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Women live longer than men but experience more years in poor health, according to a global analysis of the gender health gap, which experts say highlights the urgent need for action to improve women’s health.
Globally, there are significant differences between women and men when it comes to health, with limited progress in closing health gaps over the past three decades, according to the study examining the impact of the world’s 20 leading causes of disease.
The the findings were published in the journal Lancet Public Health.
Non-fatal conditions that cause illness and disability, such as musculoskeletal problems, mental health problems and headaches, particularly affect women, the researchers found.
At the same time, men are disproportionately affected by conditions that cause premature death, such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory and liver disease, Covid-19 and road traffic injuries.
Health disparities between women and men continue to increase with age, leaving women with higher rates of disease and disability throughout their lives as they tend to live longer than men.
The study of senior authorDr. Luisa Sorio Flor of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, said: “This report clearly shows that over the past 30 years, global health progress has been uneven.
“Women live longer but live more years in poor health, with limited progress in reducing the burden of conditions leading to disease and disability, highlighting the urgent need for greater attention to the non-fatal consequences that limit physical and mental function of women, especially in older age. Similarly, men experience a much greater and increasing disease burden with fatal consequences.
The study is also a call for countries to increase reporting of sex and gender data, Sorio Flor said. “The timing is right for this study and call for action – not only because of where the evidence currently stands, but also because Covid-19 has starkly reminded us that gender disparities can profoundly affect health outcomes.”
“One key point the study highlights is how women and men differ in many biological and social factors that vary and sometimes accumulate over time, resulting in them experiencing health and illness differently at each stage of life and in different regions of the world.
“The challenge now is to design, implement and evaluate ways to prevent and treat the main causes of morbidity and premature mortality from an early age and across different populations.”
The study looked at differences in the 20 leading causes of illness and death between men and women, across different ages and regions.
The modeling study used data from Global Burden of Disease Study 2021and did not include sex-specific health conditions, such as gynecological conditions or prostate cancer.
The analysis estimates that for 13 of the 20 leading causes of illness and death, including Covid-19, road traffic injuries and a number of heart, respiratory and liver diseases, rates were higher for men than for women in 2021.
Among the conditions assessed, the findings show that the biggest causes that put women at a disadvantage are low back pain, depressive disorders, headaches, anxiety disorders, bone and muscle disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, as well as HIV and AIDS.
These conditions contribute to lifelong illness and disability rather than leading to premature death, the study found.
Study co-author Gabriela Gill of the IHME said: “It is clear that women’s health care needs to expand well beyond the areas that health systems and research funding have so far prioritized, such as sexual and reproductive issues.”
“Conditions that disproportionately affect women in all regions of the world, such as depressive disorders, are significantly underfunded compared to the enormous burden they exert, with only a small fraction of global government health spending going to mental illness.”
“Future health system planning must address the full range of issues affecting women throughout their lives, especially given the higher level of disability they endure and the increasing female-to-male ratio in an aging population.”
The analysis was limited to data for women and men and could not provide estimates for gender-differentiated or gender-diverse groups, highlighting the need for more data spanning the gender and gender spectrum.
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