January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month!

January has been designated as the Cervical Health Awareness Month by the United States Congress. As part of this special recognition, The Pearl of Wisdom Campaign to Prevent Cervical Cancer has launched its “Take the Pearl Pledge” initiative, an effort which urges women to take control of their health through preventive screening efforts. The campaign asks women to schedule their annual gynecologic examination, wear a Pearl of Wisdom in support of cervical cancer prevention, and encourage 5 friends to do the same. Launched in 2009 by the European Cervical Cancer Association, this campaign is a united, global effort to raise awareness of the opportunities now available to prevent cervical cancer and includes support from over 100 organizations across Europe. Cancer charities, cancer treatment centers, medical associations, university teaching hospitals, and health education organizations have all pledeged their committment to support cervical cancer prevention.

Cervical cancer is distinguished as the second leading cancer in women worldwide, with more than 12,200 women expected to be diagnosed this year alone, and 4,210 of these women predicted to die from this cancer. The good news is that cervical cancer is almost always preventable— routine Pap smears and HPV testing can be utilized to detect the cancer in its earliest (and most treatable) stages, while the HPV vaccine can prevent the cancer altogether. Therefore, with proper screening and vaccination, no woman should die from this disease.

According to the Pearl of Wisdom campaign, every woman should be empowered to take control of her health through the following measures:

• Girls and young women: Ask your healthcare provider about the HPV vaccine, which protects against the two types of HPV (human papillomavirus) that cause the majority of cervical cancers. The vaccines are recommended for girls 11 to 12 years old, and are approved for girls and young women up to age 26. Even women who have been vaccinated will still need to be screened.
• Women age 21 or older: Get the Pap test, which detects abnormal cells that can lead to cervical cancer.
• Women age 30 or older: Get the Pap test and the HPV test together as part of routine cervical cancer screening. The HPV test detects the virus that causes cervical cancer, identifying those women at increased risk who will need to be monitored more closely.

Take part in this important campaign to take charge of your own health and support the health of women worldwide!

The Women's Health and Minority Checkbook

A new statistical resource on women’s health is now available! The Women’s Health and Mortality Chartbook was released by the Office on Women’s Health and provides an easy-to-use collection of current jurisdiction data on critical issues of relevance to women. In total, 28 different health indicators are featured, highlighting key issues related to women’s health and providing the most accurate and up-to-date data available for each state, including Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Indicators include major causes of death (heart disease, cancers, and stroke, among others) as well as health risk factors (obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, etc.) and preventive care measures (mammogram, pap smear, colorectal screening, etc.) Complete profiles for all states are available as pdf documents, with detailed technical notes and documents also available as additional resources.

Data available for Illinois indicates the following:

“Of the state’s 6.5 million women, nearly two thirds are non-Hispanic White. Its largest minority populations are non-Hispanic Black, at 16 percent, and Hispanic, at 14 percent. It ranks in the top 15 states in its low rates of death for suicide, unintentional injuries, diabetes-related causes and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. It has a much poorer record in rates of death for breast cancer, coronary heart disease, influenza and pneumonia, and colorectal cancer. Not surprisingly, it ranks among the worst states in the percentage of women who have had recent colorectal cancer screening. Illinois ranks in the middle of the nation in cholesterol screening, mammograms, and Pap smears. Eighty-seven percent of its women have health insurance, with Hispanic women having the lowest rate of insurance coverage, at 68 percent. Eighty-seven percent of its women have health insurance, with Hispanic women having the lowest rate of insurance coverage, at 68 percent.”

A look at breast cancer death rates across the nation demonstrates the geographic variability of this indicator. Certain areas of the south and east have the highest rates of breast cancer deaths among women, while the west exhibits the lowest rates, as seen below:

Clearly, this data has implications for women's health research and practice in Illinois and beyond. At a local level, there is a need to increase screening and prevention programs for both colorectal and breast cancer, and significant improvements are also possible in the areas of cholesterol screening, mammograms, and Pap smears. At a national level, geographic disparities are present for every indicator, indicating the need for continued research and prevention programs that are tailored to the prominent needs of the local population. Our own BIRCWH scholars are actively engaged in a number of research efforts that address the health indicators presented in this publication.

Access the Women’s Health and Mortality Chartbook to learn more about your state and our greater nation. The full publication, which offers profile of each state as well as national comparison rates for the each indicator, is also available online.