Argentina in 2019.
Methods: Population attributable fractions were used to calculate preventable deaths from NCDs and all
causes associated with prolonged sitting time ( 6 h/d). Then, the human capital approach was used to
quantify the present value of lifetime earnings, which was subsequently used to calculate indirect costs
due to lost productivity. A Monte Carlo simulation was performed in three counterfactual scenarios to
evaluate the sensitivity of the results.
Results: In Argentinian men and women, respectively, approximately 11.3% (381) [10% (290)] of deaths
from colon cancer, 4.4% (250) from breast cancer (women only), 4.6% (588) [4.4% (402)] from coronary
heart disease, 30.5% (1390) [27% (1047)] from diabetes, and 14.9% (24,686) [13.7% (21,418)] from all
causes could have been avoided annually by eliminating excessive sitting time. The indirect economic
Q2 costs of excessive sitting time reached 0.025% (0.019%e0.032%) and 0.37% (0.25e0.58%) of GDP for major
NCDs and all causes, respectively. High levels of heterogeneity were found at the regional level.
Conclusion: Prolonged sitting time generates substantial societal costs. Public policies aimed at reducing
excessive sedentary behavior in the overall population, especially in the most affected regions, would
represent considerable savings for society as a whole. Such initiatives should address the complex and
multifactorial causes of sedentary behavior, the clear gender and age differences in this behavior, and the
factors underlying these differences.