The United States is a large, multicultural society. The total U.S. population in the year 2000 was 281.4 million; women comprised 50.9% of this total. Focused attention on women’s health is critical for numerous reasons, in addition to the fact that women constitute slightly more than half of our population. First, various health concerns exist that are unique to women, such as ovarian and cervical cancer, while still other health concerns exist that impact women to a far greater degree than men, such as eating disorders and specific autoimmune disorders. Women are also major consumers of health care services and prescription drugs and often play a critical role in deciding matters related to the health care of family members. Finally, women and men differ biologically and with respect to health indicators. For instance, women tend to have higher rates of illness and disability than men, but also tend to live longer than men (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1995).
Significa...
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Suggested Reading
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Loue, S., Mendez, N. (2004). Disparities in Women’s Health and Health Care. In: Encyclopedia of Women’s Health. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-48113-0_2
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