Women's Holistic Health - Women's Health Campaign

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

WOMEN’S HOLISTIC HEALTH A go-to guide for women to become holistically healthier. A must-have manual for those around them to become better allies.

ABOUT US

Holisticly is a progressive health and technology company focused on empowering people from all around the world to live consciously, healthily, and enthusiastically. Our international team of experienced researchers, practitioners, and creators work closely to bring you high-quality, extensively researched content that can expand your knowledge about different aspects of holistic, preventive, and integrative health. You can be confident that you are making sound decisions about your health based on facts, studies, and scientific research, as our number one priority is to consistently provide scientifically proven content.

Holisticly has created this Women’s Health Awareness Campaign in partnership with the World Health Innovation Summit (WHIS). The aim is to increase public visibility and increase awareness of how women can achieve a healthier lifestyle and be aware of their rights.

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SHORT GLOSSARY

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

SHORT GLOSSARY Women’s Holistic Health The term holistic refers to the belief that whole entities are greater than the sum of their parts, and that these parts, in turn, can only be understood in relation to the whole. As such, a holistic approach to health and health care encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of wellness and wellbeing, as well as health promotion and disease prevention.

Historically, women’s health has been equated with reproductive and sexual health. Nowadays, as we are moving further from this definition, we have begun to increase our attention toward a holistic approach to women’s health.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Physical Health How does physical activity tie into women’s holistic health and wellbeing?

Physical health is an important part of women’s holistic health and cannot be separated from its emotional, psychological, cultural, social, or spiritual aspects.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that regular physical activity reduces rates of all-cause mortality*, such as: coronary heart disease high blood pressure stroke metabolic syndrome type two diabetes breast and colon cancer depression falls *the death rate from all causes of death for a population in a given time period

Physical activity increases cardiorespiratory and muscle fitness, promotes healthier body composition, and improves bone health and cognitive function.

Yet, despite a broad general awareness of the importance of physical activity, a huge part of the world’s population remains inactive.

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Physical Health Physical Exercise Recommendations As well as improving cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness and bone health, physical activity also benefits our metabolic health and reduces the risk of non-communicable diseases and symptoms of anxiety and depression. In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) made the following recommendations for women of different age groups.

Girls and adolescents (from 5-17 years old) Girls in this category should engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day. Remember that physical activity doesn’t just include sports! it can also be in the form of transportation, recreation, and physical education, in the context of family, school, and community.

Females aged 5-17 years should also engage in forms of aerobic and vigorous activities that strengthen both their muscles (e.g., climbing) and their bones (e.g., running) around three times a week.

Women (18-64 years old) Women that fall into this age bracket should engage in at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week.

Female adults should also engage in musclestrengthening activities involving all major muscle groups at moderate or greater intensity two more days a week.

Older women (65 years and older) Like with younger adult women, it is recommended that women from 65 years and up engage in at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week.

They should also engage in muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups at moderate or greater intensity two or more days a week.

Adults of this age with poor mobility should aim to engage in physical activity three or more days a week to enhance their balance and help prevent falls.

Older adults should be as physically active as their functional ability allows and adjust their level of effort for physical activity relative to their level of fitness.

They should also start with small amounts of physical activity and gradually increase the frequency, intensity, and duration over time.

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Physical Health

As a woman, are there any conditions or diseases that are more likely to affect me?

While all genders contract various conditions, women face unique health challenges due to physiological and socio-cultural reasons. Here are some conditions that have a significant impact on the lives of women.

Heart disease Heart disease is the number one cause of death in several countries, like the US or China, and women suffer higher heart attack deaths compared to men, especially after menopause.

Breast cancer Breast cancer is the most prevalent and the leading cause of death from cancer in women worldwide.

While it typically originates in the lining of the milk ducts, breast cancer can spread to other organs.

Ovarian and cervical cancer Cancerous tumors found on the female genital tract also represent a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women worldwide.

Anxiety and depression

Gynecological disorders

Anxiety and depression, amongst other mental illnesses, are exhibited more frequently among female patients.

Gynecological disorders are specific to women and include menstrual irregularities, urinary tract conditions, and disorders such as vaginosis and vaginitis.

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Physical Health

Regarding breast cancer, what is the importance of screening?

Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. Fortunately, the chances of surviving breast cancer are high, especially when detected early and where treatment is available.

For that reason, screening is important and can help detect cancer at an early stage and before symptoms appear.

Can lifestyle interventions play an important role in reducing the risk of several health threats?

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), 38% percent of women suffer from one or more chronic diseases, compared to 30 percent of men. Many chronic diseases are caused by health-damaging behaviors. This means that it is possible to reduce your risk and improve your quality of life by making healthy choices, such as: focusing on maintaining a healthy weight eliminating tobacco consumption (smoking, chewing, and sniffing) reducing alcohol consumption being physically active maintaining a healthy and nutritious diet

SOCIAL HEALTH

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Social Health

What is social health?

Social health is more than just the prevention of illnesses or social problems. Instead, being socially healthy also means an increased degree of happiness, a sense of belonging, and concern for others. Dimensions of social health include integration, contribution, coherence, comfort, and acceptance.

We now know that our health is impacted by our social environment, in the way that our social context can not only influence our health status but also prevent diseases and illnesses.

How is women’s health social structures?

affected by

Different features in the lives of men and women have different impacts on both genders’ health levels. This means there are gender-related differences that make social health determinants different between genders. When compared to men, women are less likely to be employed full time, more likely to be involved in lower-paid jobs, caring, and unpaid roles. Also, acceptance and integration in society affects women differently, since their views are more likely to be devalued, and they are less likely to occupy top positions.

In that way, women’s social health is strongly influenced by: poverty social exclusion minority status

job insecurity work environment social support

living situation education income

It’s important to remember, however, that while our social environments impact our wellbeing, they do not define us as people, nor are they impossible to change!

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Social Health In a collective sense, how can we work to support women’s empowerment and social wellbeing?

Working to increase female enrolment in education can pave the way for women to occupy higher ranking positions in the business world, as well as gain their share of seats in national parliaments. It is also just as important to strive to eliminate the gender pay gap and gender-poverty ratio in order to increase women’s integration, contribution, coherence, comfort, and acceptance in society.

According to the WHO’s latest report on strategies for women’s health and wellbeing, key areas of action identified were:

governmental discourse surrounding matters of women’s health, with women themselves at the center of changes, programs, and interventions, should be increased

discriminatory values, norms, and practices that affect the health and wellbeing of girls and women should be eliminated

the impact of gender and social, economic, cultural, and environmental determinants on women’s health and wellbeing should be tackled

health system responses to women’s needs should be improved

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Social Health On a personal level, what can I do to achieve optimal social health?

On a personal level, several actions and lifestyle choices can be made in order to improve social health.

Making Connections Making new connections by developing new hobbies, joining groups learning new skills, volunteering at schools or social events, or even traveling and meeting new people.

Building Healthy Relationships Building healthy relationships by sharing your feelings with friends and family, asking for help when in need, listening to others without judgment, and disagreeing with respect are all important habits needed to maintain meaningful relationships.

Developing Healthy Habits Developing healthy habits by engaging in healthy activities, such as spending time in nature, eating healthy, enjoying the company of others, cooking meals, and spending time with loved ones.

By maintaining these habits, there are several health benefits to be had. These include: greater empathy for others reduced stress, anxiety, and worry increased self-esteem improved sense of security and support stronger sense of belonging enhanced communication skills

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Social Health

ECONOMIC HEALTH

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Economic Health What is economic health?

Economic health refers to the conditions of a person’s f inancial and professional life. With optimal economic health, a person experiences an increase in financial and professional security, which results in a decrease in overall stress. The dimension of economic health includes certain monetary elements of life such as income, savings, expenses, debts, and decision-making power.

Other key components of economic health include: financial compensation, allowing a person to meet basic needs, such as food, housing, health care, education, and leisure job security, which encompasses having stable employment and a secure income supportive work environment, where one can feel supported and encouraged financial literacy, which involves a person possessing the skills and knowledge required to help them effectively handle their own finances A high standard of economic health allows us to make measured decisions related to our health and personal enjoyment, as well ensuring we are suitably equipped to handle unexpected situations.

What is women’s economic empowerment, and why is it important?

According to the UN Women Organization, women’s economic empowerment includes women having: the opportunity to participate equally in existing markets access to and control over productive resources access to decent work. control over their own time, lives, and bodies greater agency and equal voicing in economic decision-making at all levels, from the household to international institutions.

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Economic Health In today’s scenario, women, when compared to men:

remain less likely to participate in the labor market

are more likely to be unemployed

are over-represented in vulnerable employment

have smaller salaries

Empowering women in the economy and closing gender gaps in the working world is key to achieving the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Reaching this goal is essential because when more women work, economies grow, productivity increases, and more room is made to facilitate economic diversification.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Environmental Health

If environmental health is a global issue, how are women disproportionately affected by it?

Women represent the majority of the world's poor and are proportionally more dependent on threatened natural resources. As a result, they are increasingly being seen as more vulnerable than men to the impacts of climate change.

In 2016, the WHO estimated that 23% of global deaths are attributed to modifiable environmental causes. They also stated that between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year. Climate change is one of the greatest global challenges to the 21st-century world, with its impacts varying amongst regions, generations, age, classes, income groups, and gender, but affecting them all. Optimal environmental health is based on the prevention of diseases and injuries related to environmental sources and hazardous agents.

Why are women more likely to be affected by environmental threats than men?

Women and men have different roles, responsibilities, decision-making power, access to land and natural resources, opportunities, and needs. For one, women have less access than men to resources (such as land, technology, and training), and for another, women also represent a higher percentage of poorer communities. Women are also generally more dependent on local natural resources and less adaptable to climate change as they are deprived of the necessary social power and acceptance to be able to confront it on their own terms.

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Environmental Health

There are several lifestyle changes that can have a huge impact on environmental health.

On a personal level, we can: be environmentally conscious when making daily decisions on our home, avoiding and being aware of hazardous cleaning practices, dealing correctly with polluted indoor air, and avoiding high noise pollution and unsanitary water be aware of occupational risks, including all the physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial threats that can harm us, causing avoidable illnesses and injuries, or preventing us from developing to our full potential in a safe environment support the explicit commitment to bringing issues of gender equality into the environmental arena, spreading the word around, and educating our community On a community level, we can: strengthen governance for women’s health and wellbeing, with women themselves at the center of these changes eliminate discriminatory values, norms, and practices that affect the health and wellbeing of girls and women improve and support women’s capacity to participate in discussions and shape environmental policy and action at all levels, improving their decision-making power adjust government priorities so that awareness and promotion of gender equality are integrated into financial, legislation, and governmental planning

People are exposed to risk factors in their homes, work places and communities through:

AIR POLLUTION Including indoors and outdoors

CLIMATE CHANGE

BUILT ENVIRONMENTS including housing and roads

INADEQUATE WATER, SANITATION and hygiene

AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES including pesticide-use, waste-water reuse

CHEMICALS and biological agents

RADIATION ultraviolet and ionizing

COMMUNITY NOISE

OCCUPATIONAL RISKS

SPIRITUAL HEALTH

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Spiritual Health How important is spirituality in relation to my general wellbeing?

Spirituality is an important component of every person’s physical wellbeing and mental health. It involves the very personal and human search for meaning and purpose in life. This search may or may not be related to organized religion.

Acknowledging spirituality is important because everyone has spiritual needs with implications on their holistic health.

Several studies have demonstrated that a positive relationship between religiosity, physiological wellbeing.

For example, religious activity has been associated with benefits such as: lower blood pressure better immune function higher life satisfaction Additionally, it is also important to be aware that certain mindfulness practices have been associated with a reduction in physical and psychological symptoms.

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Spiritual Health As a woman, how does spiritual wellbeing impact my health?

Currently and historically, women experience not only physical pain and oppression but also spiritual oppression.

Domestic abuse, sexual politics, economic inequalities, assault, and other types of intimate violence driven by historically male-dominated societies can have profound impacts on women’s spirituality and souls.

Medical professionals are now starting to recognize that abuse and other forms of soul violations are implicated in women’s mental, physical, and spiritual health and must become part of their holistic and integrative diagnosis and treatment plan.

Doctors and health practitioners can support women’s spiritual wellbeing by: being open to seeing beyond the physical and recognizing their patients as whole people with bodies and souls promoting the benefits of being still and present in the moment, and the practice of mindfulness encouraging practices of reflection, silent contemplation, journal writing, meditation, or prayer explaining the importance of engaging in self-nurturing activities, such as being in nature, massages, listening to music, watching the sunset, or gardening creating and supporting opportunities for women solidarity and validation of their experiences about their bodies, minds, spirits, and lives empowering women’s transformation and healing

MENTAL HEALTH

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Mental Health

Is gender a critical determinant of mental health and mental illness?

Gender, on its own, and through interaction with other determinants such as class, ethnicity, and educational levels, has been recognized by the WHO as an important risk factor for mental health disorders. Unfortunately, depression, anxiety, psychological distress, eating disorders, sexual violence, domestic violence, and substance use affect women to a greater extent than men across different countries and different settings.

What are specific risk factors for mental conditions in women?

There are gender-specific risk factors for some common mental disorders, based on gender-based roles, stressors, and negative life experiences and events. For example:

women are at a higher risk of experiencing domestic abuse than men, and this can lead to high rates of anxiety and depression and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress

many women have social roles as primary carers for children, which, when coupled with their other professional and household responsibilities, can result in role overload, contributing to social isolation and further impacting mental health

women living in poverty and women from minority groups are at a higher risk for victimization by violence in general

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Mental Health What is gender bias?

Depression is the most frequently diagnosed women’s mental health problem. It also ranks as the most prevalent women’s health problem overall. However, according to the WHO, gender bias occurs in the treatment of psychological disorders. Doctors are more likely to diagnose depression in women compared to men, even when they have similar scores on standardized measures of depression or present with identical symptoms. This points to the fact that while men’s depression and mental health problems are widely under-detected, women are also over-diagnosed.

Are there measures we can take to prevent mental health problems from developing?

The WHO lists three protective factors, and they are chiefly concerned with women's ability to manage their own lives, cope with risks, protect their lives, and influence the direction of the health development process.

Having sufficient autonomy to exercise some control in response to severe events.

Having access to resources that allow the possibility of making choices in the face of severe events.

Having psychological support from family, friends, or health providers.

In order to ensure mental health, women need to be able to interact in society in ways that promote wellbeing, optimal development, and the achievement of consistent justice and equality.

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

Mental Health

Eating disorders Eating disorders are serious illnesses associated with severe disturbances in people’s eating behaviors and related thoughts and emotions. Gender stereotypes have consequences for women’s health in terms of self-confidence and wellbeing. In particular, concerns about physical appearance may cause girls and young women to develop, among other mental illnesses, eating disorders.

While there are a number of men living with eating disorders around the globe, women and girls are disproportionately more affected by them. Common eating disorders include: anorexia nervosa bulimia nervosa binge eating disorder (BED) It is crucial to seek treatment early for eating disorders, which may include individual, group, and family psychotherapy, medical care and monitoring, nutrition counseling, and medications.

WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

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WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

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WOMEN’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN

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