An Overview of Women in the US and Some Major Health Risks

The population of women in the US stands slightly higher than 150 million with about 157 million projected by 2010. This compares to a male population of slightly more than 145 million with about 151 million projected by 2010.

The median age of women in the US is approximately 38 years old where as the median age for men is approximately 35.

Among US women age 20 and over, 64 million are overweight and 34 million are obese. Pretty scary statistics when you look at the overall female population, especially when you consider that an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, both associated with obesity, can increase the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, breathing problems, arthritis, gallbladder disease, and osteoarthritis.

Only about 85% of women have had a regular check up within the past two years.

Slightly more than 12% of women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in their lives, about 1 in 8. The average age is 61. The estimated number of breast cancer cases in the US for 2007 is 178,480, which amounts to approximately 26% of all cancer incidences in women and the estimated deaths from breast cancer is approximately 40,000.

Even scarier than breast cancer, the rates which have actually been declining since 1990, is the incidence of lung cancer. There is expected to be over 98,000 new cases during 2007, about 15% of cancer incidence but the mortality rate is much higher! The estimated deaths from lung cancer is almost 71,000 which amounts to approximately 26% of all deaths due to cancer occurring in women. Lung cancer death rates have been rising and rising dramatically since about the mid-1970s, actually doubling in the years from about 1980 to 2000. Since then it has stabilized.

Then there's heart disease, the number one killer! Heart disease incidences and death rates for women have been on the rise. Experts attribute this to the changing roles in women. More women work and they tend to work higher profile jobs than ever, leading to increased stress, a major contributing cause of heart disease. Women also tend to have to fulfill the more traditional female roles as well with taking care of home and family along with working and now more than ever you have many one parent households with a woman as the head of the household, caring for children, home and financial stability.

Changing roles and equality for women are coming at a high price and this means we also need to be ever more vigilant about caring for our health and adopting a healthy lifestyle.

The author of this article, D. Raeke, is a natural health advocate with an interest in the many facets of womens health and life issues. You can visit her at Women's Health - Information and Resources for a Woman's Health and Life Style for more information.