Comparative Health Status of Women of Childbearing Age in Urban and Non-urban Communities in Malaysia.
The Women’s Health Movement began in the 1960’s with the primary focus of advocating women’s rights to sexual and reproductive health. By the end of the 1990s, a dedicated international journal, Journal of Women’s Health (New Rochelle, NY, USA), focused on women’s health, promoting a greater engagement by women in clinical trials. There is now a greater focus on understanding women’s healthcare needs in the context of their social environment as a reflection of their own life priorities, financial circumstances and family responsibilities.
Women engage differently with healthcare provision compared to men, which may contribute to why on average, women live longer than men. Other factors that contribute to the relative longevity
of women may include healthier lifestyles than men or because female physiology confers an innate survival benefit. For example, circulating estrogens have a cardio-protective effect through the
reduction of blood pressure. Even though women have a longer life expectancy than in previous generations, this is not always reflected in an improved quality of life; in fact, the health outcomes
at women of greater age have begun to decline over recent decades with an increase in affluence-associated health issues such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes.
Chronic conditions, which significantly undermine an individual’s quality of life can be even more deleterious when healthcare provision for a society is unmet. No country is exempt from these
issues. The United States is the largest economy in World, but a significant subset of the population has unmet healthcare needs due to the lack of affordable health insurance for the less affluent.
Public Health Open J. 2022; 7(1): 7-12. doi: 10.17140/PHOJ-7-162