The role of agents in disease prevention: how education and client support contribute to public health

What role do agents play in disease prevention through education and client support?

For health insurers, encouraging policyholders to adopt a healthy lifestyle is key, since healthier habits tend to mean fewer claims and lower costs from diseases that can often be prevented with small changes. 

But it is not only about financial interests: it is about helping people lead fuller, more active lives with fewer health problems. 

As noted in the introduction, diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer can often be prevented or delayed by changing eating habits, increasing weekly physical activity, and avoiding harmful substances such as alcohol and tobacco. 

Today there are many tools for monitoring health more closely, such as wearable devices, mobile apps, and artificial intelligence tools, but having them does not ensure that people will take the right steps to prevent diseases such as those mentioned above. 

That is why the role of insurance agents matters: they can play an active role in education, motivation, and personalized support toward healthier lifestyle habits. Agents do not have to limit themselves to selling policies; they can become genuine partners in looking after their policyholders’ health. 

Health education as a driving force in prevention

Education is one of the most important aspects of disease prevention, above all because it empowers people to make informed decisions about their health.

This education should cover several areas, including:

• Balanced diet and physical exercise: it is important for people to learn to read nutrition labels on the foods they buy, plan healthy menus, and adopt exercise routines that improve their fitness.
• Preventing tobacco use and alcohol consumption: avoiding harmful substances such as tobacco and alcohol helps reduce the risk of some diseases, since both are associated with millions of deaths worldwide each year.
• Mental health and stress management: chronic stress can contribute to or worsen physical illness, so preventing it also has a direct effect on overall health.
• Appropriate use of health services: going to the emergency room when needed and having regular checkups are part of prevention strategies and should not be overlooked. It is also important for people to learn to interpret medical instructions and know which services their health coverage includes.

All of this is essential for promoting a healthy lifestyle and, therefore, for preventing disease. Agents need to keep their knowledge up to date to support policyholders and provide relevant, current information. 

Agents as key facilitators of preventive education

Agents can do more than provide information about the policies they sell: they can help deliver the kind of education described in the previous section. Their role goes beyond that of a commercial intermediary: it can, and should, include supporting policyholders and helping them find information that benefits their well-being. 

Because of the relationship they have with policyholders, agents can more readily identify behaviors that put health at risk, particular needs, and opportunities for preventive intervention. They can also encourage policyholders to make healthier choices about their habits. 

An opinion article published by the World Economic Forum argues that prevention is becoming increasingly important for insurers, largely because advances in artificial intelligence and data analytics now make it possible to act in ways that were not available before. 

These advances allow insurers to understand risk profiles more precisely, anticipate the development of chronic diseases, and even personalize health interventions based on each person’s behavior and history. Even so, having the technology does not guarantee that policyholders will adopt preventive behaviors on their own. 

Agents can translate technical information and complex data into messages that are clear and actionable for each client. For example, if an insurer identifies that a group of policyholders has high levels of physical inactivity, the agent can encourage that group to join a physical activity program, explains the concrete health benefits, and answers questions about how to access the available resources. Any use of health data for this purpose should follow data protection rules and respect clients’ consent. 

Client support as the foundation of prevention

The work of insurance agents matters not only because they can help people better understand their coverage, but also because they can promote basic health knowledge.

This is what the concept of health literacy refers to: the ability to find, understand, and use information to make informed decisions.

The problem today is information overload, made worse by health and wellness influencers who often promote habits that may harm people’s well-being.

In this respect, agents can offer informed support and help clients make sure the health information they rely on is reliable.

To understand why this work matters, consider that some studies suggest many people have a limited understanding of health insurance and its terminology.

In addition to listening actively and communicating with empathy, agents can educate people so that they make better decisions about health, reduce their risk of developing disease, and enjoy greater well-being.

They can also encourage self-care habits and discourage behaviors that could put people’s health at risk. 

Collaboration among professionals to strengthen prevention

Educating people about health is not the exclusive responsibility of doctors and nurses; insurance agents can complement that work by providing clear, accessible information that reinforces what health professionals indicate during consultations or procedures. 

Prevention strategies and healthy lifestyles depend on all actors in the health system working together in a coordinated way to protect patients’ well-being. 

With this in mind, insurance agents should take on a more active, coordinated, and engaged role in health promotion. This means ongoing training, encouraging policyholders to join wellness programs, and maintaining good relationships with medical specialists, who can help people improve their health literacy. 

Agents inform and encourage, but they do not diagnose or give medical advice: questions about symptoms or treatment belong with a health professional, and any health information a client shares should be handled confidentially and with their consent.