SACRAMENTO – More California women are receiving mammograms and fewer are smoking, according to a women’s health survey that for the first time analyzed multiyear data to identify trends, California Department of Health Services (CDHS) Director Sandra Shewry announced today. The report, "Women's Health: Findings from the California Women's Health Survey, 1997-2003," released by CDHS in recognition of Women’s Health Month in May, provides a unique look at California women’s health-related statistics.

"This report will enhance awareness of women's wellness and encourage all women to take proactive steps to safeguard their health," said Shewry.  "The report will also help policymakers identify and address the unmet health needs of women in California."

The report is an interagency collaboration of program-related research on women’s health and health-related behaviors, including nutrition and physical activity, tobacco and alcohol use, utilization of sexually transmitted disease (STD)/HIV and family planning services, sexual behavior, folic acid awareness, body weight, disability, osteoporosis, domestic violence, post traumatic stress disorder, mental health and screening for breast cancer.

The report is based upon an ongoing annual telephone survey that collects information from a sample of 4,000 randomly selected adult women age 18 years or older on a wide variety of health indicators and health-related knowledge, behaviors and attitudes. The interagency research group, coordinated by CDHS’ Office of Women’s Health, analyzes the survey data each year and provides fact sheets. For the first time, the report analyzed data from multiple years. The report found that:

• Breast cancer screening increased the number of mammograms over the past two years to surpass the National Center for Health Statistics’ Healthy People 2010 Objectives, which is 70 percent. In California, 79.3 percent of women over 40 years of age received a mammogram in the past two years. Health insurance status appears to be an influential factor in determining whether women receive mammograms; 63.7 percent of insured women had mammograms within the past year compared to only 28.4 percent of uninsured women.
  

• Overall, there was a decline in smoking among women, from 16.9 percent in 1997 to 15 percent in 2002. Education and employment were associated with whether women smoke or not. Women who have not completed high school have higher reported rates of smoking than those with more education. Women out of work had higher rates of smoking than women who were working. Women 18 to 44 years of age were more likely to smoke than women older than 45 years of age. Among pregnant women, 10 percent reported smoking either daily or some days.
  

• Women without health insurance were more likely to experience intimate partner physical violence and less likely to have access to mental health services. Uninsured women were also less likely to have had a mammogram and breast exam in the past year compared with women who had insurance.
  
• Women who were college educated, had household incomes equal or greater than the state median income or were employed or full-time students were more likely to consume alcohol. Younger women were more likely to engage in binge drinking. The prevalence of past 30-day drinking was not significantly different in Hispanics born in the United States compared with white women. However, foreign-born Hispanic women have the lowest prevalence of drinking in the past 30 days.

The report and a calendar with information in both English and Spanish about more than 100 events throughout the state to celebrate Women’s Health Month are available on CDHS’ Web site at www.dhs.ca.gov/director/owh.

Since taking office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has committed himself to protecting the health and well-being of all Californians and has been a forceful advocate for providing essential services to women of the Golden State. The Governor also proclaimed May 2006 as "Women’s Health Month" in California. The Governor’s commitment to women’s health is reflected by his signing of key legislation that will greatly improve women’s health and safety, including:

• Senate Bill 644 (Ortiz), which protects women’s immediate access to emergency contraception.

• Assembly Bill 429 (Chu), which strengthens the use of temporary restraining orders as a tool for preventing violence in the workplace.

• Assembly Bill 2943 (Pavley), which prohibits the use of mercury in vaccines, protecting children and pregnant women from this toxin.

• Senate Bill 77 (2005-06 Budget), which increases funding by $3 million for free breast and cervical cancer screenings for low-income women.

• Senate Bill 484 (Migden), which requires manufacturers of cosmetics to provide CDHS with a list of their products that contain ingredients identified as causing cancer or reproductive toxicity.

• Assembly Bill 190 (Negrete/McLeod), which established the Sexual Violence Victim Service fund to allow taxpayers to designate a donation to the fund on their tax returns.

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