Women - Facts & Figure

WOMEN - FACTS & FIGURES

There are 10 million adult women in Canada.^{(4 p.3)}

Average life expectancy for a woman: 80.6 years, about 7 years longer than the average man.^{(4 p.19)}

Multiple roles of women are linked with better health:⁽⁶⁾

Employed, married women have best health profile whether or not they have children.
Employed, unmarried women rank next, but those with children (single moms) have worse than those without children.
Unemployed women, married or unmarried, with and without children have poorer health.

Reported barriers to healthy food habits: lack of time and money.^{(2 p.25)}

An overwhelming proportion of women - 94% - bear total responsibility for a family's nutrition.^{(4 p.3)}

Leading causes of death for women: heart disease followed by cancer (lung and breast). Of the risk factors associated with these two diseases, obesity is closely linked to increased risk.^{(3 p.13-15)}

Bone Health:⁽¹⁾

800,000 Canadians, mostly older women, have osteoporosis.
75%-80% of fractures due to osteoporosis are in women.
At menopause, the rate of bone loss in women is up to six times that of bone loss in men.

Weight

Overall, Canadians have put on weight since 1985.⁽⁷⁾
A Gallup poll (Aug. 10 1992) reports that more than 1 in 3 Canadians think of themselves as overweight.
36% of women who are actually in a healthy weight range believe they are overweight.⁽⁸⁾
80% of women diet to be more attractive, not for health reasons.^{(4
p.33)}
Women are twice as likely to diet than men although men are more likely to be overweight than women (Gallup Aug. 10 1992)
95% of dieters fail to maintain their weight loss.⁽⁵ⁱ⁾
The proportion of underweight Canadians has declined from 14% to 11%.⁽⁷⁾

Eating Disorders⁽⁸⁾

Of all people with eating disorders, 95% are female, 5% male.
In the female population, ages 14-25: 1%-2% have anorexia, 3%-5% have bulimia. As many as 10%-20% show eating behaviours associated with anorexia and bulimia.

Physical Activity⁽⁷⁾

Canadians are not exercising as regularly as they were in 1985, although half the population does engage in physical activity 3 or more times a week
The greatest declines in regular exercise are reported in the 30 and 40 year old age groups; however, those over 55 are exercising more.
Fewer women exercise than men; 1/3 of women report that they never or seldom exercise.
Those who exercise regularly feel that they are healthier.
Canadians who exercise regularly are more likely to be in a healthy weight range.

Alcohol Consumption⁽⁷⁾

The majority of Canadians drink alcohol, but consumption is declining.
Drinking is most prevalent in ages 20-24, with 58% of women in this age group reporting consumption.

Income and loneliness are key factors in nutrition status.^{(4 p.19)}

Isolation and lack of social support are major factors in the health of immigrant women.^{(4 p.27)}

Shopping Habits⁽⁵ⁱⁱ⁾

Women make 80% of all food purchases.
The majority of food choices are made at the point of purchase.
64% of shoppers read package labels for nutrition information.
Food and nutrition claims on a package label strongly influence purchase of the product.

Eating Out^{(2 p.215)}

About 37% of the food dollar is spent on eating out.
Men eat out twice as often as women and women eat out about 2 times a week on average.

Nutrition Check-up for Women WomanThink.gif (5105 bytes)

References

1. Facts About Women's Health. (factsheet) Available from: Genesis Research Foundation, 92 College St., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L4 (416)-978-2667.

2. Action Towards Healthy Eating Technical Report. 1990. Health and Welfare Canada.

3. Nutrition Recommendations. The Report of the Scientific Review Committee. 1990. Health and Welfare Canada.

4. Health Promotion. (Journal) Health and Welfare Canada. Special Issues on Women's Health. Vol. 25. No. 4. Spring 1987.

5. National Institute of Nutrition. Rapport.

i. Nutritional Health of Women. Vol. 4. No. 4 October 1989.

ii. The Nutrition Label Maze - An NIN Study. Vol. 7. No. 3 July 1992.

6. Personal communication with Carol Beatty, Faculty of Business Administration, Queen's University, Kingston Ontario.

7. General Society Survey. 1991 Cycle. Health Core Content. Cycle 6 Initial Data Announcement. Statistics Canada. 7D7 Jean Talon Bldg. Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6. Contact Ed Praught. (613)-951-9180.

8. National Eating Disorders Information Centre, 200 Elizabeth St. Room CW1 - 304, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4. (416)-340-4156.