Relating health policy to women's health outcomes.
Individuals' social and economic circumstances, including socioeconomic status and medical care availability, are central to health outcomes, particularly for women. These factors are often mediated by governmental policies. This exploratory study found associations between women's health outcomes and state-level policies related to women's health. Outcomes were mortality rates for four leading causes of death for women in the US (heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and breast cancer), infant mortality, and a mental health outcome variable. State policies on key women's health issues were evaluated on the degree to which they adequately protected women's health. Our regression models accounted for significant variance in mortality rates and substantial variance in the mental health outcome. Policies affecting access to care (Medicaid eligibility and efforts to expand Medicaid) and community (environmental health tracking and violence against women) were significantly associated with mortality outcomes. State health policies should be examined further for their relationship to health outcomes.
Wisdom
Jennifer P
JP
Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, CSB 669, Portland, OR 97239-3098, USA. wisdomj@ohsu.edu
Berlin
Michelle
M
Lapidus
Jodi A
JA
D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health