LARGE MAJORITIES OF WOMEN SAY THEY HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT, YET 70% WORRY ABOUT THEMSELVES OR A FAMILY MEMBER
BEING OVERWEIGHT

New Survey Shows 100% of Clinically Overweight Women Understand The Health Risks of Excess Pounds

Red Bank, NJ, October 12, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the National Women's Health Resource Center's (NWHRC) second annual Women Talk national health survey, the overwhelming majority of women, regardless of age or ethnicity, understand the health risks of being overweight (97%), and agree that they have the information necessary to maintain a healthy weight (89%). Yet seven in 10 (70%) women report they are worried about themselves or a family member being overweight.

According to respondent's body mass index (BMI) estimates, nearly two-thirds of the women in the survey (64%) were clinically overweight or obese. However, the large majority of women say it is extremely or very important that they maintain a healthy weight (80%), and that their children (84%) and spouse (80%) maintain a healthy weight.

Even when women believe their family has a weight problem, weight loss is not always encouraged. When asked about their children, 14% of women said that their children had a weight problem. But, only 5% of women have encouraged their children to lose weight. Nearly half (49%) of women say their partner has a problem with his/her weight, but only 19% of women have encouraged their partner or spouse to lose weight.

Nevertheless, women say they are practicing good health habits such as eating healthy (57%), getting enough sleep (51%) and getting regular medical screenings (65%). They are also taking an active role in influencing the health of their family as it relates to dietary choices in their role as health manager for the family. More than half of women in this role (57%) report they have prepared healthy meals and half (48%) have bought fewer foods with trans fats.

"Women are taking so many positive steps to improve their lifestyles, for themselves and their families. But there's more to be done to help them translate knowledge into results," said Audrey Sheppard, president and CEO of the NWHRC. "Perhaps the lifestyle choices and weight management strategies women perceive as healthy are not as healthy as they think. This is an opportunity for dialogue between women and their health care professionals to explore weight-related health issues not only for themselves but also for their children and partners. We know that it takes a commitment from the whole family to create a healthy lifestyle."

Do You Have to Be Thin to Be Healthy?

Clinically overweight women surveyed make healthy lifestyle choices and understand the health risks of being overweight. For example:

• 100% understand the health risks of being overweight.
• 82% are concerned about the health risks of being overweight.
• 74% keep up with the latest health information.
• 66% agree that "Taking care of themselves is their top priority."
• 66% agree that "They do everything they can to take good care of themselves."
• 67% report they eat healthy.
• 57% report exercising regularly.

According to NWHRC Medical Advisor and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland, Dr. Pamela Peeke, you do not have to necessarily be thin to be healthy.

"The clinically overweight women in this survey may be focusing on their health rather than the scale, and that's the key to disease prevention," said Dr. Peeke. "You don't have to be thin to be healthy—and you're not necessarily in poor health if you're overweight. Being healthy is a lifelong journey of informed and focused health decisions, with an understanding of how weight affects health, not a pursuit of weight-loss gimmicks or fad diets."

Good News for Boomer Women

On the whole, women in the survey rate themselves to be in very good or excellent mental and physical health. On a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being "excellent" and 1 being "very poor," 72% of women rated their mental health to be an 8 or above and half (52%) rated their physical health an 8 or above.

However, older women, those 60 and over, rate both their physical and mental health higher than other age groups. Women aged 40-60 had, on average, the lowest rated physical health (6.7-7.1), and half (53%) said that their health had declined over the past five years. Women 18 - 29 cited the lowest score, on average, for mental health (7.4).

It seems that for women, the biggest physical and mental health drain hits between the ages of 40 and 60 according to our survey results," stated Ms. Sheppard. "Given that the first wave of Boomer women are starting to turn 60, this is great news. We can't discount that women over 60 are more susceptible to a host of age-related health conditions, but we can encourage women of all ages to talk to their health care providers now about preventative measures to take to maximize both mind and body health after 60." African-American women had the lowest rated physical health (6.8), while Hispanic women rated their mental health at 7.8, lower than all other ethnic groups.

If I only had more time…

Half of women (58%) in the survey agree that taking care of themselves is their top priority and the overwhelming majority of women (79%) say they spend some amount of time on themselves each week. However, women are choosing to engage in entertainment activities (64%), such as shopping or dining out, rather than options that would enhance their mind and body such as exercise (29%) or relaxing (19%).

Women in the survey realize that making time for themselves is ultimately good for their health and the health of their family. Fully 90% believe that making time for themselves is one of the best ways they can take care of their families.

Despite knowing how important it is to take time for yourself, just 48% of women say they spend the right amount of time on themselves. Looking across ethnicities, only 32% of African-American women and 42% of Hispanic women in the survey agree that they spend the right amount of time on themselves verses the half (53%) of Caucasian women.

I'm turning into my mother…hopefully!

Many women believe they are in better health than their mothers. Compared to how they rated their own health, women think their own physical health is only marginally better than their mothers' health (52% rated their health an 8 or higher, while 46% rate their mothers' health the same). However, 72% of women consider their mental health to be good while 57% rated their mothers' mental health similarly.

Fully 72% of women said their own health behavior is to some degree based on the example their mother set.

"Mothers really have an opportunity to instill lifelong, positive health habits in their children," stated Ms. Sheppard. "When you consider that the majority of women say that their mothers did not maintain a healthy weight and less than half exercised on a regular basis while their children were growing up, women now recognize the importance of being a good health role model. 'Follow my example,' can be the Mom Motto for the 21st century."

Mothers are setting a better example as they age. Even though 51% of women say they have better health habits than their mothers, it is the mothers that are more likely to get regular medical screenings (70% vs. 65%), make time for themselves (62% vs. 55%), get enough sleep (61% vs. 51%) and maintain a healthy weight (48% vs. 42%).

Women need to Take 10 to T.A.L.K!

For the second year, the majority of women (59%) stated that physicians were their most trusted source of health information. The National Women's Health Resource Center is encouraging women to Take 10 to T.A.L.K. to their health care professional about weight-related health issues:

For more information on the Women Talk survey or to order a copy of the National Women's Health Report on women and obesity, visit www.healthywomen.org or call 877-986-9472.

About the Survey

The online survey was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the National Women's Health Resource Center between August 4 and 20, 2006, among women, aged 18 and older. Figures for age by sex, education, household income, region, race/ethnicity and propensity to be online were weighted to align them with population proportions. A total of 1147 online interviews were completed, which included responses from White (784) African-American (146), Latina (116) and Asian (72) women. With a pure probability sample of 1147 one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-3 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on subsamples would be higher and would vary. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About NWHRC

The not-for-profit National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC) is the leading independent health information source for women. NWHRC develops and distributes up-to-date and objective women's health information based on the latest advances in medical research and practice. NWHRC believes all women should have access to the most trusted and reliable health information. Information empowers women to make the best decisions to maintain and improve their health and the health of their families.

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