New report maps health of US women

AORN Journal, Nov, 2004

A new report, The Women's Health and Mortality Chartbook, maps the health of US women and offers current state data on critical issues relevant to women's health, according to a Sept 1, 2004, news release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prepared by the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health and the CDC, the report ranks each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in 27 indicators, including major causes of death, health risk factors, preventive care, and health insurance coverage.

The chartbook maps the indicators so that state and regional patterns can be discerned. It also ranks the 27 health measures for each state to help policy makers, program officials, researchers, and others identify key issues in each state. The state tables display data by race and ethnicity to focus on disparities and differences in each indicator.

Each state profile in the chartbook begins with a summary statement highlighting the most important issues for that state and indicating rankings that are among the best or worst. Although no one state scored the best in all indicators, a number of patterns emerged. Eight of the 10 states with the highest stroke death rates were in the South. Colorado, Hawaii, and Utah had among the lowest death rates for heart diseases and cancers. In Northeastern states, a high proportion of women had recently undergone mammograms and cholesterol screenings.

The indicators chosen for the report are those that are measured regularly at the state level, cover a wide range of health concerns, represent a wide spectrum of disease types, and cover the Life span of women from young adulthood on. Indicators included in the report are

* death rates for heart disease, cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, Lung cancer, stroke, chronic Lower respiratory diseases, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, unintentional injuries, and suicide;

* health risk factors, including diagnosed high blood pressure, obesity, no leisure-time physical activity, binge drinking, smoking currently, and not eating five or more fruits and vegetables a day;

* use of preventive care, such as cholesterol screening, mammograms, Pap smears, blood stool tests, routine check-ups during the past two years, and early and adequate prenatal care; and

* health insurance coverage for people aged 18 to 64 years.

Each state profile includes the Healthy People 2010 target for the indicator and shows whether the target has been met. Healthy People 2010 is a comprehensive, nationwide health promotion and disease prevention agenda for improving the health of all Americans during the first decade of the twenty-first century.

New Report Maps Women's Health in the United States Shows Patterns by State for Key Indicators (news release, Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sept 1, 2004) http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/ fs040901.htm (accessed 1 Sept 2004).