The celebration of Mother’s Day on Sunday, 13 May, marked the beginning of an important week for women. Every year, the holiday signals the start of National Women’s Health Week, an observance initiated in the United States 13 years ago focusing on encouraging women to make health a top priority in their lives.
The Health Services Authority is calling on the women of the Cayman Islands to use the week of 13-19 May as a springboard to a healthier future. Too often, women postpone or ignore health issues as they concentrate on taking care of families.
But if they get ill, not only can they no longer be the caregivers, they may not have anyone to care for them. Therefore, recognising National Women’s Health Week is an opportunity to motivate women to take charge of their own health.
In the US, the whole country gets involved community by community, including hospitals, schools, churches, businesses and recreation centres. The idea is to get everyone engaged in promoting women’s health. Various organisations offer free screenings, hold health fairs and distribute educational materials.
The theme of this year’s observance is “It’s Your Time”. After all, what better time is there than now to start living a healthier life and become proactive in lowering risks to preventable diseases? Often women will be too busy to consider their own health concerns, but they need to make the time to take care of themselves.
The observance of National Women’s Health Week draws attention to the various health issues that can affect women along with the all-important preventative measures they can take.
Heart disease, cancer and diabetes are three of the top health concerns women face and, while there is no guarantee you can always prevent these diseases, there are certainly ways to reduce the chances of contracting them.
The HSA wants women to take advantage of the screenings and tests available to monitor their health.
Women should get their blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked on a regular basis. Heart disease is the No. 1 threat to women’s health and can be prevented through the right lifestyle choices. In addition to maintaining both a healthy diet and exercise programme, women should avoid smoking, limit their alcohol intake and try to manage stress.
Every woman should undergo regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer and Pap smears to ensure cervical health. Cancer shares many of the risk factors of heart disease, but in addition, women should protect themselves from the sun (especially important in Cayman), breastfeed if possible, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and schedule all relevant screenings as recommended by your doctor.
Throughout the year, and specifically during the observance of World Diabetes Day every 14 November, women can get their blood sugar tested. But there is no need to wait; anyone at risk for this disease should get screened as soon as possible.
Despite the demands of work and family, women need to be proactive in dealing with their health by making positive lifestyle choices and scheduling regular checkups and screenings. The observance of National Women’s Health Week is an effective way to motivate women to take charge of their health. The HSA supports this initiative and looks forward to the increasing good health of the women of Cayman.
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