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Show older.9 While recognition of the major causes of mortality is important, it is perhaps equally important to focus attention on the many nonfatal chronic conditions prevalent among middle age and older women. Chronic diseases such as osteoporosis and arthritis can negatively affect quality of life, decreasing the enjoyment of women's later years. In a recent statewide survey, Utah women 65 years of age and older reported higher prevalence rates of bronchitis, asthma, cancer, arthritis and high blood pressure than men.io Almost 40 percent of older women in Utah reported that they were under a physician's care for arthritis, slightly less than the national estimate of 50 percent. 10.11 Osteoporosis, or loss of bone mass that can lead to fractures, is also common among postmenopausal women in both Utah and the rest of the United States. In fact, osteoporosis affects 7 of 10 women over the age of 50 in the United States.n Unfortunately, this condition may not be diagnosed until a woman has a bone fracture; hip, wrist and vertebral fractures are the most common. 12 In fact, women suffer 75 to 80 percent of the 250,000 hip fractures that occur each year in the United States.13 There were 1,016 osteoporosis-related hospitalizations among Utah women during the period 1992 through 1994.5 The hip fracture hospitalization rate among Utah women age 85 and older during this time was 12.7 per 1,000 women.5 Mental Health Major depression is one of the most commonly occurring psychiatric disorders in our society.14 Epidemiologic studies conducted in many different countries in the 1980s demonstrated that rates of depression were, on the average, about twice as high in women as in men. 15 During 1992-94, there were more than 16,000 hospitalizations in Utah for treatment of depressive disorders; 61 percent of these hospitalizations occurred among women. 16 A severe form of depression, affective psychosis, required the hospitalization of more than 8,000 Utah women during the period 1992 through 1994.16 Women in their childbearing years are at greater risk for depression; 10 percent of pregnant women met diagnostic criteria for major depression in a recent Canadian study.n Among Utah women hospitalized for depressive disorders in 1992-94, 69% were between the ages of 15 and 44.16 Health Behaviors of Utah Women Lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise habits and tobacco use have a profound impact on health. Obesity* is a risk factor for several chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and noninsulin-dependent diabetes.is In general, the self-reported frequency of obesity increases with age for both men and women in Utah, reaching a peak among individuals age 45 to 64 years. Data collected by surveys conducted annually since 1985 suggest that women in Utah are becoming more obese over time. 19 According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the proportion of U.S. women who are overweight has increased from one in four to one in three over the last 10 years.n The benefits of regular physical activity are well documented and include prevention of coronary heart disease, stroke, obesity, osteoporosis, and depression.20,21 Overall, individuals who are physically active outlive those who are inactive.22 Sedentary lifestyle (defined as failing to exercise at least three times a week for at least 20 minutes per session) was reported by 53 percent of adult Utah women in a statewide survey conducted in 1994.19 Nationally, about a third of adult women are sedentary (defined as no self-reported leisure time physical activity in the last 2 weeks). 11 According to the "Women's Health in Utah" report, Utah women become more sedentary as they get older. In fact, the proportion of women reporting a sedentary lifestyle in 1994 increased from 44 percent among women 18 to 24 years of age to 67 percent among women 65 years of age and over. 19 Tobacco use is the single most important preventable cause of death and disease in the United States.23 The proportion of Utah women who report smoking cigarettes has changed little over time, with 14 percent of women classifying themselves as "current smokers" in a 1994 survey.19 Nationally, 23 percent of women 18 years of age and older were self-reported smokers in 1993.n Obesity for women age 20 and older is defined by a Body Mass Index equal to or greater than 27.3, meaning that an individual is disproportionately heavy in relation to her height.is Utah's Health: An Annual Review 1996 |
