Health screening uptake for British women, but inequalities remain
Women are still facing barriers to accessing lifesaving care
The second annual Hologic Global Women’s Health Index, one of the world’s largest surveys on women’s wellbeing, led by Hologic and in partnership with Gallup, has been released.
Approximately 127,000 people worldwide, including 66,000 women and girls, were surveyed during 2021.
The Index assigns a women’s health score from one to 100 to each of 122 countries and territories, and in 2021, the UK dropped three points, scoring 60 out of 100.
In the UK, testing among women has improved in areas of preventative health such as blood pressure (44.7 per cent v 43 per cent), cancer (14.3 per cent v 10 per cent) and diabetes (22.9 per cent v 18 per cent) since last year.
An additional survey by OnePoll revealed that the majority of UK-based women (86 per cent) are likely to take up a health screening or vaccination invite. Of those tests and vaccines, the highest number was cancer screening – bowel, breast and cervical combined – (66 per cent), followed by blood tests (61 per cent) and flu vaccine (56 per cent).
The existence of inequalities
However, though these findings look positive, they have also highlighted the existence of healthcare inequalities among different groups of women. The OnePoll research found that women from ethnic minorities reported lower attendance compared to white women for cervical cancer screening (31 per cent v 65 per cent), breast cancer screening (11 per cent v 25 per cent) and sexual health screening (17 per cent v 26 per cent).
Younger women aged 18-24 were unlikely to take up health screening and vaccination invitations (10 per cent), as well as those in London (nine per cent) and ethnic minorities (11 per cent).
There are also disparities when it comes to women having a complete understanding of their personal risk of developing cancer. The research found that 90% of white women reported an understanding of their personal risk of developing cancer compared to 84% of women from ethnic minorities.
Tim Simpson, General Manager, Hologic UK & Ireland, said: “While our research shows there has been some positive developments in the UK over the last year when it comes to preventative health, globally, more than 1.5 billion women worldwide lack screenings for high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer or sexually transmitted diseases/infections, even though these conditions together affect billions of women.
“It highlights there is still a long way to go to make testing, screening, access to diagnostic services and treatment a core component of women’s health and to address the barriers and challenges that come with making healthcare more accessible for more women.”
Dr Nighat Arif, a GP specialising in women's health and family planning, added: “As the data shows, there are still stark health disparities across the UK, particularly impacting women from ethnic minorities.
“This is sadly something I see daily through my work, hearing from women who do not feel represented or listened to. To tackle this, health information must be made more accessible and there needs to be more done to communicate with women in these communities.”