Women aware of health concerns, but fail to take action: Survey

CHENNAI: Despite being aware of the concerns related to feminine health, a large number of people are unable to act towards the improvement of the same. As per a recent survey by a private hospital, more than 92 per cent women are aware of the feminine health issues but only 11 per cent of them go for regular check-ups to gynecologists.

Motherhood Hospitals conducted a survey to find to understand the priorities of new age women with regards to feminine health, trace the changes in consumer opinion with respect to female health and explore the reasons for this change.

It indicated more than 66 per cent are hesitant to visit the doctors. About 50 per cent of the women are more likely to discuss their gynaecology-related health concerns with the female members of the family and the rest are comfortable discussing it with their friends or spouses, instead of a professional expert.

The survey highlighted that consistent action towards taking care of one’s feminine health is missing. About 55 per cent of Indian women only visit gynaecologists for pregnancy related concerns, whereas 22 per cent visit for menstrual health issues.

The survey also helped identify the various factors such as women’s social and psychological aspects that could be influencing, as well as, having an impact on their gynae health.

About 54 per cent women shared that they wish to start tracking their health in the future while 38 per cent have not given it much thought. Only about 33 per cent women opted for a follow up checkup after a week or two, whereas 33 per cent did not and rest of the 33 per cent were unsure.

Talking about the survey, Vijayarathna Venkatraman, CEO at Motherhood Hospitals, said that in the recent times with ease of access to digital resources, financial independence and higher levels of awareness, women’s general and reproductive health in India is gaining attention. This was also validated by our survey but the sore point which emerged is the inaction in taking proactive measures," he said.

Experts say that timely intervention can help control the condition from becoming unmanageable and posing further threats.

It can be deduced from the survey that while awareness and prioritization of feminine health is high amongst the studied sample, it does not necessarily convert to action, like in terms of visiting a gynaecologists, for various reasons.