A study was conducted to determine the effects of a new train station on health expenditures. The research team found that the opening of a new mass transit station was significantly linked to a decrease in average health spending per person. The declining population in Osaka, driven by an aging society, has been causing an increase in healthcare costs. Dr. Haruka Kato, a junior associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University, collaborated with the Future Co-creation Laboratory at Japan System Techniques Co., Ltd. to carry out natural experiments on the potential impact of a new train station on healthcare expenses.
The JR-Sojiji Station started operating in March 2018 in a suburban city along the West Japan Railway line which connects Osaka and Kyoto. Researchers used a causal impact algorithm to analyze the medical expenditure data collected from the time series medical dataset REZULT provided by Japan System Techniques.
Their findings suggest that the opening of this mass transit station was significantly linked to a reduction in average healthcare expenditures per person by about 99,257.31 Japanese yen (USD 929.99) over a period of four years, with the US dollar amounts based on March 2018 exchange rates. Additionally, the 95% confidence interval iThe study showed a decrease in expenditure from JPY 136,194.37 to JPY 62,119.02 over four years. This aligns with previous research suggesting that improved access to public transportation could lead to increased physical activity among commuters. The results support the idea that opening a mass transit station can positively impact health spending.
Dr. Kato emphasized the importance of evaluating the social impact of urban designs for evidence-based policymaking. The findings provide a valuable contribution by allowing assessment of this impact in terms of healthcare.The expenses related to health were found to decrease with the opening of the JR-Sojiji Station, as indicated by a new study published in the Journal of Transport & Health.
