A social model of health
reda
A social model of health provides a framework or a big picture way of thinking about health. When we think about health in this way, it becomes clear that better health results from considering the social and environmental factors that affect health as well as the biological and medical factors. This means that you have the best opportunity for good health when you are treated as an individual who is a member of a family and a member of a wider community, which in turn dictates the political, social and economic environment you live in.
To do this, we need continued investment in women’s health. We need to focus on the social and economic factors that influence women’s health and start making positive changes to the environments in which women live, work and socialise, so that women from all backgrounds have access to tools that can improve their health. Women are the centre of families and communities, and research shows that looking after women’s health results in healthier families and a healthier community.
An important first step in addressing the health needs of women in these different groups is developing health information and services that are sensitive to their needs and are easier for them to access. See the Resources section at the end of this book for information and services that focus on the needs of all women as well as different groups of women.
Different needs at different life stages
Women’s health needs change throughout their lives and it is very important for them to have access to the right information and services at the right time to achieve the best health. Women have many important transition points in their lives. The social, emotional, economic and hormonal changes women experience at these transition points can make them especially vulnerable to health problems. Having access to the information and services you need at each of these stages can give you better control of your preventative health care and health-management decisions and can help prevent health risk factors from ‘adding up’ throughout your life. Young women can be under pressure to be successful at school and university, to be popular, to conform to stereotypes and to look attractive. All of this can increase the chance of risky behaviours such as drinking too much alcohol and having unprotected sex, and can lead to an unhealthy body image and eating disorders. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported in 2007 that nearly one in three young women has a mental health disorder.
When women begin to think about having a family, they face a whole new set of health issues. Because these days women are older when they have children, they may not find it as easy to get pregnant as they hoped. Women who are pregnant or who have recently become mothers have a high risk of depression, and balancing parenting and work responsibilities can affect women’s health in many ways.
In midlife women often experience more life events and changes than at any other time. This is a time of physical transition, when menopause may cause a range of physical symptoms, depression and anxiety, as well as an increased risk of other health
problems such as osteoporosis and heart disease. At the same time, adult children may be leaving home and new opportunities for work and leisure may open up. Many women in this life stage, however, take on the role of caring for an elderly parent, which creates another range of emotional and physical challenges.
Women are making up a larger proportion of the old and very old population groups in Australia. Older women have specific health needs that are often influenced by outliving their partners, being less economically secure than men, and having much higher rates of age-related health problems such as dementia, arthritis and osteoporosis than men of the same age. Older women are often invisible in Australian society, and yet this is a time when, with the right support and a positive outlook, they may have many opportunities to enjoy life in ways there wasn’t time for when they were younger. This is also the time to enjoy the wisdom that only comes with many years of life experience!
Because your experience of life and health is influenced so heavily by different life stages, we have divided this topic's into sections that relate to women’s four major life stages. The information in each section will help you navigate each life stage, making the most of the opportunities and reducing any health risks you face.
To do this, we need continued investment in women’s health. We need to focus on the social and economic factors that influence women’s health and start making positive changes to the environments in which women live, work and socialise, so that women from all backgrounds have access to tools that can improve their health. Women are the centre of families and communities, and research shows that looking after women’s health results in healthier families and a healthier community.
An important first step in addressing the health needs of women in these different groups is developing health information and services that are sensitive to their needs and are easier for them to access. See the Resources section at the end of this book for information and services that focus on the needs of all women as well as different groups of women.
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| women’s health |
Women’s health needs change throughout their lives and it is very important for them to have access to the right information and services at the right time to achieve the best health. Women have many important transition points in their lives. The social, emotional, economic and hormonal changes women experience at these transition points can make them especially vulnerable to health problems. Having access to the information and services you need at each of these stages can give you better control of your preventative health care and health-management decisions and can help prevent health risk factors from ‘adding up’ throughout your life. Young women can be under pressure to be successful at school and university, to be popular, to conform to stereotypes and to look attractive. All of this can increase the chance of risky behaviours such as drinking too much alcohol and having unprotected sex, and can lead to an unhealthy body image and eating disorders. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported in 2007 that nearly one in three young women has a mental health disorder.
When women begin to think about having a family, they face a whole new set of health issues. Because these days women are older when they have children, they may not find it as easy to get pregnant as they hoped. Women who are pregnant or who have recently become mothers have a high risk of depression, and balancing parenting and work responsibilities can affect women’s health in many ways.
In midlife women often experience more life events and changes than at any other time. This is a time of physical transition, when menopause may cause a range of physical symptoms, depression and anxiety, as well as an increased risk of other health
problems such as osteoporosis and heart disease. At the same time, adult children may be leaving home and new opportunities for work and leisure may open up. Many women in this life stage, however, take on the role of caring for an elderly parent, which creates another range of emotional and physical challenges.
Women are making up a larger proportion of the old and very old population groups in Australia. Older women have specific health needs that are often influenced by outliving their partners, being less economically secure than men, and having much higher rates of age-related health problems such as dementia, arthritis and osteoporosis than men of the same age. Older women are often invisible in Australian society, and yet this is a time when, with the right support and a positive outlook, they may have many opportunities to enjoy life in ways there wasn’t time for when they were younger. This is also the time to enjoy the wisdom that only comes with many years of life experience!
Because your experience of life and health is influenced so heavily by different life stages, we have divided this topic's into sections that relate to women’s four major life stages. The information in each section will help you navigate each life stage, making the most of the opportunities and reducing any health risks you face.
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