{"id":23062,"date":"2025-04-25T10:54:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T15:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/?post_type=insight&p=23062"},"modified":"2025-04-25T10:54:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T15:54:02","slug":"more-than-a-gut-feeling","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/us\/insight\/more-than-a-gut-feeling\/","title":{"rendered":"More than a Gut Feeling | Supporting Digestive Health in the Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Employee Benefits<\/p>\n

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\n More than a Gut Feeling | Supporting Digestive Health in the Workplace\n <\/h1>\n\t\n <\/div>[vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Background on Digestive Health<\/h3>\n

April is gut health (aka Digestive Health, aka GI) awareness month. Worldwide, more than 40% of people have functional gastrointestinal (GI) conditions.1<\/sup> GI conditions include digestive issues, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticular disease, colitis, colon cancer, celiac disease, gastritis, acid reflux, lactose intolerance and many others.2<\/sup> Aside from family history or predisposition to one of these conditions, GI issues can be caused by poor dietary patterns, lack of exercise, stress and hormonal changes.2 In 2021, the total US expenditure for digestive health diseases was $111.8 billion, and continues to rise rapidly. 3<\/sup><\/p>\n

Why Employers Should Be Concerned About Digestive Health<\/h3>\n

Employers are now ranking digestive issues in the top eight4\u00a0<\/sup>chronic conditions driving medical and pharmacy spend. Millions of people seek care for digestive issues, resulting in emergency room visits, ambulatory care and hospitalization.<\/p>\n

Digestive issues result in high costs and productivity loss. Patients often experience delayed diagnosis, leaving them to deal with symptoms for longer periods of time, such as abdominal pain, gas, bloating, nausea and diarrhea. According to the Business Group on Health5<\/sup>, GI issues can lead to individuals missing as many as 17 workdays each year and are the second most common cause of short-term disability claims in the US.<\/p>\n

What Employers Can Do to Improve Workforce Digestive Health<\/h3>\n

Employers have an opportunity to impact the cost and prevalence of GI conditions within their population. By providing foundational support, assessing their population\u2019s needs and implementing targeted strategies, employers can help prevent the spread of GI conditions and help those with GI issues better manage their condition.<\/p>\n

Employers trying to address the increasingly common problem of digestive health and related GI conditions should consider the following three steps:<\/h4>\n

1. Foundational Support<\/strong><\/p>\n

The key to ensuring employees stay or become healthy is making it easy for them to make healthy choices. When it comes to digestive health, key foundational support elements include education on nutrition, access to nutritious food choices and dietitian support.<\/p>\n

Employers can revisit Brown & Brown\u2019s E.A.T.<\/a> framework to build foundational support for employees by:<\/p>\n