Women's Health Month

The following information can be attributed to the Ohio Department of Health.

This is the 15th anniversary of Women's Health Month in Ohio.

It was designed to encourage continued and expanded education, and the promotion of women's health issues, to encourage women to take an active role in their own health care and safety, and to encourage women to work together to improve the health care system.

It is a good time for women to remember the importance of taking care of themselves.

Also:

• Nutrition and regular physical activity are important in preventing or treating half of the 10 leading causes of death in women;
   
• Heart disease is the number one killer of Ohio women, and a woman's risk of dying from heart disease equals that of men once she turns 65;
   
• Diabetes affects 8.2 percent of all women 20 years of age and older and 3-5 percent of pregnancies among women with diabetes results in newborn mortality;
   
• Most women can now obtain annual Pap tests and mammograms through their insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare coverage plans, and they should be encouraged to do so;
   
• Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death in women;
   
• Approximately 75 percent of women who are raped or physically abused are assaulted by someone they know and had an intimate relationship;
   
• The Ohio Department of Health is funding 80 regional workshops and conferences in 41 counties that focus on education about women's health concerns.

Last Updated: 09/08/2000