A new Australian report has highlighted an urgent need to prioritise chronic disease prevention, as treatment costs for ill health escalate.

The report, ‘Health System Spending on Disease and Injury in Australia 2022–23‘, has just been released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

It reveals that health expenditure for preventable chronic diseases has surged to more than $170 billion annually. This represents a $13 billion increase in spending in just one year – rising from $159.3 billion in 2021–22, to $172.3 billion in 2022–23 (a growth of 8.2% in current prices).

In 2022–23, the highest expenditure was for:

  • Cancer: $18.9 billion
  • Cardiovascular diseases (CVD): $16.2 billion
  • Musculoskeletal disorders: $15.9 billion

Cancer not only topped the financial burden list, but also had the highest human cost, with the most significant burden of disease in 2023.

While preventing and managing chronic conditions is complex, with no one ‘magic bullet’ solution, simple dietary changes, like eating a handful of nuts daily, have the potential to make a sizeable impact – saving millions in health care expenditure.

A first-of-its-kind analysis, commissioned by Nuts for Life, ‘The Economic Impact of Increased Nut Consumption in Australia’, showed the potential health care cost savings* linked to greater nut consumption.

If all Australians consumed a 30g handful of nuts daily, $980 million in annual health care cost savings could be achieved.

Of this $980 million:

  • $699 million could be saved in cancer-related health care costs.
  • $281 million could be saved in CVD-related health care costs.

The analysis, conducted by KPMG, considered the diseases with the highest potential to be mitigated or prevented if nut consumption increased, the prevalence and impact of these diseases on population health, and government health care expenditure on them.

The bottom line:

This new AIHW data confirms the need for greater public health strategies focused on preventative health, including good nutrition.

Supporting Australians to adopt simple habits, like eating a handful of nuts a day, will translate into significant health system savings, and mostly importantly, better health outcomes for Australians.

*AIHW (2021) Disease expenditure in Australia 2018-2019.

Nuts for Life - Economic impact of increased nut consumption - Infographic
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