Download September 21st, 2004

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INTRODUCTION
TO
WOMEN’S HEALTH
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“The medical model is still male in many
ways. Women have been ignored far too
much. This has gone on too long. It’s
traditionally been that human chemistry
and physiology were male until proven
otherwise. Women will make a revolution in
health care.”
- Kathryn C. Benjamin, M.D., Past President,
American Medical Women’s Association -
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HISTORICAL DIMENSION: THE WOMEN’S
HEALTH MOVEMENT
1830s and 1840s: The Popular Health Movement
1861 –1865: The Civil War Period
Elizabeth Blackwell
Dorothea Dix
Clara Barton
1st Women’s Rights Convention
1873 to 1890s: The Women’s Medical Movement
1st training schools for nurses
Women attending medical schools
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1890s to 1920s: The Progressive Era
19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Equal Rights Amendment
Legalization of contraception
1st birth control clinic
Children’s Bureau
1930s to 1950s: World War II and Postwar Years
Employment opportunities
The Kinsey Report
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1960s – 1970s: The Grassroots Movement
FDA approval of birth control pill
Civil Rights Act
Title VII
Congressional Caucus for
Women’s Issues
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1980s: Changing Public Policy
U.S. Public Health Service’s Tasks Force on Women’s
Health
Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)
The Women’s Health Equity Act
$ for health research: contraception, infertility,
breast cancer, ovarian cancer, HIV/AIDS, and
osteoporosis
Coverage of Pap smear screening and
mammography
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1990s: Women’s Health at the Forefront
Government
Healthcare
Institutions
WOMEN’S HEALTH
Advocacy
Organizations
Academia
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1990s: Women’s Health at the Forefront
NIH Revitalization Act
Family and Medical Leave
Violence Against Women Act
The New Millennium
Human Genome
Women’s Health Initiative findings
Improved HIV/AIDS medications
Public Health Programs
Inclusion of children in clinical trials
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THE POLITICAL DIMENSION OF
WOMEN’S HEALTH
1. Policy making
2. Financing
3. Protecting the health of the public
4. Collecting and disseminating information about health
and healthcare delivery systems
5. Capacity building for population health
6. Managing of health services
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DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIZATIONS &
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
The Department of Health and Human
Services’ Office on Women’s Health (DHHSOWH)
serves as coordinating agency for…
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC)
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INVESTMENT in BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
Increased life expectancy
Improved health throughout lifespan
Decreased cost of illness
Increased understanding of health factors
Inclusion of woman-specific data into clinical practice
Inclusion minorities as subjects
Increased gender-based research
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10 GENDER-RELATED DIFFERENCES
CONDITION
WOMEN VS. MEN
Heart Disease
Kills 50 000 more/yr
Strikes 10 yrs. later
 chance of 2nd attack with 1yr
Depression
2-3X more likely to suffer
 levels of serotonin
Lung Cancer
 chance of developing disease
 susceptibility to carcinogens
STDs
2X more likely to contract a STD
10X more likely to contract HIV
Anesthesia
Wake up more quickly
(7minutes vs. 11)
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10 GENDER-RELATED DIFFERENCES…
CONDITION
WOMEN VS. MEN
Drug Reactions
Different reactions and side effects with
antihistamines and antibiotics
Autoimmune Disease
3 out of 4 sufferers are female
Alcohol
 production gastric enzyme
 BAC
Osteoporosis
80% of osteoporosis population
 rate of bone mass loss
Pain
 Effectiveness of kappa-opiates
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REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Legalization of Abortion: January 22, 1973
Roe v. Wade
“Global Gag Rule”: January 22, 2001
Foreign family planning agencies may not receive
U.S. assistance
Restrictions = possible consequences
 Increase in…unplanned pregnancies,
abortions, maternal and infant deaths,
transmission of HIV
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ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS,
SERVICES, AND HEALTH INFORMATION
Low socioeconomic status
Lack of health insurance
Lack of access to healthcare facilities and services
Language barriers and illiteracy
Unfair treatment by medical personnel due to race, ethnicity, or
sexual orientation
Inability to pay for costs of treatment medications
Decline of coverage for healthcare costs deemed experimental
Fear of doctors leading to avoidance of healthcare
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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON WOMEN’S
HEALTH
5 World Conferences for the Advancement of
Women:
1975: World Plan of Action
1980: Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women
1985: Birth of Global Feminism
1995: Greatest Obstacles for Women’s Advancement
2000: Women 2000 – Gender Equality, Development,
and Peace for the 21st Century
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INFORMED DECISION-MAKING:
TAKE ACTION
INFORMATIVE WEBSITES:
National Organization for Women (NOW)
The National Women’s Health Information Center
The Office on Women’s Health
Office of Research on Women’s Health
Society for Women’s Health Research
Women’s Issues in Congress