A new agenda for women’s health in the Americas

Editorial
The Pan American Journal of Public Health =  Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, 2015 37(4-5)
Special Issue: Women’s Health in the Americas = Salud de las Mujeres en las Américas

Published online: June 2015

“There is no doubt that women in the Americas and worldwide have gained ground over the past few decades in many spheres. Health is no exception. Notable gains include a significant decline in preventable deaths and increased life expectancy for women, wider access to contraceptives, improved fertility control, better prenatal care, and earlier detection of breast and cervical cancer. This epidemiological transition has been slow and complex, however, and progress has been uneven on many issues that affect women’s health. The lack of disaggregated health data, for example, continues to conceal disparities in areas such as deaths from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and traffic accidents. At the same time, certain topics that were considered taboo have become more visible, such as domestic violence, femicide, and health care for women having abortions […] Evaluations following the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo and recent assessments of the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals have shown both progress and persisting inequalities in women’s health status overall and in women’s access to quality health services in particular. For the post-2015 era, PAHO proposes a joint effort to break traditional paradigms and build a new women’s health agenda that takes a comprehensive approach based on human rights and social determi­nants, and in which the health sector coordinates with other co-responsible sec­tors of government and society. The expected result is policies, strategies, and actions that respond more effectively and justly to the needs and rights of women. Only by guaranteeing women’s human, health, and reproductive rights can we ensure that women and their families develop to their full potential, contribute fully to their societies, and live richer, fuller lives”.

Keep reading / Siga leyendo: click here

About the Special IssueAcerca del número especial:

This special issue of the Pan American Journal of Public Health on women’s health aims to identify and reflect on the main challenges that demographic, social, and epidemiological changes will pose to women’s health in the Region of the Americas in the coming years. The manuscripts address a variety of subjects ranging from the health of women at different stages of life, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, non-communicable chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and mental and occupational health, to adapting quality health services to meet promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation needs during the different stages of life and in several regional contexts.

Table of Contents / Tabla de Contenidos: click here to see all the manuscripts published in the Special Issue

KeywordsPalabras claveWomen’s Health; Gender; Social Determinants of Health; Equity in Health; Americas.

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