A recent webinar hosted by Sago, a leading market research firm, shed light on the significant disparities and misconceptions surrounding women’s health. The seminar, titled “Breaking the Silence on Women’s Health: From Perception to Truth,” brought together experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities in this critical field.
Shocking Statistics Highlight Need for Change
Shannon Childs, head of Sago Health, presented eye-opening research findings:
“Only 4% of all health care R&D efforts are focused on women’s health,” Childs revealed, citing data from the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. This stark reality contrasts sharply with public perception, as a Sago survey found that Americans believe 40% of healthcare R&D is dedicated to women’s health.
Other startling facts emerged:
- Women spend 25% more of their lives with debilitating health conditions than men
- It wasn’t until 2015 that the NIH required studies to incorporate gender into clinical trials
Meghan Rivera, responsible for the US market at Organon, a women’s health-focused company, emphasized the broader implications: “We know that there are particular differences between men and women in how they respond to particular pharmacological agents, et cetera. I mean, there are just facts that exist, and the under-representation, all the way up to … even if you get into the clinical research stage and there is investment there, we were still perpetuating bias and disparity.”
Sago’s Research Reveals Perception vs. Reality Gap
The Sago research team conducted an omnibus survey of over 1,500 US adults, uncovering significant misconceptions about women’s health issues. For instance:
- 72% of respondents thought breast cancer was the most common cancer among women, when in fact it’s skin cancer
- Only 26% agreed that women spend more of their lives in poor health than men, despite evidence to the contrary
Shannon Childs emphasized the importance of these findings: “I think it’s really important for us to acknowledge that there can be a pretty big gap on perception versus reality on a lot of these topics related to women, women’s health specifically.”
Charting a Path Forward for Women’s Health
The experts agreed that raising awareness and sharing personal stories are crucial steps in addressing the women’s health gap. Meghan Rivera urged: “Something that we can own as women, or really as anyone, is doing our best to get more comfortable with the discomfort of sharing our personal experiences.”
Ashley Wade, EVP of strategic growth at Sago Health, added: “It starts with conversations like this. It starts with data. It starts with raising awareness so we know what the gaps are based on what the data tells us objectively, where we need to go to plug those gaps, and who we need to educate.”
The panelists called for increased investment in women’s health research, more inclusive clinical trials, and a shift in how the healthcare industry approaches women’s health issues. As Rivera put it, “We have to really look holistically at women’s health to truly, I think, begin to impact outcomes in a more meaningful way.”
