Is addressing food insecurity the key to preventing and managing chronic disease?

Three in 5 Americans live with a chronic disease — and 2 in 5 have 2 or more.¹ A staggering 90% of the nation’s $4.1 trillion annual health care expenditures go toward treating patients with chronic diseases.² So it’s no surprise that chronic disease prevention and management have been top of mind for employers for decades. However, many employers still don’t realize the deep connection between nutrition and chronic disease. Diet plays a pivotal role in the prevention, management, and treatment of serious and costly chronic illnesses — including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. In fact, 1 in 5 deaths can be attributed to poor diet.³ And while most employees are aware that healthy eating can reduce their risk, many are also dealing with food and nutrition insecurity — which costs the U.S. health care system an additional $53 billion per year by triggering or worsening chronic diseases and driving up emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and readmissions.⁴

Conventional wisdom suggests that bringing home a steady paycheck should protect employees from any health threats related to food and nutrition insecurity — but it’s more pervasive than some people think. The reality is that 1 in 4 Americans live with food insecurity, and half of them are employed.⁵ So what can employers do to reverse this trend, better prevent and manage diet-related chronic diseases, and ultimately improve workforce heath?

The cost of chronic disease in the workplace

Diet-related chronic diseases are causing health care costs to skyrocket. Each year, conditions like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease cost employers billions of health care dollars, on top of indirect expenses like absenteeism, presenteeism, and disability. In fact, chronic diseases cost U.S. employers $36.4 billion per year in absenteeism alone.⁷

• Diabetes — Health care costs for employees with diabetes are increasing by almost 20% year over year.⁸ Employers pay an additional $10,968 per employee, per year.⁹
• Obesity — Additional health care costs for employees with obesity range from $2,299 to $14,316 per employee, per year.¹⁰
• Heart disease — Heart disease accounts for $1 in every $7 spent on health care in the U.S.¹¹ And diet-related risk factors for heart disease — also associated with food insecurity — increase health care costs even further:
  • High blood pressure adds $7,418 per employee, per year¹²
  • High cholesterol adds $6,765 per employee, per year¹³

A deeper dive into food and nutrition insecurity’s impact

While employers foot the bill for the majority of added health care expenses, employees are feeling the financial burden, too. Food-insecure families pay about 20% more in annual out-of-pocket health care costs — an average of $2,500 — than their food-secure counterparts.¹⁶ And employees experiencing food insecurity are more likely to delay or go without medical care.¹⁷ This can be especially dangerous for employees with chronic diseases, who require regular care and support to monitor and manage their conditions and prevent them from becoming more serious, debilitating, and costly over time.

Employers’ role in reversing this worrisome trend

Food insecurity and chronic disease are highly complex issues — there’s no easy fix or one-size-fits-all solution. By simply speaking openly about it, employers can help destigmatize food insecurity and create a psychologically safe space for employees who might be struggling. Businesses that prioritize and invest in addressing workforce food and nutrition insecurity can help improve individual, organizational, and community outcomes.

Increase awareness and promote nutritional literacy. Educate your team about nutrition and its relationship to chronic diseases. Most Americans think their diet is healthier than it is, so improving awareness is a great first step.¹⁸ Simple interventions — like helping employees understand how to read food labels and estimate healthy portion sizes — can empower them to adopt healthier eating habits for life.

Share local and community food resources. Consider partnering with local food banks, or even just shining a light on available community resources and how employees might qualify. You can also promote awareness about school nutrition programs providing healthy meals to kids throughout the year.

Speak to diverse cultures and backgrounds. Employers need to address food insecurity in a way that reflects who their employees are. There’s not one single way to eat healthy — employees benefit from information that’s relevant to their individual cultures and preferences, and centers around foods that are readily available and affordable in their neighborhoods.

Help employees access healthy food at work. Make choosing healthy foods easy by identifying smart options in vending machines, evaluating what’s served in the cafeteria, if you have one, and consider holding on-site farmers markets or healthy food trucks.

A workforce health issue too big to ignore

Food insecurity and chronic diseases are inextricably linked. Both problems are prevalent, but they’re also often preventable with the right support. Solving such a complex social issue will require close political, organizational, and community partnerships, and employers have an opportunity to make a meaningful difference. The more effort you put into raising awareness and empowering employees to become food secure, the healthier they’ll become — and your business can only benefit as a result.