Women of Color and Poor Women have Increased Chance of Poor Health

In a report presented last week by New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr Thomas R Frieden, titled “Women at Risk: The Health of Women in New York City,” it was found that there is a connection between race and socio-economic status and health behavior, health care access and health outcomes.
An article in Medical News Today gives us an overview of some of the findings:
— The health of women in New York City has greatly improved over the past decade, but some groups of women – particularly black, Hispanic, and low-income women – still experience poor health.
— Many women in New York City do not receive appropriate levels of preventive care, including regular cancer screenings and immunizations.
— Women lag behind men in heart disease prevention efforts, such as exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight.
And some more specific stuff:
— Women in New York City’s poorest neighborhoods have a life expectancy 5 years shorter than those who in the highest income neighborhoods. Black women have a life expectancy almost 5 years shorter than white women.
— Hispanic women and women with low incomes are less likely than most other women to have health care coverage.
— Black women are more than twice as likely as white women to die from pregnancy-related complications.
— Among women, 27% of years of potential life lost are due to cancer, while cancer is responsible for only 17% of the years of potential life lost among men.
— Nearly one-quarter of women age 40 and older have not received a mammogram in the past two years; fewer than half of women age 50 and over have ever had a colon cancer screening; and 1 in 5 women have not had a Pap test in the past three years. Asian women are least likely to receive colon cancer screenings and Pap tests.
— The rate of new AIDS diagnoses is 11 times higher among black women than white women and the rate of AIDS deaths is 7 times higher.
Interesting stuff. This really got me to thinking about cultural perceptions of health care and how that also affects frequency of doctor consultations. Any thoughts?