A Preliminary Investigation: Effect of a Corporate Fitness Program on Absenteeism and Health Care Cost

A random sample of 517 employees was studied to determine differences in health care costs and absenteeism among exercisers and nonexercisers during the start-up of a corporate health and fitness program. Exercise was associated with decreased illness absence among female exercisers (47 v 69 hours, P less than. 05) and there was a trend for illness absence to be inversely related to advancing age among exercisers, whereas illness absence increased among nonexercisers. Total health care costs among exercisers was lower (male 561, females 639) than among nonexercisers (male 1, 003, females 1, 535). Due to the large variation in the individual cost, the differences between exercisers and nonexercisers were not statistically significant. Ambulatory health care cost for nonexercisers (males 486, females 883) were significantly higher than the costs for exercisers (males 408, females 243). Because the differences were found upon program initiation, they were thought to be characteristics of exercisers and not due to exercise itself.