Women's Health Australia: On the Progress of the Main Cohort Studies

Abstract

More than 41,000 women aged 18-23, 45-50, and 70-75 years in 1996 are participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (Women's Health Australia). Baseline surveys were conducted for all three cohorts in 1996, and the first follow-up survey of the mid-age group in 1998 has achieved a response rate exceeding 90%. The main findings so far reflect the large differences in the life experiences of the three cohorts. The young women report high levels of stress. The physical and mental health of those with young children is worse than for those without children, but confounding by sociodemographic characteristics may account for the differences. Two thirds of young women in the healthy weight or underweight range would like to weigh less, and early onset of dieting is associated with poorer physical and mental health. Most of the women in the mid-age group have multiple roles--in paid work, home duties, and caring for children and other dependents. The potential of the study to investigate the long-term impact of such busy lives on health outcomes is considerable. At this stage, the main health issues for these women relate to tiredness, weight gain, and menopause. The older cohort presents a picture of positive aging. These women are heavier users of health services than the mid-age and younger women, and they are also more satisfied with these services. Although their physical health is poorer, their mental health is better, and they report less stress than women in the other two cohorts. The follow-up survey of this group, planned for 1999, will focus on the coping strategies used by these women. An overall goal of the project is to understand the interactions among social roles, life events, and women's health in order to provide a basis for improved health policies and services. Analysis of these interactions, which relies on both quantitative and qualitative data, poses many challenges that will be addressed as the longitudinal data become available.

Weight gained in two years by a population of mid-aged women: how much is too much?

“…11 The first follow-up survey (referred to as survey two, S2) was completed by 92% (N ¼ 12 328) of the initial cohort in 1998. 13 Non-respondents tended to be divorced or separated, and to have slightly lower levels of education than the women in the continuing cohort.…”

How does the health and well-being of young Australian vegetarian and semi-vegetarian women compare with non-vegetarians?

“…Over 40 000 women in three cohorts ('younger', 18-23 years; 'mid aged', 45-50 years; and 'older', 70-75 years) completed the first survey in 1996. A comparison with the 1996 Census showed that the respondents were largely representative of women in the same age groups, with some over-representation of women with higher levels of education 22 . In 1996, there were 14 247 respondents to Survey 1 for young women.…”

Access and equity in the provision of general practitioner services for women in Australia

“…It has been estimated that 41-42% of the young, 53-56% of the mid-age and 37-40% of the older women chose to participate in the study. 8 Contact by telephone to encourage participation was not possible because the identities of the selected women remained confidential until they consented to participate. The response rates compare favourably with previous studies which depended solely on postal recruitment and the respondents have been shown to be broadly representative of the national population of women in the target age groups.…”

“…The response rates compare favourably with previous studies which depended solely on postal recruitment and the respondents have been shown to be broadly representative of the national population of women in the target age groups. 8 Consent was sought from the participants in March 1997 for the HIC to release Medicare and Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) medical claim details to the research team. The Department of Health and Aged Care, the Health Insurance Commission, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the University of Newcastle Ethics Committee approved the methods used.…”