|
 |
| Women and Health Services |
 |
|
We conduct research on a wide range of services that contribute to women’s health, recognizing that women are both the majority of users of the health care system and the majority of both paid and unpaid providers of health care.
We have worked closely with a national group of colleagues drawn from the Centres of Excellence for Women’s Health Research on many topics related to women and health services. This group, Women and Health Care Reform, has examined privatization; home care; primary care; the quality of health care for women; wait times for hip and knee replacements; and ancillary work within the health care system.
At the BCCEWH, we are currently studying how women with substance use problems access primary health care in partnership with the Women’s Group from the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU). We are also involved a project that is examining the gendered differences of people transferring from Riverview Hospital to facilities in the Interior Health region as part of the reform of tertiary mental health services in British Columbia, in partnership with colleagues at Simon Fraser University.
Women and Chronic Disease
Chronic disease is emerging as a significant health challenge for women in Canada. Given women’s average greater life expectancy than men in Canada, women live with a high rate of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), diabetes, and musculoskeletal diseases such as arthritis and osteoporosis.
The BCCEWH is currently involved with an interdisciplinary research group examining issues of gender and COPD (see ICEBERGS website). Within this group, we are studying women’s and men’s experiences of pulmonary rehabilitation; how tobacco control policy could contribute to reducing the risk of developing COPD; and self-management protocols as a strategy for living with COPD and other chronic diseases.
Physical activity can help to prevent the development of some chronic diseases in women as well as improve the quality of life of women living with chronic conditions. We are therefore interested in helping women and girls be physically active.
At the BCCEWH, we have studied how communities can increase the participation of low-income women in physical activity and recreation, and published a literature review on the links between physical activity and health. We are currently involved in helping to expand a program originally developed to help women with osteoporosis exercise safely and in studying women’s experiences of physical activity over their lifetimes. We are also interested in the opportunities for girls and women generated by the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver/Whistler.
Physical Activity
|
|
|
