Helping Women Take Control of Their Health in Midlife.
With the increased roles women play, the “superwoman” syndrome has begun to occur. This phenomenon is leaving women with less time for themselves, and their health is suffering as a result.
In the early 1900s, most women were physically active because their daily lives required it. While they were relatively healthy, infectious diseases were prevalent and caused a high percentage of deaths. Now, 100 years later, immunizations and medicine have significantly reduced the number of deaths due to infectious disease, and these diseases no longer occur in epidemic proportion. The life expectancy of women has reflected these advancements, and has increased from 48.3 years in 1900, to 79.4 years in 1997. Based on this, it would be expected that women’s health in the United States is very good. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Today, 80 percent of women work either part or fulltime. Of the estimated 15 percent of informal caregivers for ill or disabled family members, 72 percent are women. That is in addition to caring for children. In a recent survey, two-thirds of women polled were solely responsible for healthcare decisions in their family. In the same survey, 83 percent of the women reported that they were involved in the financial decisions regarding the health of their families. Women are acting as employees and employers, caregivers for children and other family members, family healthcare and financial decision-makers, wives, daughters and friends. With the increased roles women play, the “superwoman” syndrome has begun to occur. This phenomenon is leaving women with less time for themselves, and their health is suffering as a result.
Health and fitness facilities and professionals can help women take control of their health by educating them, and offering programs and services that better cater to their busy lives.
Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) was accountable for just under one million deaths in the U.S. in 1998, and more than half (53 percent) of the people who died from CVD were women. This makes it the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. Why is it, then, that in a 1997 national survey, only 8 percent of women recognized heart disease and stroke as the leading cause of women’s deaths? In large part, it is because CVD has traditionally been referred to as a “man’s disease.” Less emphasis has been placed on its effects on women and, as a result, many women are unaware of their risk.
Recovery and survival rates for women who have heart attacks (one form of CVD) are also of significant concern. The unfavorable outcomes for women can be partially attributed to misdiagnoses, since heart attack symptoms in women can differ significantly from those in men. A common belief is that symptoms of a heart attack are chest pain and tightness that can move to the back, neck, shoulders and arms. This is true if you are a man. Warning signs for women can also include severe shortness of breath, pain in the upper abdomen, nausea or vomiting, profound fatigue or weakness, unexplained anxiety and profuse sweating. These symptoms can easily be written off as food poisoning, the flu or just feeling under the weather.
Cancer
Cancer is the second leading killer of women in the U.S., with lung cancer being the leading cause of cancer deaths in 1999. Over the past ten years, mortality rates from lung cancer, while decreasing for men, have continued to increase for women. Between 1960 and 1990, deaths from lung cancer among women have increased by more than 400 percent.
Breast cancer is the second leading cancer killer of women in the U.S. It is often perceived by women to be the most serious threat to their health. Therefore, it may be surprising to find that breast cancer is not the leading cause of death in women; furthermore, it is not even the leading cancer killer.
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in American women, with cancers of the female reproductive system following.
Finally, skin cancer, while often trivialized, can prove to be very dangerous. Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is most frequently found in women ages 30 to 34. Although men overall are more likely to develop skin cancer, women under the age of 40 comprise the quickest growing group of skin cancer patients, with the rate of new cases continuing to increase. The number of cases for this group more than doubled between 1973 and 1975
Stroke
When separated from CVD, stroke is the third leading cause of death for women in the U.S., and is the most common cause of serious, long-term, adult disability. While women account for a lower percentage (43 percent) of those having strokes, they account for a larger portion (61 percent) of stroke deaths. At all ages, more women die from strokes than men.
Obesity
Obesity is a chronic disabling condition that is of epidemic proportions. Obesity in womenhas risen25 percent since 1970, to 36 percent of the female population. Women account for more than half of the adult obese population, and more than half of the combined “obese” and “overweight” categories.
Diabetes
Like obesity, diabetes is on the rise. Of the physician-diagnosed cases of diabetes, women account for more than half. This percentage does not improve when looking at the statistic for those who die from secondary conditions associated with diabetes. In 1998, diabetes-related conditions killed 64,751 people in the U.S., 54.3 percent of whom were women. According to the American Heart Association, diabetes in the future is expected to have a greater burden on women.
Arthritis
Arthritis affects 4.7 million Americans, 26.4 million (64 percent) of whom are women. And arthritis does not occur only in older adults. Of all the people affected by arthritis, half are younger than 65 years old. Approximately 17 percent of women in the U.S. report that arthritis limits their daily activities, making this condition the most common and disabling condition reported by women.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis affects 25 million Americans, 80 percent of whom are women. More than half of all women older than 65 suffer from osteoporosis. Like all of the health conditions discussed, osteoporosis contributes to a decreased quality of life. The condition causes 1.5 million fractures of the hip, wrists, vertebrae and other bones each year. In fact, it accounts for 70 percent of all fractures occurring annually in people older than 45.
The solution
Part of the solution to these health problems is for health and fitness professionals to help women take an active role in their health. Fitness professionals have a responsibility to educate, and to offer the necessary skills for women to be able to improve their lives. It is imperative for you to be aware of how various health conditions affect women so you can better serve your female clients and members. With many health conditions affecting more women than men, something is missing or simply not working in the healthcare continuum. Health and fitness professionals have the unique opportunity to fill this void.
REFERENCES
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Health, United States, 1999 with Health and Aging Chart Book. Hyattsville, Md., 1999.
Farley, D. Bone Builders: Support Your Bones With Healthy Habits. FDA Consumer, 1997.
McCracken, C. Understanding the Female Shopper’s Mystique. Shopping Center World 29: 212-214, 2000.
Office on Women’s Health. Priority Women’s Health Issues. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000.
By Courtney Hadden & Thomas P. Sattler.
Pearl River Community College Athletic Program Best in Mississippi.