Some progress on women's rights, says WHO

PRESS RELEASE

Some progress on women's rights, says WHO - but more needs to be done

MANILA, 7 March 2011-International Women's Day is marking its 100th anniversary, but despite overall progress, much more needs to be done to create a genuine impact on the status of women, particularly in developing countries.

"Renewed political commitment and stronger government leadership are needed," said Dr Shin Young-soo, the World Health Organization's Regional Director for the Western Pacific. "Clearly, societies and health systems are not doing enough to protect women's health and well-being."

In the Western Pacific Region, millions of women face a variety of avoidable health risks throughout their lives. In addition, gains such as longer life expectancy, an increase in maternal health care coverage and a decrease in maternal mortality have been uneven across and within countries.

New strategies and approaches are needed to improve the health of women in the Region, said Dr Shin. Action from various sectors-such as health, education and labour-is also essential to address the multiple social determinants of women's health, he said.

Dr Shin said women's health is determined not just by biological characteristics, but by a range of social factors that limit the ability of women to protect their health and obtain timely and appropriate health care.

Discrimination can disadvantage girls even before birth through practices such as sex-selective abortion. Some households favour boys over girls when investing in nutrition, education and health, especially when resources are scarce.

WHO highlights 10 key issues important for women's health in the Western Pacific:

1. Although cost-effective interventions are available, the maternal mortality ratio remains unacceptably high in some of countries, where the proportion of deliveries attended by skilled health personnel is less than 50%. 2. Malnutrition in girls leads to hampered growth and development that affect their productive and reproductive roles. 3. Early marriage and unintended adolescent pregnancy are major issues in some countries in the Region. 4. Biologically more vulnerable than young men to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, young women may not be able to negotiate safe sex, which could lead to unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions. 5. Gender-based violence remains a public health challenge in many countries. 6. Women's exposure to lifestyle-related risk factors, such as unhealthy diets, inadequate physical activity, smoking (or exposure to second-hand smoke) and alcohol, has been increasing; 7. Mental ill-health is a significant issue for women, who are more likely than men to suffer from depression. 8. Tobacco use among women is likely to increase as the tobacco industry's aggressive targeting of women continues to rise. Meanwhile, they are exposed to second-hand smoke in houses and workplaces. 9. With women's life expectancy generally longer than men's, chronic care, community-based services and social and economic support are needed to help meet the health needs of elderly women. 10. Women face multiple barriers to access health services, including unaffordable out-of-pockets payments, lack of confidentiality, and biased or unsympathetic attitudes of health providers.

International Women's Day is observed every 8 March to highlight the economic, political and social condition of women, and actions that can be taken to improve it. ____________________

Fact Sheet

Nutrition and development More than 10% of newborn children have a low birth weight in at least seven countries in the Region, which is a sign of maternal malnutrition.

The prevalence of anaemia, which reduces resistance to infection and hinders learning and school performance in children and productivity in adults, is 30.7% in pregnant women, 21.5% in non-pregnant women and 23.1% in preschool children.

Reproductive health Three countries in the Western Pacific Region still have unacceptable high mortality, with over 200 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births.

Most countries in the Region have made progress: the overall maternal mortality ratio has declined from 130 to 51 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births between 1990 and 2008.

Maternal mortality ratio has been reduced from 130 per 100 000 live births in 1990 to 51 per 100 000 live births in 2008.

Chronic diseases and conditions Women in richer countries live longer on average than those in the developing world. Women's health-adjusted life expectancy ranges between 70 and 80 years in the high-income countries of the Region, while it is in the 60s or below in most low- and lower-middle income countries.

Within countries, the health of women differs depending on socioecononmic determinants, such as gender-based inequalities, and women's level of household income, education, rural versus urban location, employment status, ethnicity, age and other factors

Mental health is a significant problem for women, with neuropsychiatric disorders ranking the highest among the 10 leading causes contributing to women's disability.

Depressive disorders account to close to 42% of the disability from neuropsychiatric disorders among women, and only 29.3% among men.

Intentional injuries are among the 10 leading causes of disability in the Region for women but not for men, confirming that violence against women, which can result in mental health issues and other chronic health problems, remains a public health challenge.

Women's exposure to lifestyle-related risk factors such as unhealthy diets, inadequate physical activity, smoking (or exposure to second-hand smoke) and alcohol, and thus their burden of noncommunicable diseases have been increasing.

Cardiovascular diseases are the second leading cause contributing to disability-adjusted life years (DALYs: measure of overall disease burden, expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health.)

Women are exposed to second-hand smoke, leading to their increased rates of lung cancer and risk of coronary heart disease. Surveys show that over 50% of female students (13-15 years old) in the Region were exposed to second-hand smoke in homes, and over 64% in public places.

Of cancers in women, breast cancer is the most frequent, with an estimated 300 000 new cases in 2008 in the Region.

Cervical cancer, with an estimated 100 000 new cases in 2008 in the Region, is an important concern.

Women outlive men, but with poor quality of life during old age. The Region is home to one third of the world's population of people aged 65 years and over, more than half of whom are women.

ENDS

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