Sport as a Means for Reducing the Cost of Illness — Some Theoretical,Statistical and Empirical Remarks

Abstract

In the Federal Republic of Germany, many supporters of the sports movement (Sportbewegung) suggest that sport might be an effective and efficient instrument to reduce the costs of illness and death. In this paper empirical evidence is given on the basis of economic theory to support the argument that sport would not be a superior instrument for cost reduction. The main reason is that instrumental sport may not lead to better health in every case. Secondly, the opportunity costs of sport practicing are distributed unequally. Thirdly, it is probable that better health and an increased life expectancy would not reduce expenditure of goods and services for health care. To learn more about the epidemiological links between instrumental sport and health, an improved kind of longitudinal data would be necessary.