Women need better habits
Bad habits are driving up rates of disease and dementia in women, despite decades of public health promotion. Women are still more likely to suffer vascular disease and stroke than men and face a higher risk of developing cognitive impairment and dementia, but the risks can be reduced by a healthier lifestyle.
UNHEALTHY habits are driving up rates of disease and dementia in Australian women despite decades of public health promotion.
Women are still more likely to suffer vascular disease and stroke than men and face a higher risk of developing cognitive impairment and dementia, but the risks can be reduced by healthy lifestyle changes.
Research by the University of Melbourne has found most females are not meeting the health guidelines that can help reduce the risk of death, disability and morbidity.
Less than 25 per cent of women do the recommended 75 minutes of weekly exercise, only 20 per cent eat enough fruit and vegetables and more than half are overweight.
“Women have higher rates and are more likely to die of cardiovascular disease, which includes heart attacks, ischaemic heart disease and stroke, than men,” said lead researcher and neurologist Professor Cassandra Szoeke.
To determine how many women were complying with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Guidelines for healthy living, Prof Szoeke looked at an online survey of 26,000 women.
The results, published in PLOS ONE, found only 30 per cent of women were eating sufficient fruit, vegetables, fish and legumes and were doing enough physical activity. Almost two in five had more than three health risks, such as poor nutrition or low levels of physical activity.
“Women who reported not coping well with home or work stressors had more health risks, supporting previous research that psychological stress is detrimental to health and wellbeing and can increase the likelihood of unhealthy behaviours,” Prof Szoeke said.
The research found women with good social support had fewer risk factors, suggesting friends, family and communities played a key role in improving lifestyles.