Women's Health: Has Your Health Improved or Declined in the Past Decade?

Have you heard that many people are referring to the past decade as...The decade of decline?  There is no question, we have seen a decline in the economy, the stock market, real-estate, and employment.  But I wondered how women's health fared in the past decade.

From The Washington Post - Decade of Decline...

This decade began and ended in dread. It began with Wall Street - the World Trade Center - targeted for mass murder. It ends with Main Street fearful and reeling from economic reverses that Wall Street helped create.

I know obesity (particularly childhood obesity) has been on the rise.  Health-care costs have skyrocketed, leaving many people unable to afford important treatments and medications.  And in 2008, I even reported on a study showing that the Life Expectancy For Women was Declining in the US. 

It seems if you are American you've gotten less healthy in the past decade...

Did Americans get any healthier over the past decade?

About 10 years ago the government set some lofty health goals for the nation to reach by 2010.

So how did we do? By many measures, not so hot. There are more obese Americans than a decade ago, not fewer. We eat more salt and fat, not less. More of us have high blood pressure. More of our children have untreated tooth decay.

But the nation has made at least some progress on many other goals.

But if you're Canadian you are in better health.

Canadians are living longer, taking more drugs and are more informed about the country's health-care system than a decade ago, but many challenges still await in the next 10 years, according to a new report.

But it's not so cut and dry.  Overall, when it comes to women's health (and health in general), it's a mixed bag.  It seems to me that the largest problem taking a toll on women's health is the lack of insurance and the increased costs of healthcare.  What do you think?

From Christiane Northrup, MD at the Huffington Post - Top 10 Women's Health Stories of the Decade...

When I look back at the top women's health stories of the last decade, I'm cautiously optimistic that they will bring change. Not only do they point to the limitations of the current model--drugs, excessive screening, and surgery are not better health care--they also support something every woman knows deep down inside of her. Whether she admits it or not, whether she is in touch with it or not, she can always improve her health by working with the wisdom of her body.

Technology has its place, but it doesn't replace a woman's wisdom. Here are some key stories from the last 10 years that highlight the innate wisdom and intelligence of a woman's body.

From Women's Health News - Ten Years in Women's and Reproductive Health...

What with the new year and decade and all, it seems appropriate to engage in a bit of reflection. First, the blog itself. This year will mark the 5th anniversary of Women’s Health News – I first posted on May 19, 2005, although that was at the blogspot location. While this little blog is not among what most people would name as the top medical or top feminist blogs, I don’t worry too much about traffic, or increasing traffic, so long as at least a a few people are finding it useful and I’m not too overworked to deal with it.
. . .
Now, some highlights from the decade in women’s health (heavily biased to the past 5 years and with past related posts on the topics)…

From WebMD - Obesity Rise Trumps Smoking Decline...

Over the next decade the health benefits achieved because fewer Americans are smoking will be more than overshadowed by the negative health effects of the unchecked rise in obesity, new research suggests.

As a population, Americans are smoking less but weigh more than they have in many years.

According to the CDC, about 34% of U.S. adults, or 72 million people, are obese today, compared to about 15% in 1980.

From The Heart Sisters - Women's Heart Attack Myth?

Media coverage of a study presented at the annual Canadian Cardiovascular Congress last month has left me and my fellow Heart Sisters gobsmacked. One heart attack survivor told me: “This news has set back women’s awareness of heart attack symptoms by a full decade!”

What could have inspired a reaction like this? First, there are the media headlines, “The Heart Attack Myth”. Second, there’s the research methodology (the way this study was designed). And finally there’s the reporting of the study’s conclusion: essentially, that there are no differences in heart attack symptoms between men and women.

How has the health of you and your family fared in the last decade?  Did you see your health decline in the past ten years?  If you have a minute, take this poll and tell us more about it in comments.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
Also at Catherine-Morgan.com