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International Journal For Equity in... Aug 2021The feminist women's health movement empowered women's knowledge regarding their health and battled against paternalistic and oppressive practices within healthcare... (Review)
Review
The feminist women's health movement empowered women's knowledge regarding their health and battled against paternalistic and oppressive practices within healthcare systems. Gender Medicine (GM) is a new discipline that studies the effect of sex/gender on general health. The international society for gender medicine (IGM) was embraced by the FDA and granted funds by the European Union to formulate policies for medical practice and research.We conducted a review of IGM publications and policy statements in scientific journals and popular media. We found that while biological differences between men and women are emphasized, the impact of society on women is under- represented. The effect of gender-related violence, race, ethnic conflicts, poverty, immigration and discrimination on women's health is seldom recognized. Contrary to feminist practice, GM is practiced by physicians and scientists, neglecting voices of other disciplines and of women themselves.In this article we show that while GM may promote some aspects of women's health, at the same time it reaffirms conservative positions on sex and gender that can serve to justify discrimination and disregard the impact of society on women's lives and health. An alternative approach, that integrates feminist thinking and practices into medical science, practice and policies is likely to result in a deep and beneficiary change in women's health worldwide.
Topics: Female; Feminism; Humans; Male; Medicine; Women's Health
PubMed: 34344374
DOI: 10.1186/s12939-021-01511-5 -
Maturitas Oct 2020The "social gradient of health" refers to the steep inverse associations between socioeconomic position (SEP) and the risk of premature mortality and morbidity. In many... (Review)
Review
The "social gradient of health" refers to the steep inverse associations between socioeconomic position (SEP) and the risk of premature mortality and morbidity. In many societies, due to cultural and structural factors, women and girls have reduced access to the socioeconomic resources that ensure good health and wellbeing when compared with their male counterparts. Thus, the objective of this paper is to review how SEP - a construct at the heart of the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) theory - shapes the health and longevity of women and girls at all stages of the lifespan. Using literature identified from PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL and EMBASE databases, we first describe the SDoH theory. We then use examples from each stage of the life course to demonstrate how SEP can differentially shape girls' and women's health outcomes compared with boys' and men's, as well as between sub-groups of girls and women when other axes of inequalities are considered, including ethnicity, race and residential setting. We also explore the key consideration of whether conventional SEP markers are appropriate for understanding the social determinants of women's health. We conclude by making key recommendations in the context of clinical, research and policy development.
Topics: Female; Humans; Socioeconomic Factors; Women's Health
PubMed: 32972629
DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2020.06.001 -
Seminars in Reproductive Medicine Sep 2013Racial and ethnic health disparities in reproductive medicine exist across the life span and are costly and burdensome to our healthcare system. Reduction and ultimate... (Review)
Review
Racial and ethnic health disparities in reproductive medicine exist across the life span and are costly and burdensome to our healthcare system. Reduction and ultimate elimination of health disparities is a priority of the National Institutes of Health who requires reporting of race and ethnicity for all clinical research it supports. Given the increasing rates of admixture in our population, the definition and subsequent genetic significance of self-reported race and ethnicity used in health disparity research is not straightforward. Some groups have advocated using self-reported ancestry or carefully selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms, also known as ancestry informative markers, to sort individuals into populations. Despite the limitations in our current definitions of race and ethnicity in research, there are several clear examples of health inequalities in reproductive medicine extending from puberty and infertility to obstetric outcomes. We acknowledge that socioeconomic status, education, insurance status, and overall access to care likely contribute to the differences, but these factors do not fully explain the disparities. Epigenetics may provide the biologic link between these environmental factors and the transgenerational disparities that are observed. We propose an integrated view of health disparities across the life span and generations focusing on the metabolic aspects of fetal programming and the effects of environmental exposures. Interventions aimed at improving nutrition and minimizing adverse environmental exposures may act synergistically to reverse the effects of these epigenetic marks and improve the outcome of our future generations.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aging; Biomedical Research; Epigenesis, Genetic; Evidence-Based Medicine; Female; Health Care Costs; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Middle Aged; National Institutes of Health (U.S.); Reproductive Health; Reproductive Health Services; Terminology as Topic; United States; Women's Health
PubMed: 23934691
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1348889 -
Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine Jun 2019This review summarizes evidence that may enhance and influence clinical practice of women's health. Supporting articles were identified by reviewing high-impact medical... (Review)
Review
This review summarizes evidence that may enhance and influence clinical practice of women's health. Supporting articles were identified by reviewing high-impact medical and women's health journals published in 2017 and 2018. The chosen articles are pertinent to osteoporosis screening, hormonal contraceptive interactions with antibiotics, hormone replacement therapy in BRCA1 mutation carriers, breast cancer diagnosis using digital tomosynthesis, and risks of hormonal contraception.
Topics: Breast Neoplasms; Contraception; Female; Hormone Replacement Therapy; Humans; Mass Screening; Osteoporosis; Women's Health
PubMed: 31204979
DOI: 10.3949/ccjm.86a.18130 -
The British Journal of General Practice... Dec 2021
Topics: Female; Humans; Life Change Events; Primary Health Care; Women's Health
PubMed: 34824065
DOI: 10.3399/bjgp21X717713 -
PloS One 2016Globally, the status of women's health falls short of its potential. In addition to the deleterious ethical and human rights implications of this deficit, the negative... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Globally, the status of women's health falls short of its potential. In addition to the deleterious ethical and human rights implications of this deficit, the negative economic impact may also be consequential, but these mechanisms are poorly understood. Building on the literature that highlights health as a driver of economic growth and poverty alleviation, we aim to systematically investigate the broader economic benefits of investing in women's health.
METHODS
Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, we systematically reviewed health, gender, and economic literature to identify studies that investigate the impact of women's health on micro- and macroeconomic outcomes. We developed an extensive search algorithm and conducted searches using 10 unique databases spanning the timeframe 01/01/1970 to 01/04/2013. Articles were included if they reported on economic impacts stemming from changes in women's health (table of outcome measures included in full review, Table 1). In total, the two lead investigators independently screened 20,832 abstracts and extracted 438 records for full text review. The final review reflects the inclusion of 124 articles.
RESULTS
The existing literature indicates that healthier women and their children contribute to more productive and better-educated societies. This study documents an extensive literature confirming that women's health is tied to long-term productivity: the development and economic performance of nations depends, in part, upon how each country protects and promotes the health of women. Providing opportunities for deliberate family planning; healthy mothers before, during, and after childbirth, and the health and productivity of subsequent generations can catalyze a cycle of positive societal development.
CONCLUSIONS
This review highlights the untapped potential of initiatives that aim to address women's health. Societies that prioritize women's health will likely have better population health overall, and will remain more productive for generations to come.
Topics: Delivery of Health Care; Efficiency; Family Planning Services; Female; Fertility; Humans; Investments; Nutrition Policy; Patient Education as Topic; Pregnancy; Quality Improvement; Women's Health
PubMed: 27028199
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150120 -
Women's Health (London, England) 2023In Canada, a Four-Part Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Prevention has been developed that describes a continuum of multi-sectoral efforts, including... (Review)
Review
In Canada, a Four-Part Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Prevention has been developed that describes a continuum of multi-sectoral efforts, including broad awareness campaigns, safe and respectful conversations around pregnancy and alcohol use, and holistic and wraparound support services for pregnant and postpartum women with alcohol, and other health and social concerns. Supportive alcohol policy is at the centre of the four mutually reinforcing levels of prevention. The purpose of this narrative review is to describe alcohol policies related to specific levels of FASD prevention, and to consider the implications of alcohol policies on FASD prevention and women's and fetal health. The majority of the evidence focused on alcohol in pregnancy guidelines, alcohol warning labels, and knowledge and uptake of national or regional alcohol and pregnancy guidelines. Several US studies described shifts in alcohol and pregnancy policy over the 7-year period, including moves to punitive approaches that criminalize women's substance use or prompt child apprehension. This review indicates that more attention could be paid to the role of alcohol policy in FASD prevention and in promoting women's and fetal health, and that policy actions and advocacy could be important catalysts for both FASD prevention and women's health promotion. Moving forward, it is essential that alcohol policies are rooted in evidence; attend to and promote women's health including health during pregnancy; and are collaborative in order to prompt a higher standard of care, and more holistically respond to the factors that contribute to women's alcohol use during pregnancy.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Alcohol Drinking; Ethanol; Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders; Policy; Women's Health
PubMed: 36718116
DOI: 10.1177/17455057231151838 -
The Lancet. Global Health Apr 2018
Topics: Female; Global Health; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Sex Factors; Women's Health
PubMed: 29525526
DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30105-0 -
Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica... 2008
Topics: Developed Countries; Developing Countries; Female; Global Health; Health Status; Humans; Women's Health; World Health Organization
PubMed: 18382862
DOI: 10.1080/00016340802038812 -
Seminars in Perinatology Aug 2017The disparity in maternal mortality for African American women remains one of the greatest public health inequities in the United States (US). To better understand... (Review)
Review
The disparity in maternal mortality for African American women remains one of the greatest public health inequities in the United States (US). To better understand approaches toward amelioration of these differences, we examine settings with similar disparities in maternal mortality and "near misses" based on race/ethnicity. This global analysis of disparities in maternal mortality/morbidity will focus on middle- and high-income countries (based on World Bank definitions) with multiethnic populations. Many countries with similar histories of slavery and forced migration demonstrate disparities in health outcomes based on social determinants such as race/ethnicity. We highlight comparisons in the Americas between the US and Brazil-two countries with the largest populations of African descent brought to the Americas primarily through the transatlantic slave trade. We also address the need to capture race/ethnicity/country of origin in a meaningful way in order to facilitate transnational comparisons and potential translatable solutions. Race, class, and gender-based inequities are pervasive, global themes. This approach is human rights-based and consistent with the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and post 2015-sustainable development goals' aim to place women's health the context of health equity/women's rights. Solutions to these issues of inequity in maternal mortality are nation-specific and global.
Topics: Female; Global Health; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Internationality; Maternal Mortality; Quality Improvement; Women's Health
PubMed: 28669415
DOI: 10.1053/j.semperi.2017.04.009