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Résumé S’il existe aujourd’hui un large consensus sur l’étendue, les causes et les conséquences économiques à moyen et long termes de la détérioration de l’environnement et du climat, la communauté internationale se divise encore sur la nature, l’ampleur et le calendrier des actions à mettre en œuvre pour y remédier. Pour aider à trancher ces débats, l’analyse économique a formulé des solutions intéressantes, fondées tant sur des mécanismes institutionnels que sur des dispositifs de marché. Or, paradoxalement, l’innovation environnementale (et les activités de R&D sur lesquelles elle doit s’appuyer) y occupe une place secondaire, alors même que, pour beaucoup, elle est présentée comme une des principales solutions au problème de l’environnement et que certaines de ces innovations environnementales devraient représenter à long terme un potentiel économique considérable. Codes JEL  : B52, E6, L5, O3, Q55

Background A growing need and focus on preventing and controlling the diseases and promoting a healthier lifestyle is more evident at global, regional, and national levels. In this respect, it is well-known the positive association between physical activity and population’s health, but also its negative association with the demand of healthcare, which could lead to lower spending on healthcare systems. In France, a lack of physical activity, a high prevalence of sedentary behaviours, and a continuous deterioration of these behaviours are observed since 2006. Therefore, promoting and increasing physical activities could contribute to major societal issues. Within this context, the study aims to analyse how the use of different healthcare services are related to physical activity in a nationally representative sample of French population. Methods The data used was retrieved from the second wave of the EHIS-ESPS 2014. The relationship between physical activity and healthcare utilization, controlled by a set of socioeconomic, demographic, and health behaviour factors, was explored both at the level of the entire population and separately for two age groups (less than 65 years, 65 years and older), employing probit and recursive multivariate probit models. Results Our findings underline that the relation between healthcare utilization and physical activity depends on the type of healthcare services and age group. In this respect, only among adult respondents, we observe a significant negative association between physical activity and prescribed medicines consumption and day hospitalization, while preventive services use is positively related to physical activity. Common to both age groups, the positive association of physical activity with general physician services and non-prescribed medicines reveal that moderately and highly active adults and elders may be more health conscious and therefore may seek referrals to generalist and other prevention measures more frequently than their inactive counterparts. This explanation is also sustained by the negative association between physical activity and overnight hospitalization or home healthcare services. Conclusions This study highlights the double role of physical activity on health as preventive measure and treatment and thus support the implementation of public health policies aimed at increasing the level of physical activity in French population.