Stress, Time Are Women's Top Health Concerns
Stress, Time Are Women's Top Health Concerns
Survey Shows Mixed Results on Women's Health Knowledge
May 4, 2005 -- What do American women wish they could do to improve their health? It's not buying more health insurance or stocking up on healthy foods. According to a survey released Monday, it's reducing their stress and having more time.
According to the National Women's Health Resource Center, the survey shows that a woman's perception of why her health has changed is linked to lifestyle issues, such as changes in stress levels.
'It is very clear from this research that women, in particular women under 65, feel pressure from competing responsibilities of work and home life that restrict their time and energy," says the report.
The report also says that "for the most part women have a solid understanding of the issues that affect their health and understand the basic steps needed to improve their health, but not enough women are translating their knowledge into action."
Nearly four in 10 women in a national poll said that reducing their daily stress would be their first choice in improving their overall health. An equal number in the survey said having more time to take care of themselves would be their first choice.
Further down on the list were having more money to spend on health care and having access to better insurance.
But other data from the survey suggest that even women who think they're short on time may not be making the most of their routine visits to the doctor, researchers say.
Only 40% of the women told pollsters that they routinely bring a list of questions or concerns to their physicians' offices. Some doctors wish they would, since routine visits typically last no more than 8 to 10 minutes in crowded offices.
"The [time] problem is more compounded, we believe, by the fact that women are not preparing for their visits," says Amy Niles, president of the National Women's Health Resource Center, a nonprofit group that conducted the telephone survey among 1,005 women 18 years of age and older.
Despite reporting significant stress levels, half of the women said they took active steps to reduce their stress during the past year, and 15% said they visited a mental health counselor, she said.
Stress, Time Are Women's Top Health Concerns
Survey Shows Mixed Results on Women's Health Knowledge
May 4, 2005 -- What do American women wish they could do to improve their health? It's not buying more health insurance or stocking up on healthy foods. According to a survey released Monday, it's reducing their stress and having more time.
According to the National Women's Health Resource Center, the survey shows that a woman's perception of why her health has changed is linked to lifestyle issues, such as changes in stress levels.
'It is very clear from this research that women, in particular women under 65, feel pressure from competing responsibilities of work and home life that restrict their time and energy," says the report.
The report also says that "for the most part women have a solid understanding of the issues that affect their health and understand the basic steps needed to improve their health, but not enough women are translating their knowledge into action."
Nearly four in 10 women in a national poll said that reducing their daily stress would be their first choice in improving their overall health. An equal number in the survey said having more time to take care of themselves would be their first choice.
Further down on the list were having more money to spend on health care and having access to better insurance.
But other data from the survey suggest that even women who think they're short on time may not be making the most of their routine visits to the doctor, researchers say.
Only 40% of the women told pollsters that they routinely bring a list of questions or concerns to their physicians' offices. Some doctors wish they would, since routine visits typically last no more than 8 to 10 minutes in crowded offices.
"The [time] problem is more compounded, we believe, by the fact that women are not preparing for their visits," says Amy Niles, president of the National Women's Health Resource Center, a nonprofit group that conducted the telephone survey among 1,005 women 18 years of age and older.
Despite reporting significant stress levels, half of the women said they took active steps to reduce their stress during the past year, and 15% said they visited a mental health counselor, she said.
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