March 8th, the HealthLog will focus on women's health. Obviously the health of women is impacted by many factors and the issues for each woman are vastly different depending on the culture in which she lives, opportunities she has, and her access to health care. That said,let's look at some of the global issues concerning women.
Poverty is one of the biggest barriers to women's health.
Around the world, more and more people are living in a state of poverty with women disproportionately represented in the numbers. Because those who live in poverty have less ability to meet even their basic needs, access to preventive health care and treatment for illness becomes a luxury. Race and economics also play an important role in breast cancer mortality rates. Those who are poor are also left out in greater numbers from educational opportunities and positions of social and political clout which help us to preserve our health. Because of these and other factors, many experts would argue that poverty is the leading cause of death and disease among women.