Women’s Health Has Worsened Since 1990

A new study, published in the journal PLOS One (Public Library of Science), shows that women’s health has significantly worsened while that of men has improved since 1990.

Researchers at Umeå University and Region Norrbotten in Sweden have studied health trends among women and men aged 25-34 from 1990-2014. In 1990, 8.5 percent of women self-rated their health as being worse than peers in their own age group. At 2014, this trend had increased to 20 per cent of women. In contrast, a bigger part of the men self-rated their health as better at the end of the study period compared to the start.

Whilst this is a self-rated study and it’s not clear of the actual health has improved, these are nevertheless interesting findings.

The results also showed that an increased proportion of study participants indicated obesity, anxiety and dissatisfaction with their personal economy, among both women and men. Simultaneously, the proportion of women and men with high levels of physical activity increased over the period.

“A generally worsened self-rated health among young people most likely suggests increased risk of illness both in the short and long term. The results show that gender equality efforts, and especially the promotion of equal rights to health for men and women, need significant revisions,” says Göran Waller, researcher at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, general practitioner and co-author.

According to the study authors, possible causes for this negative health trend among young women may be:

• Tougher working conditions in female-dominated professions such as in healthcare
• Increased risk of burnouts (stress-related exhaustion disorder) and stress of conscience
• Lack of equality in one’s private life
• Men’s violence against women
• Two conflicting but coinciding norm systems in society – equality and traditional gender roles – where women must fulfil expectation related to both (“manage everything”)
• General societal expectations such as pressures to be both successful, socially active and physically attractive
• Self-confidence based on achievements and expected patterns of consumption

Trends indicating “worse” or “better” self-rated health 1990-2014. The light green column indicate better while the dark green indicate worse. Data from Northern Sweden’s MONICA study. Credit: Umeå University/PLOS One

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-11-women-health-worsened-men-trends.html

More information: Mattias Waller Lidström et al, Time trends of comparative self-rated health in adults aged 25-34 in the Northern Sweden MONICA study, 1990-2014, PLOS ONE (2017). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187896