OBJECTIVES: Lack or reduced physical activity is an important modifiable risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The present study analyze the cost-effectiveness of investment in behavioural interventions to foster and enable more people in Greece to be more active.

METHODS: We used two (-2-) simulation models for the economic evaluation of public health interventions focusing on physical activity. In particular, we make use of:

1. The Health economic assessment tool (HEAT) for walking and for cycling (WHO).
2. The Weight management economic assessment tool (PHE)

The objective of the above health and economic modelling components was to carry out cost-effectiveness analysis and calculate life years gained & health benefits along with net cost saving for various levels of cost of the intervention in Greece.

RESULTS: The HEAT tool analysis, shows that over the full assessment period of 10 years, 11.874 premature deaths are prevented. This corresponds to a total economic value of USD 26.700.000.000 adjusted to 2021 value. The PHE tool analysis calculated an ICER for the cohorts of people below €20,000 per QALY for most of the interventions studied, considered low compared with the estimated threshold adopted for Greece.

CONCLUSIONS: The majority of research around health-related behaviors indicates that minor changes can lead to enormous improvements in people’s health and life expectancy. Greece has recently made substantial progress in setting up and implementing a variety of policy measures to address overweight, largely by tackling lack of physical activity. It should be noted at this point that though prevention public health strategies are often cost-effective, budget allocation favours treatment-oriented approaches. The reasons for this are frequently political However, there should be a transparent and frank debate about long-term viability of public health policies.