Break the bias on women’s health
In this day and age, double standards still exist. They’re probably not as prevalent as in the past decades, but they are still very much present in one way or another. Whether deliberate or not, biases against women impede them from living a full life.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is globally celebrated on March 8 every year. IWD missions are focused on helping create a gender-equal world, empowering women, celebrating women’s achievements, and increasing visibility in various fields and aspects. This year’s theme is #BreakTheBias—a collective campaign forging gender equality in a world where difference is both valued and celebrated sans bias, stereotypes, and discrimination against women.
IWD’s mission when it comes to health is to assist women to be in a position of power to make informed decisions about their health. Contraception, fertility issues, menopause, staying fit at any age are just some of the health issues that women encounter each day. Moreover, bias against women’s health extends to coronary heart disease, an area where the presence of gender gap cannot be ignored.
According to the CARE (Center for Asian Health Research and Education) data brief of Stanford Medicine in February 2020, cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects one in six Filipinos and one in three Filipino-Americans. CVD accounts for approximately 20 percent of total deaths and 35 percent of premature deaths.
Remarkably, the percentage of Filipina women undergoing medically necessary treatment for CVD, such as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), has increased from three percent in 1994 to 51 percent in 2004. Furthermore, research by the British Heart Foundation has revealed that coronary artery disease kills twice as many women compared to breast cancer.
Heart attacks, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases are preventable. Sadly, more and more women are affected primarily because of unhealthy lifestyle habits—to which alcohol consumption, smoking, poor diet and nutrition, physical inactivity, and stress can be attributed. Bias against women’s health also largely impacts statistics.
According to the Center for Asian Health Research and Education, cardiovascular disease affects one in six Filipinos and one in three Filipino-Americans.
The British Heart Foundation-funded research between 2002 and 2013, during which 8,243 women’s lives were lost in England and Wales. These women were not given the same standard of care as men. The research has uncovered the hard truth that women who have heart attacks receive poorer care than men at every stage, from diagnosis and treatment all the way to aftercare.
In the British Heart Foundation briefing, it was noted that women’s lack of awareness of their risk factors could cause them to less likely recognize signs and symptoms, thus, delaying them from seeking medical help. Statistics show that a woman is 50 percent more likely to receive the wrong initial diagnosis for a heart attack showing that women are disadvantaged to men at the start of treatment. Incorrect initial diagnosis of heart attack increases the risk of death by 70 percent after 30 days.
Contrary to the common misconception that coronary heart disease and heart attack is a man’s disease, women have similar risk factors to men. The risk factors for heart attack are high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, genetics, smoking, obesity, and diabetes.
Women in menopause undergo hormonal changes that impact weight, body fat, and blood pressure. It is important for women to monitor their blood pressure even before the onset of menopause, especially if there are risk factors present.
While the symptoms of a heart attack may vary for each individual, the common signs are pain or discomfort in the chest area, which suddenly occurs and does not cease; the feeling of tightness or squeezing in the chest area, radiating pain on the left or both arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach; light-headedness, shortness of breath, feeling sick and sweaty.
Break the bias. Don’t delay seeking medical attention. A woman has a choice to live a healthier life.
Happy International Women’s Day!