Background
Life expectancy for women today is nearly double what it was 100 years ago, from 48 in 1900 to 80.4 in 2007 (CDC, 2011), yet women continue to experience disease progression very differently than men. It is critical that women’s health and research become a priority in the 21st century.
Women are disproportionately affected by some conditions and diseases in terms of incidence, diagnosis, course, and response to treatment. Some populations of women may be at higher risk for adverse disease outcomes because of factors such as: biology, genes, culture, education, effects of poverty, access to care, quality of care, and access to opportunities for inclusion as research subjects in clinical trials and studies (NIH, 2011).
Health and health care for women includes the entire spectrum of a woman’s life, not just pregnancy and childbirth (Torpy et al., 2012). Medical health can affect women and men differently. Take for example, cardiac disease and heart attacks. The symptoms of cardiac disease and heart attacks may be overlooked in women because symptoms in many women are not clear-cut (Torpy, 2012). In the past, research studies did not include women participants. Therefore, conclusions from those studies may not be valid for making decisions about women, leaving women behind in receiving the benefits of science. All women deserve optimal health for themselves and their families. However, several groups of women are faced with insurmountable challenges in achieving good health and wellness. Of all groups of women, minority women, and particularly African American women, continue to fare worse than white women in terms of health status, rates of disability, and mortality (AHRQ, 2009).
Life expectancy reflects disparities in morbidity and mortality among minority women. Of all of the minority groups, African American women experience disproportionately high rates of adverse health conditions including but not limited to: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, lupus, untreated/mistreated mental health, health impact of domestic violence and complications from obesity. For some conditions, the disparities are growing despite new technologies and other advances that have been made in recent years (AHRQ, 2009) and many remain a major concern. Efforts to improve women’s health must consider health promotion activities /outreach, and research that strongly considers the role of sex and gender differences in health and disease.
