YLE – Staff Writer
Inactivity among Finns is costing society billions of euros, claims a report by the sports and physical activity research institute, UKK. According to an new UKK report, low levels of physical activity, long sedentary periods and low fitness levels all cost society over three billion euros every year. The research is the first to extensively probe and quantify the financial impact of sedentary habits on public finances. According to UKK director Tommi Vasankari, it was not possible to include all of the possible costs of inactivity, due to redundancies in various databases and registries. “In spite of that, the costs easily ran into the billions. In view of this price tag, this issue is discussed surprisingly seldom in Finland,” Vasankari noted. (more)