The Physicians Foundation Survey Finds Lack of Access to Nutritious Food is Undermining Chronic Disease Care and Prevention

New survey examines how gaps in access to healthy foods are impacting chronic disease outcomes and what it will take to close them.

BOSTON, June 30, 2026 — The Physicians Foundation today announced findings from its 2026 Survey of America’s Physicians: Impact of Healthy Food on Chronic Disease Care and Prevention, revealing a critical disconnect in U.S. healthcare: while physicians recognize nutrition as foundational to preventing and managing chronic disease, the healthcare system is not fully equipped to enable its use – leaving many patients unable to follow clinical guidance.

Chronic disease may be diagnosed in the exam room, but too often it is shaped by whether patients can access nutritious food and make healthy lifestyle choices. At a moment when national attention is increasingly focused on nutrition as a core tool for improving health, a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. physicians, conducted in collaboration with Medscape, finds that gaps in access to key drivers of health – particularly healthy food – are contributing to worsening control of chronic conditions and limiting physicians’ ability to deliver effective care.

Key findings point to widespread challenges affecting both patients and physicians – and potential solutions to address these issues:

• More than three quarters of physicians (78%) encounter patients at least monthly whose chronic disease care is compromised by a lack of access to healthy food.
• Nearly half of physicians (45%) report that patients with chronic diseases frequently or almost always experience worsening control of symptoms primarily due to drivers of health, rather than clinical factors alone.
• 68% of physicians support insurance coverage for healthy food benefits to make it easier for patients with chronic conditions to make healthier lifestyle or diet choices.

“Physicians understand that nutrition is a critical clinical intervention to prevent and manage chronic disease,” said Dr. Gary Price, President of The Physicians Foundation. “When patients lack access to the healthy foods they need and therefore cannot follow clinical recommendations, it undermines care and leads to worse outcomes. As our survey makes clear, insurance coverage for nutritious food benefits is a crucial tool in enabling patients to follow their doctors’ guidance to eat real food.”

The Physicians Foundation’s findings reinforce the growing recognition across the country – including by leadership at the federal and state level – that improving access to nutritious food is essential to addressing diet-related and other chronic diseases and reducing healthcare costs. Aligning healthcare coverage, policy frameworks, and community resources to support nutrition-based care will be critical to improving outcomes and supporting both patients and physicians.

The Physicians Foundation is advancing research to better integrate drivers of health into care delivery and improve chronic disease outcomes.

Read the full survey results and methodology here.

About The Physicians Foundation 

The Physicians Foundation is a public charity seeking to advance the work of practicing physicians and help them facilitate the delivery of high-quality health care to patients. As the U.S. health care system continues to evolve, The Physicians Foundation is steadfast in strengthening the physician-patient relationship, supporting medical practices’ sustainability and helping physicians navigate the changing health care system. The Physicians Foundation pursues its mission through research, education and innovative grant making that improves physician wellbeing, strengthens physician leadership, addresses drivers of health and lifts physician perspectives. For more information, visit www.physiciansfoundation.org.

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