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The Innsbruck Women's Health Study 1999: Health status and behaviour

Die Inssbrucker Frauengesundheitsstudie 1999: Gesundheitszustand und Gesundheitsverhalten

Etude du niveau de santé des femmes à Inssbruck en 1999: État de santé et comportement de santé

  • Section: International Comparison of Health Determinants
  • Published:
Sozial- und Präventivmedizin

Summary

Objectives

The aim of this study is to report descriptive results of a recent survey on women's health and to analyse associations between perceived health status and health behaviour.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey on 609 women aged 20 to 95 years was performed in Innsbruck (Austria) in 1999.

Results

Self-reported poor health status was 6% in the 20–39 age group, 10% in the 40–59 age group and 20% in the 60 and older age group. Age and physical activity were significant predictors for health status. Women who performed physical activities on a regular basis had a more than 70% reduced risk of poor health status. Concerning the prevalence of self-reported morbidity, urogenital disorders (35%), allergies (32%), and headache (42%) were most frequent in younger women whereas skeletal disorders such as rheumatic diseases (41%), osteoporosis (39%), and invertebral disc damage (39%) in older women. Important health behaviour-related problems to be found were 40% smoking among women under 40, and 42% overweight or obesity among women over 60. Stress affected 37% of women under 60 years of age.

Conclusions

Physical activity, smoking, overweight and stress revealed to be key-indicators for improving women's health.

Zusammenfassung

Fragestellung

Im Jahre 1999 wurde in Innsbruck ein Survey zur Erhebung des Gesundheitszustandes und des Gesundheitsverhalten der weiblichen Bevölkerung durchgeführt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit berichten wir über die wesentlichen Ergebnisse dieser Studie und versuchen, Einflussfaktoren für den selbst berichteten Gesundheitszustand der Frauen zu identifizieren.

Methoden

609 zufällig ausgewählte Frauen im Alter von 20 bis 95 Jahren beteiligten sich an der Studie und wurden im Rahmen eines standardisierten Interviews von geschulten Interviewerinnen befragt.

Ergebnisse

Zu den häufigsten Beschwerden von Frauen unter 40 Jahre zählten Kopfschmerzen (42%), Probleme im Genitalbereich (35%) und Allergien (32%). Bei 40- bis 60-jährigen Frauen waren es ebenfalls Kopfschmerzen (33%) sowie Venenerkrankungen (28%), die am meisten genannt wurden. Frauen über 60 Jahre berichteten sehr häufig über rheumatische Erkrankungen (41%), Osteoporose (39%) und Bandscheibenleiden (39%). Rauchen (40% bei unter 40-Jährigen) und Stress (37% bei unter 60-Jährigen) sowie Übergewicht bei älteren Frauen (42% bei über 60-Jährigen) erwiesen sich als die auffälligsten Probleme im Gesundheitsverhalten. Frauen mit täglicher oder zumindest wöchentlicher körperlicher Aktivität hatten ein um 70% reduziertes Risiko für einen schlechten Gesundheitszustand.

Schlussfolgerungen

Körperliche Aktivität, Übergewicht, Rauchen und Stress sind Schlüsselfaktoren für das Ansetzen von gesundheitsfördernden Massnahmen.

Résumé

Objectifs

Ce travail consiste en un rapport descriptif d'une étude récente concernant la santé des femmes.

Méthodes

Une étude transversale a été menée à Innsbruck sur 609 femmes âgées de 20 à 95 ans.

Résultats

Parmi les maux les plus courants, les jeunes femmes nomment le mal de tète (42%), les problèmes urogénitales (35%) et les allergies (32%). Par contre, les femmes plus âgées insistaient sur les maladies rhumatismales (41%), l'ostéoporose (39%) et l'hernie discale (39%). Les problèmes importants liés au comportement de santé proviennent essentiellement de la consommation de tabac pour les femmes de moins de 40 ans et l'embonpoint (42%) pour les femmes de plus de 60 ans. Enfin 37% des femmes de moins de 60 ans avouent être stressé. Il sort de cette étude que l'âge et l'activité physique permettent des prédictions significatives de l'état de santé. Ainsi, les femmes pratiquant une activité physique journalière ou hebdomadaire voient leur risque d'avoir un mauvais état de santé réduit de 70%.

Conclusions

L'activité physique, la tabagisme, le surplus pondéral et le stress sont des indicateurs clés sur lesquels nous pouvons jouer pour améliorer la santé des femmes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biostatistics and Documentation, Leopold Franzens University of Innsbruck, Schoepfstrasse 41, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Hanno Ulmer, Martina Deibl, Heidelinde Jäkel & Karl-Peter Pfeiffer

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  1. Hanno Ulmer
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  2. Martina Deibl
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  3. Heidelinde Jäkel
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  4. Karl-Peter Pfeiffer
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Correspondence to Hanno Ulmer.

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Ulmer, H., Deibl, M., Jäkel, H. et al. The Innsbruck Women's Health Study 1999: Health status and behaviour. Soz Präventivmed 46, 259–267 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01593181

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