National Women's Health Week: May 11-17, 2008

The 9th annual National Women's Health Week kicked off on Mother's Day, May 11, 2008 and will be celebrated until May 17, 2008. The week empowers women across the country to get healthy by taking action. The nationwide initiative encourages women to make their health a top priority and take simple steps for a longer, healthier and happier life.

Why should women’s health be a focus?

• Women account for 52% of the U.S. population.
• Over 59% of physician visits are made by women, 59% of prescription drugs are purchased by women, and 75% of nursing home residents over the age of 75 are women.
• Heart disease is the number one killer of U.S. women (58% of all deaths); death rates are highest for women of color.
• Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of American women today.
• If current trends continue, the death rate among women from smoking-related diseases will exceed that of men by early next century.
• Teenage women now smoke at higher rates than their male counterparts.
• 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer during her lifetime.
• Although heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States, breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 55.
• Osteoporosis, a debilitating disease characterized by loss of bone mass, is a major public health threat for 20 million American women.
• One-quarter of all women in the United States will be abused at some point in their lives.
• Twenty-three percent of pregnant women seeking prenatal care are battered.

To improve their physical and mental health and prevent disease, women can take the following steps:

• Engage in physical activity most days of the week
• Make healthy food choices
• Visit a healthcare provider to receive regular check-ups and preventive screenings
• Avoid risky behaviors, like smoking and not wearing a seatbelt

What can you do?

• Take the WOMAN'S Challenge. This May, thousands of women and girls across the country will embark on an eight-week physical activity challenge for better health. The WOMAN (Women and girls Out Moving Across the Nation) Challenge begins on Mother's Day, May 11, and ends on July 5, 2008.
• Send an e-card to save the date - Tell someone you know to save the date for National Women's Health Week with an e-Card from womenshealth.gov.
• Write an article for your local paper informing about the importance of women's health and the goals of the events going on around the nation.
• Hold a snack 'n' learn event. During National Women's Health Week, invite a few friends over for snacks and educate them on some aspect of women's health. To encourage male friends to join, make it a broad health topic, like overall nutrition and fitness. Find healthy eating tips here. You can provide some healthy snacks or encourage them to do a healthy potluck where everyone brings a nutritious dish to pass.

Sources:
American Heart Association
Some Things Only Women Can Do
Women's Health