Download Demystifying Women`s Health

Demystifying Women’s Health
Women’s Health
• Reproductive rights, violence against women,
poverty, access to health care, sexually transmitted
diseases, nutrition, healthcare disparities, economic
instability, war, illiteracy, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy,
childbirth, sexuality, self-esteem, depression, body
image, substance use, eating disorders,
pharmaceuticals, aging, fitness, smoking, cancer,
diabetes, heart disease, menstrual disorders,
menopause, addiction, human rights, environment,
relationships, immunizations, screening tests,
injuries, obesity, stress, sleep disorders, pain,
vaginitis, infertility, HPV, UTIs, adolescent health,
suicide, anxiety, alcohol, caregiving, wellness
Women’s Health
Holistic
– Mind, body, and spirit
Balance
– In all aspects of life
Individualized
– Varies
Demystify
To make less
mysterious
To clarify
“Demythify”
A myth is an idea
which is widely
held but untrue.
• Reproductive rights, violence against women,
poverty, access to health care, sexually transmitted
diseases, nutrition, healthcare disparities, economic
instability, war, illiteracy, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy,
childbirth, sexuality, self-esteem, depression, body
image, substance use, eating disorders,
pharmaceuticals, aging, fitness, smoking, cancer,
diabetes, heart disease, menstrual disorders,
menopause, addiction, human rights, environment,
relationships, immunizations, screening tests,
injuries, obesity, stress, sleep disorders, pain,
vaginitis, infertility, HPV, UTIs, adolescent health,
suicide, anxiety, alcohol, caregiving, wellness
What to Demystify?
Age-related
health issues
Sexuality
Taking
charge
Media
influence
The leading cause of death in
American women is:
1. Breast cancer
2. Heart disease
3. Lung cancer
The risk of breast cancer in women who
are in their 30s is:
1. 1 in 8
2. 1 in 20
3. 1 in 233
The risk of breast cancer for women in
their 80s is:
1. 1 in 8
2. 1 in 20
3. 1 in 233
The highest suicide rate in women occurs
in which age group?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Adolescents
Young adults
Middle aged
Elderly
The two biggest risk factors for breast
cancer are:
1. Being a woman and aging
2. Family history and aging
3. Family history and being a woman
Examples of how women can take control
of their health include:
1. Choosing to see a female NP instead of a
male gynecologist for Pap smears
2. Refusing to buy into the media’s images of
obsessive thinness as the ideal for women
3. Meditating on a daily basis as a stress
management technique
4. All of the above
Age-Related Health Issues
15-19 years
20-24 years
25-34 years
35-44 years
45-54 years
Accidents
Accidents
Accidents
Cancer
Cancer
Suicide
Homicide
Cancer
Accidents
Heart disease
Homicide
Cancer
Heart disease
Heart disease
Accidents
Cancer
Suicide
Suicide
Suicide
Strokes
Age-Related Health Issues
55 years and older
Heart disease
Cancer
Chronic lung disease
Alzheimer’s disease
More statistics?!
 Women 18 years and older
– 18% smoke
– 22% have not had a Pap smear in the past 3 years
 Women 20 years and older
– 62% are overweight
– 32% have high blood pressure
 Women 40 years and older
– 33% have not had a mammogram in the past 2
years
The two biggest risk factors for breast
cancer are:
1. Being a woman and aging
2. Family history and aging
3. Family history and being a woman
The risk of breast cancer in women who
are in their 30s is:
1. 1 in 8
2. 1 in 20
3. 1 in 233
The risk of breast cancer for women in
their 80s is:
1. 1 in 8
2. 1 in 20
3. 1 in 233
Sexuality Myths
 Sex is intercourse
 Sex is heterosexual
 Women should satisfy men
 Sexual pleasure is the partner’s
responsibility
 Lots of stimulation is needed to arouse a
woman
 Older women are not interested nor capable
Sexuality Myths
Women are not interested
Women are so sexually aggressive that
they cannot be satisfied
Women cannot enjoy sex unless they have
an orgasm
Women can have an orgasm only with
intercourse
Sexuality
Decreased libido: No. 1
Painful sex
Vaginismus
Inability to have an orgasm
What Women Say
Best sex is in a stable relationship
Sexual functioning is most affected by
availability of an interested and
interesting partner
Meeting intimacy needs improves sex
lives
They fake orgasms to please partners
What Women Say
They believe it is their duty to fulfill
partner’s sexual desires
They have had painful intercourse
They have put themselves at risk for STIs
including HIV and unintended pregnancy
Media Influences
Presentation of the ideal woman
Presentation of health information
The Ideal Woman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C714
3sc_HbU
Media Education Foundation
– Critical reflection on social, political, and
cultural impact of American mass media
What to Believe?!?!?
“New Drug Prevents Breast Cancer”
“Chocolate Helps Weight Loss”
“Hormone Therapy Prevents Heart
Disease”
“Hormone Therapy Increases Risk of
Heart Disease”
How to interpret?
Read beyond the riveting headlines
Consider the source
Check the context
Be wary of alarmists
Learn about research design
Look to respected health authorities
Surf for yourself
– www.nutrasweet.com
Health Information
• http://www.ageingwell.org.au/content/v
iew/130/1/
Empowerment toward health
Taking charge
Taking control
Individually
Collectively
Contextually
Globally
Responsibility for self
Responsibility for others
Reactively
Proactively
Personally
Politically
Personal/Political
Contextual/Global Self/Others
Individual/Collective
Proactive Health Care
• Prevents or reduces physical and
emotional illness
• Allows women to take care of themselves
and others
• Safeguards physical, emotional, and
spiritual health
Write Your Story
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH54
ykMcZFs