Women's Health

**The Women's Health badge** is part of the “It's Your Story - Tell It!” badge set introduced in 2011. It replaces the retired XXX badge.

**Purpose**: When I’ve earned this badge, I’ll know how women can lead healthy lives.

## Step 1: Investigate the tests that help women stay healthy

**Screenings are medical tests that can spot problems before they turn into something serious.  For instance, you might have your blood pressure checked to test for general health, a mammogram to test for breast cancer, or a Pap smear to test for STDs and cervical cancer.  Become familiar with the tests that are available for women to help us manage our good health throughout our lives.**

CHOICES – DO ONE:

**Find five steps to good health and prevention.**Who should get a flu shot?  Why does a high cholesterol level put someone at risk for diabetes?  How is skin cancer preventable?  You might focus on one part of your body, such as your heart skin, or bones, and recommend the proper nutrition, exercise, and screenings to take care of it.

**OR**

**Speak with a health professional.**Invite one to speak to your group, or go to a clinic or office to discuss tests and procedures that are important for women’s health.  Prepare some questions in advance.

**OR**

**Create a women’s health poster or brochure.**In it, include a chart showing all the procedures and tests you will need from puberty through menopause.  What is involved with each procedure?  At what age should girls start having each of them?  How often?  What are the benefits of each test?

### **Laughter is Great Medicine**

Stressed-out people are at greater risk for heart disease.  But an antidote to this just might be laughter.  Medical experts say that laughter lowers your blood pressure and heart rate and, according to one doctor, may have a direct impact on improving the lining of your blood vessels.

“We know that exercising, not smoking, and eating foods low in saturated fat will reduce the risk of heart disease,” says Michael Miller, director of the Center of Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center.  “Perhaps regular hearty laughter should be added to the list.”

## Step 2: Find out how fads and beauty practices impact health

**Fads generally fit into one of three categories.  In the first category are things we do to our internal systems, including diets and eating fads.  In the second category are things we do cosmetically, such as cosmetic surgery, tattoos, manicures, piercings, hair dye, wearing contacts, tanning, etc. The third category is habits: smoking, using drugs, drinking alcolho, wearing high heels, carrying heavy purses and backpack, using portable listening devices, or not wearing protective sports equipment.  Pick one issue in any of the three categories, then do one of the choices below.**

CHOICES – DO ONE:

**Interview a medical expert about a health or beauty fad.**This might be a foot specialist who can share the problems brought on by wearing high heels or a skin doctor who can talk about infections from tattoos, piercings, or manicures and pedicures. Or the expert could be a hearing specialist with information on dangerous decibel levels.  Find out how prevalent the problems are and what you can do to protect yourself.

**OR**

**Follow a fad through time.**Trace stories, evidence, and statistics about one fad over a period of at least 20 years. Try to speak to someone with personal experience.  Was that person offered any warnings about possible complications or infections? What impact does the experience have on their life today?  Take time to understand the long-term effects of the activity.

**OR**

**Explore fads and beauty in other places.**Other cultures have different views on beauty and health issues, such as weight, tattoos, piercings, and more.  Gather images of women from other places – from international magazines, online, or in books – and make a beauty collage to compare the different outward expressions of beauty. How have those images of beauty impacted the culture where you live? What do you find beautiful?  What makes the women in your life beautiful? You could include images from your own life as well?

**Global Beauty Rituals**

·       In some parts of Africa, it is traditional for women to carve permanent scars in geometric patterns on their bodies.

·       Women in Ethiopia’s Mursi tribe women wear large disks or plates inserted in their lower lips.

·       Thailand’s Kayan tribe women are known for their “giraffe necks,” achieved by wearing heavy permanent rings coiled around their necks.

·       The Maori people of New Zealand tattoo their lips and chins blue.

## Step 3: Focus on techniques to help you stay emotionally healthy

**How you feel mentally impacts how you feel physically. Emotional conditions, such as stress and anxiety, can lead to alcohol or drug abuse, dangerous eating habits, and erratic sleep cycles, all of which can lead to physical problems.  Paying attention to your emotional health is as important as overseeing your physical health, and this will be true throughout your lifetime.**

CHOICES – DO ONE:

**Get to know your moods.**For two weeks, record your mood levels three times a day.  At the end of the day, read them over, and then, make notes:

* What do you think triggered each strong emotion?
* Did you get enough sleep?
* Where are you in your menstrual cycle?
* See if you find any specific pattern to your moods?

Then, find three recommendations from a reliable health source on healthy ways to life your mood.  (You might try the Truth Seeker badge to help you determine the reliability of information!)

**OR**

**Explore healthy relationships.**All our relationships affect our health – those with friends, family, romantic partners, mentors, peers at large.  Knowing the research can provide helpful ideas and tips for our own lives.  Find three studies that offer some insight into relationships.  For instance, some studies have found that close friendships can lengthen our life spans, that abusive relationships erode our health, and that a good marriage makes us happier.  Other ideas you might look into include:

* What are the differences between how men and women communicate?
* Is there such a thing as a healthy breakup?
* How can we choose our friends and relationships to increase our happiness?
* How does family life fit into mental health?

**OR**

**Explore a psychological topic.** Interview a medical expert or read three or more articles about a topic you’re interested in: perhaps depression, teen suicide, eating disorders, anxiety, or schizophrenia.  Find out the causes, how widespread the issue is, and what treatments exist.  Do more women than men suffer from it?  If so, why might this be – and does the issue have a greater impact on younger or older women?  Are there prevention measures available?

**Proven Ways to Boost Your Mood**

Depression is a serious medical condition, and it affects almost half of the women worldwide.  If you feel depressed, the most important thing you can do is speak out and seek help.  There are many treatments – and support networks – available.

And more positive news? There are many things within our control that can help our moods.  Taking care of our physical bodies is one of the best management strategies:

exercising;

eating a healthy, balanced diet;

getting enough sleep; and

avoiding alcohol and drugs.

On the emotional side,

de-stressing;

expressing feelings – to friends, a counselor, or through art;

maintaining supportive friendships; and

taking time to relax can all boost our moods.

## Step 4: Take a closer look at a women’s health issue

**Choose a health issue that resonates with you, and explore its impact on girls and women.  Perhaps it’s something that has affected someone in your own family or another woman close to you.  Perhaps, it’s something you discovered in one of the previous steps and want to look at through a different lens.  (The boxes at the end of this document will help you.)  In this step, check into causes, consequences, and possible preventive measures and treatments.**

CHOICES – DO ONE:

**Take a global look at the issue.**In what country/region is the health issue most commonly found?  Is it avoidable?  How? To what health support do women in that area have access?  What can be done to help?

**OR**

**Take a local look at the issue.**Find out the statistics for the issue in your area.  Talk to a local health care professional to explore the impact on your community.  Are there any protective measures or awareness campaigns in place?

**OR**

**Take a close-up look at the issue.**Interview a medical expert or someone with firsthand experience.  It might be a cancer survivor, a woman who has been treated for severe PMS, or a cardiologist who treats women.  If appropriate, ask about diagnosis and treatments: What were the symptoms? What tests were taken?  How was the patient treated?  Can this issue be prevented?

### **Careers to Explore**

* Nutritionist
* Dietician
* Ob-Gyn
* Nurse midwife
* Policy maker
* Legislator
* Lobbyist
* Health services employee
* Human services employee
* Biologist
* Biochemist
* Computer specialist
* Epidemiologist
* Public health official
* Health care practitioner
* Sonographer
* Medical technician
* Women’s health writer
* Women’s health educator
* Psychotherapist
* Health clinic coordinator
* Clinical social worker
* Women’s reproductive health scientist

#### **Dr. Annie Frenkel**

Medical School: Sackler University

Residency: Long Island Jewish Medical Center-OBGYN

Dr. Annie Frenkel is a board certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist and a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians  and Gynecologists.  She completed her residency at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and was appointed faculty staff after graduating.

Dr. Frenkel currently delivers at the newly built Kat'z Women's Hospital.  She also performs minimally invasive gynecologic surgeries including laparoscopic hysterectomies at LIJ.  Her private office caters to women of all ages including adolescent girls.

She is a Woodmere resident, wife and mother of three children.

### **Cervical Cancer Vaccine**

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections account for about half of sexually transmitted infections diagnosed among 15-to-24-year old girls each year.  HPV is extremely common, often has no visible symptoms, and is generally harmless. However, certain types, if left undetected and untreated, can lead to cervical cancer.  Two HPV vaccines are currently available for girls and women 9 to 16, and both prevent the types of infections most likely to lead to cervical cancer.

## Step 5: Get the word out on a women’s health topic

**Focus on one area you learned about, and inform people in your community and the women in your life.  Get creative!  Use one of these choices to help you frame your message.**

CHOICES – DO ONE:

**Design a public service announcement or presentation.**Use your audio/visual skills to create a video, presentation, or Web slide show about your topic.  Post it online or e-mail it to friends, or present it to one of your classes or at a place of worship, a library, or a community center. You might tie your topic into an awareness event, such as National Brest Cancer Awareness Month, Prematurity Awareness Month, or World AIDS Day.

**OR**

**Hold a women’s health forum.** Invite a panel of professionals in health and wellness to present facts and answer questions about the topic you chose.  Use what you’ve learned to assemble the appropriate panel and help make the information the most relevant it can be for your audience – whether it’s your Girl Scout group, other female friends and peers, or a group of women in your community.

**OR**

**Design a prevention program!**Focus on one women’s health issue and design a program that includes exercise, diet, and other prevention tips.  Share it as a brochure, website, exhibit/poster display, or slide presentation.

**More to EXPLORE**

**Raise your heartbeat – and awareness.**Walk, run, or bike in an event that raises awareness about your women’s health issue. Many communities host these kinds of events.  Get fellow Girl Scouts involved in exercise, spreading awareness, and honoring women who help make a difference in our collective health.

**SOME WOMEN’S HEALTH ISSUES**

**Hearing loss**One in six teenagers is at risk for hearing loss. Boys are generally impacted more than girls, but studies have shown that girls are losing their hearing almost to the same degree as boys.  The change may be due to increased use of portable music players.

**Alcohol, smoking, and drug abuse**Drinking, smoking, and drug use can affect a teen’s overall health, physical growth, emotional development, and school performance.  And, lunch cancer, often from smoking kills more women in the U.S. than either skin or breast cancer.

**Autoimmune diseases**One of the top 10 causes of death in women is autoimmune disease, including diabetes, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and hepatitis.

**Eating disorders**Women are more likely than men to suffer from an eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating.

**Obesity**More than one in 10 adults worldwide are obese, and women are more likely to be obese than men.

**Sexually transmitted diseases**As soon as women become sexually active, they are at risk for certain diseases and infections.

**Skin Cancer**Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. women.

**Heart disease       According to the World Heart Federation, heart disease (cardiovascular disease) is the number-one cause of death for women worldwide. Check out Go Red for Women, the World Hearth Federation’s campaign to reduce cardiovascular disease in women by building global awareness and commitment.**

**Sexually transmitted diseases**As soon as women become sexually active, they are at risk for certain diseases and infections.

**Depression**Teenage girls are twice as likely as boys to suffer from depression.  In severe cases, this can lead to suicide.

**Teen suicide**Suicide is the # 3 cause of death in young adults age 15 to 24.  The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1.800.273.TALK) is a 24-hour counseling service for people who are suicidal or who fear that a family member or friend is thinking about committing suicide.

**Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)**Almost 90% of women will deal with premenstrual syndrome during their reproductive years.  PMS can cause a wide range of physical and emotional disruptions.

**Breast cancer**Death rates from breast cancer are on the decline. Why?  Because of advanced screening, improved treatments, and increased awareness.

**Bone health**Bones are living tissue, and constantly changing. Girls reach peak bone density by age 20, and, after menopause, most women go through rapid bone loss, which can contribute to fractures.

**Teen suicide**Suicide is the # 3 cause of death in young adults age 15 to 24.  The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1.800.273.TALK) is a 24-hour counseling service for people who are suicidal or who fear that a family member or friend is thinking about committing suicide.

**Reproductive health**In the United States and Europe, it’s fairly rare for a woman to die during childbirth.  But in some countries - such as Botswana, Afghanistan, and Swaziland – more women than ever are suffering pregnancy-related deaths, most of which are preventable through better medical care.

**AIDS**Women make up more than half of the people with HIV/AIDS worldwide. Most of these women live in developing countries where education and treatment are difficult, if not impossible, to get.  The myths surrounding the disease can make women with HIV/AIDS even more stigmatized.