Meta-research studies conducted by universities and institutes across the UK, Spain, and Germany find compelling results for the value of a physically active day (10,000 steps)
LONDON, Sept. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading academic institutions and research teams estimate that walking 10,000 steps in a day is worth up to $6.25, and as low as $0.52, with a median value of $3.96 per person. Widely accepted as the marker of an active day, 10,000 steps per day is proven to lower risks of cardiovascular disease, anxiety, and depression and can also contribute to longer lifespans. This new research, which was facilitated by the tech project Sweat Economy, builds on this premise by quantifying the monetary benefits and economic value of an active lifestyle.
By leveraging $60,000 in research grants provided by Sweat Economy, the project backing $SWEAT (token) and Sweat Wallet with the goal to make users' physical movement valuable, the University of Birmingham (UK), University of Cádiz (Spain) and Blockchain Research Lab (Germany) took novel approaches to this research problem, with each institution deploying distinct research methodologies.
An Active Day is Worth $6.25 for Individuals
Co-led by Dr. Mark Elliott and Dr. Danae Arroyos-Calvera, the University of Birmingham consulted research that estimated the Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) gained from being physically active and derived a value of at least $6.25 per day, which amounts to over $2,280 yearly.
Dr. Mark Elliott, Associate Professor of Human Movement Analytics at the University of Birmingham, said, "Our comprehensive review of the academic literature provides a robust foundation for quantifying the economic benefits of physical activity. These values can help guide decisions around public health initiatives, workplace wellness programs, and other strategies to get people moving more."
An Active Day is Worth $1.96 for Governments
Dr. Borja del Pozo Cruz from the University of Cádiz and Prof. Sebastien Chastin from the Caledonian University of Glasgow concluded that an active day is worth $1.96 per day to governments, based on the UK's National Health Service (NHS) annual cost per head and National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES) Survey Data.
Paired with research conducted in the Sweat Wallet app, the researchers surveyed over 100K people from 114 countries on their perceived value of an active day, one of the largest contingencies of crowdsourced wisdom of its kind to date. The findings ranged from $0.5 to $9.5 per day.
Borja del Pozo Cruz, Principal Investigator for the research from the University of Cádiz, said, "The report's findings emphasize the economic and demographic factors influencing the perceived value of physical activity and suggest the need for tailored public health strategies to promote more active lifestyles. Policymakers and businesses should take note of this public sentiment and prioritize initiatives that can deliver these returns."
Employers to benefit from a value of $4.38 per employee per active day
Hamburg-based Blockchain Research Lab estimated that employers can benefit from increased employee productivity if they are physically active. Dr. Lennart Ante concluded that companies can benefit from an economic value of $4.38 per employee per active day, and see a 2.7% productivity boost attributed to improved employee health and reduced absenteeism.
Oleg Fomenko, Co-Founder of Sweat Economy, and organizer of the research program, said, "It is great to see how easily the world can move from talking about the benefits of being active to estimating the financial value of your physical activity. A wide range of estimates from $0.52 to $6.25 suggests that more work is ahead of us, but the sheer scale of this research matches our ambition of turning the value of your physical activity into a trillion-dollar economy - The Movement Economy."
The consistent theme across these studies is the undeniable economic value of physical movement. Regular exercise not only improves individual health and well-being but also generates substantial economic benefits for society. Governments and institutions can now encourage physical movement as a cost-effective strategy for enhancing public health and reducing healthcare expenditures.
For more information on the research, please refer to this document.
Oleg Fomenko, Co-Founder of Sweat Economy, and Dr. Mark Elliott, Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham are available for interviews
About Sweat Economy
Sweat Economy is a Web3 ecosystem on a mission to help the world be more physically active by incentivizing movement. It is powered by $SWEAT, a crypto asset capturing the value of physical movement, minted by steps. The token is managed via the Sweat Wallet dApp, the non-custodial Web3 mobile wallet dApp for managing your $SWEAT and other crypto holdings. Sweat Wallet is a top 5 dApp globally, boasting over 1.5 million monthly unique active users on the platform. Users can start earning $SWEAT and participate in the movement economy by installing the free Sweat Wallet app on Google Play or the App Store.
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