Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2004
Leisure time physical activity and change in body mass index: an 11-year follow-up study of 9357 normal weight health women 20-49 years old.
To study the association between self-reported leisure time physical activity at baseline (1984-1986) and change in body mass index (BMI) during an 11-year follow-up period (1995-1997). The study population was 9357 healthy women, aged 20-49 years, who had a normal body weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2) at baseline. ⋯ This study has demonstrated that leisure time physical activity has a moderate effect on BMI. However, not even a high level of leisure time physical activity was sufficient to prevent weight gain and BMI increase in all subgroups of the study population.
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2004
Sex differences in COPD and lung cancer mortality trends--United States, 1968-1999.
Cigarette smoking by U.S. women in the 1940s and 1950s caused large increases in smoking-related lung disease among women. To determine the magnitude of these increases, we compared the mortality trends for males and females in the United States for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer for 1968-1999. ⋯ Physicians, women, and groups interested in women's health issues need to be aware of these trends and target prevention strategies toward females.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2003
A "ton of feathers": gender discrimination in academic medical careers and how to manage it.
To evaluate the experience of gender discrimination among a limited sample of women in academic medicine, specifically, the role of discrimination in hindering careers, coping mechanisms, and perceptions of what institutions and leaders of academic medicine can do to improve the professional workplace climate for women. ⋯ According to this subset of women who perceive that they have been discriminated against based on gender, sexual bias and discrimination are subtly pervasive and powerful. Such environments may have consequences for both women faculty and academic medicine, affecting morale and dissuading younger trainees from entering academic careers. Medical schools need to evaluate and may need to improve the environment for women in academe.
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Journal of women's health · Oct 2003
The impact of a family history of breast cancer on screening practices and attitudes in low-income, rural, African American women.
Women with a family history of breast cancer are at increased risk for developing cancer and, therefore, might be expected to engage in early detection practices more actively than women without a family history. Alternatively, women with a family history may avoid thinking about cancer and have attitudes and practices that do not promote early detection. ⋯ Thus, neither knowledge of a positive family history nor perceived relative risk of breast cancer was associated with either increased or decreased early detection practices among these low-income, rural, African American women who have underused mammography. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of FH(+) women had not ever participated in screening mammography. Interventions to increase mammography rates in this population of underusers are indicated.
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Journal of women's health · Oct 2003
Posttraumatic stress in women after the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.
Women have been shown to be at higher risk than men of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after traumatic events. Women in New York City were more likely than men to have probable PTSD 5-8 weeks after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. We explored the factors that could explain the higher prevalence of probable PTSD among women in the aftermath of the attacks. ⋯ These results suggest that specific behavioral and biographic factors (including previous traumatic experiences and psychological disorders, social responsibilities, and perievent emotional reactions) explained most of the excess burden of probable PTSD among women after a disaster. Isolating the characteristics that place women at greater risk for probable PTSD after disasters can inform public health prevention strategies and spur further research.