International Women's Day - 8 March 2011

GEMS advice to women: "Put your health first in 2011"

8 March 2011 sees the centenary of International Women's Day throughout the world.

The day is dedicated to celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women. Ever caring and willing to lend a helping hand to others it is remarkable to note that despite considerable progress and achievements most women fall far short when it comes to caring for their own health and wellbeing.

That is because they mostly put the health of others ahead of their own...

This was recently confirmed in research conducted by the National Women's Health Resource Centre in the United States of America (USA). The survey's findings clearly indicate that women place greater priority on the health of their family than their own personal health. The greatest concern for most women - just slightly ahead of being diagnosed with an incurable or chronic illness - is losing a loved one. The tendency in women to put others ahead of themselves often leaves them extremely vulnerable as they have preciously little time to take care of their own health.

Fifty-five year old Susan Kunene* is a typical example of a woman who placed her own health and wellbeing at the bottom of a big pile of other priorities for a very long time. Well known as a pillar of strength in her community, everyone thought that this wife, mother of four, grandmother and highly qualified teacher would just keep going forever.

Susan never showed the slightest sign that she herself was in desperate need of care. She never saw a doctor, ignored her tiredness and shortness of breath and chose not to give the tightness in her chest another thought. That was until the day that she collapsed while teaching a grade 12 English class. A quick-thinking learner called the emergency services while one of her colleagues, well trained in first aid, immediately started CPR. Fortunately the ambulance arrived within minutes and Susan was taken to a good hospital where she underwent lifesaving emergency surgery.

Her road to recovery was long but now, six months later, Susan is finally back at school and back in the classroom that she so loves. This time she truly is the picture of health. She is, as always, there to lend a helping hand to everyone. However, deep down something has changed for Susan. "I was the lucky one," she says smilingly. "Quick action from everyone, the best doctors and medical care and more important than anything - a good medical scheme to hold my hand through it all and to pay the bills! I just wonder why I never heeded all the good healthcare advice and the encouragement from GEMS to be more proactive about my health. Thank goodness the doctors and the Scheme were there to put the pieces together when years of bad habits finally caught up with me!"

Today Susan is dedicating her life to helping other women figure out how to take care of themselves so that they can help those around them. "As women we have this tendency to put ourselves last. Yes, we do have many responsibilities, but if we make our own well-being a priority we will be able to do those things we need to and take care of the people we love."

Susan's good advice comes as no surprise. A national, on-line survey conducted in March 2010 among 2 000 American women aged between 25-64 revealed that most women were so busy being caretakers of others, they had little time to take care of their own health. In response, a new national campaign, "Choose You", was launched, encouraging women to take action in putting their own health first in order to stay well and help prevent diseases such as cancer.

According to the survey, women want better health but fall short of achieving it. As many as 95% of women want to improve their health yet three out of five put others' health before their own. When it comes to women's specific health behaviors, the survey reveals some eye-opening findings: 90% say they fall short of eating a healthy diet while 85% don't get the recommended minimum daily exercise of 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

The risk factors associated with female cardiac disease include:

• Smoking - women who smoke are at risk of suffering a heart attack 19 years earlier than women who do not
• Diabetes - women suffering from diabetes are two to three times more likely to have a heart attack
• High blood pressure - this is common in women who take oral contraceptives, especially if they are overweight
• Inactive lifestyles - many women spend most of their day sitting down and have little or no leisure time for physical activity
• Obesity - being overweight increases the risk of heart attack
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use - studies have shown that post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy may, in fact, not have the beneficial cardiac protective effects previously associated with their use

The American Cancer Society (ACS), the largest voluntary health organisation in the U.S., launched a special campaign to shine the spotlight on a sobering statistic: one in three women will get cancer in her lifetime. According to ACS, about half of all cancer deaths could be prevented if people maintained a healthy weight through diet and regular exercise, avoided tobacco products and took recommended cancer screening tests.

Unfortunately, it is not always easy to incorporate healthy behaviours into a busy lifestyle. "But," says Susan, "as women we hold the keys to healthcare prevention. We carry the responsibility for the health and wellbeing of the entire household and yet, strangely enough we really struggle to make our own health a priority."

"It is good that GEMS dedicates itself to help motivate South Africa's women to prioritise their health and to engage in lifestyle behaviour that can help reduce healthcare risk. By committing to our own health, we as women will be better able to care for our families and to serve as role models for their children, families, and friends."

*The member's name has been changed in order to protect her privacy.

Sources:
health.dailynewscentral.com › Women's Health
http://www.empowher.com/cancer/content/choose-you-campaign-inspiring-women-put-own-health-first
http://personalenhancementcoaching.com/a-happy-healthy-you-advises-women-to-put-their-health-first.php