By Claire Sullivan, senior director, strategic marketing, Kerry Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa
A woman’s health needs evolve over a lifetime. With age, she will face changes not just in her physical state, but also hormonal and general wellbeing. Euromonitor reports that 50% of women globally are concerned with women’s health issues. According to The World Health Organization (WHO), women’s health needs range from female-specific ones such breast and cervical cancers, to fertility, pregnancy and menopause, and common concerns like stress management, sleep, skin/hair/nail health, to sexual health, depending on life stage.
A recent study review in the journal PLoS found that “[s]ocieties that prioritise women’s health will likely have better population health overall and will remain more productive for generations to come”. Women are at the heart of families and communities, and this gap in addressing their complex health needs can turn into a societal issue, not just a problem for women.
However, efforts to improve women’s health must be multifaceted, to include more women-centric medical research, better access to various types of care, wider public education and new, targeted technologies, treatments and support.
For example, while both breast and cervical cancers each result in as many as half a million women’s deaths annually, preventive measures such as screenings and vaccines against known causes, like the HPV virus, have helped prevent even more deaths. Today, more women than ever are taking charge of their health as they become more aware of the connection between a healthy lifestyle — such as a balanced diet and regular exercise — and better health, including a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
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