The Best and Worst in Women’s Health: Decade Review

Fewer women smoke, but more are obese and have high blood pressure. The AIDS rate among women is lower, but the diabetes rate is higher. These are just a few of the findings from our 2010 Women’s Health Report Card’s ten-year review of women’s health; this edition (the fifth in a series) includes a special analysis of how things have changed since the very first edition of the Report Card was published in 2000.

Generally the news is mixed, with some gains and some losses. The proportion of women who get a colorectal cancer screening, for instance, has increased from 37.7 percent (2000 Report Card) to 61.8 percent (2010 Report Card) but during the same period women’s Pap smear rate declined from 84.9 percent (2000 Report Card) to 78 percent (2010 Report Card). Some common factors in the areas that have experienced the most considerable progress include federal policies and resources, state policy improvement, and public education/awareness. Consider women’s smoking rates (which have declined from 20.8 percent to 16.8 percent over the course of decade). The federal government has regulated tobacco product sales and marketing and invested in research on nicotine addition and smoking cessation treatments; states have enacted policies like tobacco excise taxes and strict enforcement of tobacco sales to minors; and, there have been several successful public awareness campaigns about the risks of smoking (such as the American Legacy Foundation’s “truth” campaign which researchers credit with helping to reduce the teen smoking rate from 25 percent to 18 percent over a three-year period).

While it’s clear that the nation and the individual states have a long way to go before they’ve met goals for women’s health, the good news is that we have several great examples of how progress is possible with a combination of federal and state policy improvements and public attention and awareness. And looking ahead to the next decade, we’re confident that we’ll see more progress in women’s health as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is implemented—this law has enormous potential to improve women’s access to health coverage and, over time, to lead to better health outcomes for women. Check out our full 2010 Women’s Health Report Card to learn more!