Preventive Health

Preventive health focuses on keeping people healthy and well, and avoiding the onset of disease, illness, or injury.

Over the past 50 years, the prevalence of chronic conditions has increased, with most of the disease burden in Australia now being caused by cancer, mental health conditions and substance use disorders, musculoskeletal conditions, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological conditions. ^{10, 33}

Many of these conditions can be prevented through improving individual, social, economic, and structural risk factors. ^{23, 34}

Increasing physical activity, including through sport participation, is one of the key measures identified through the Australian National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030 to help “improve the health and wellbeing of all Australians at all stages of life”. ⁷

The Australian National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030 calls for: ⁷

• the Australian sport sector to play a greater role in preventive health action to increase physical activity and improve mental health within the community
• more Australians to be engaged in sport and active recreation throughout every stage of life
• communities to be encouraged and supported to deliver locally designed programs that support physical activity, which are inclusive and promote social connection.

Health benefits

Sufficient physical activity reduces the risk of developing a range of non-communicable diseases illnesses and injuries including: ^{7, 8, 13, 23, 24, 34, 35}

• cardiovascular disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• depression, anxiety or other mental illnesses
• dementia/cognitive decline
• some cancers (such as breast and colon)
• osteoporosis
• musculoskeletal conditions

Being physically active also maintains strong muscles and bones, reduces the risk of experiencing falls, and can help reduce risk factors such as unhealthy weight gain, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. ^{17, 23}

Sport participants, including volunteers, generally report feeling happier and healthier, including improving or maintaining physical and mental fitness and function across the life course. ^{28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 36}

Around 2% of the total disease burden in Australia could be avoided if all people in Australia were sufficiently active. ^{8, 10}

In 2024, physical inactivity was one of the top ten leading preventable causes of ill health and premature death, responsible for around 2% of the total disease burden including 4.5% of deaths in Australia. ¹⁰

Economic benefits

Conservatively estimated, physical inactivity cost health-care systems INT$53.8 billion worldwide in 2013, of which: ⁴

• $31.2 billion was paid by the public sector
• $12.9 billion by the private sector
• $9.7 billion by households.

Sport creates AU$29 billion of net health benefits each year through reduced healthcare costs and early mortality. ¹

Community sport infrastructure helps generate AU$4.9 billion worth of health benefit including personal benefits to those who are less likely to contract a range of health conditions which are known to be associated with physical inactivity and the benefits to the health system from a healthier population. ²

If all adults aged 18-64 walked just 15 minutes more a day, the world economy would grow by an estimated $100 billion a year until 2050.³

In 2018-19 managing health conditions due to physical inactivity (such as coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes) cost the Australian health system an estimated AU$2.4 billion. ⁵

Research from South Australia found that, on average, inactive individuals consumed around $1,500 more in public health services a year, and insufficient physical activity has the potential to cost the public health system an additional $86,366 over an adult’s lifetime. ⁶

Sport injuries

Physical activity and sport participation will always carry a risk of activity related injuries. These risks can be better managed by ^{22, 24}

• Education regarding what is ‘safe practice’
• Relevant data collection and research to more accurately assess risks and develop mediating strategies
• Implementation of strategies and programs at all levels of organised sport
• Public awareness of the benefits and risks of physical activity, particularly during unsupervised activities.

Sport injury spending is highest at younger ages, particularly for young males (aged 5-19), and then decreases steadily from age 30 onwards for both males and females. ²¹

In 2018-19, up to AU$1.4 billion in health spending could have been avoided through improved injury prevention and management in sport and physical activity (12% of total injury costs). ²¹

Around AU$55 per person was spent treating and managing sports injuries for Australians in 2018-19. For males, this was $64 per person and for females was $40. ²¹