Bristol publishes its most in depth report into women’s health

Bristol City Council has published a new report about the health of women in
Bristol as part of a wider project to assess the health needs of the
city.

The report is the first of its kind in Bristol and looks specifically at
women’s health needs in the city. It was produced in partnership with the
Bristol Women’s Commission.

The report shows how different groups of women experience common health
issues differently, including mental health and gender-based violence. It also
looks at areas that are often less talked about which impact on women
throughout their lives, including menstruation, childbirth, incontinence and
menopause.

The report highlights areas for concern in mental health, including that the
female suicide rate in Bristol is higher than the national average. Bristol’s rate was most recently estimated at over 7 cases per for every
100,000 women compared to the national rate of almost 5 women per
every 100,000. Out of the 1,536 incidences of self-harm presenting
to Bristol Royal Infirmary in 2016, 63% of patients were women. The report also
showed that, in Bristol, women are more likely to suffer from mental health
disorders than men.

Bristol has a lower than average rate of gender violence compared to
national statistics. However, some local areas have far higher rates
which peak at 42 reported incidents per 1,000 of the population against a
national average of just over 22 per 1,000 of the population.

Across the city it was shown that there were higher levels for obesity for
women (15.8%) than men (13.7%) with women being shown to be less likely to be
active. Again there were wide variations across the city, with
lower levels of obesity in the more affluent areas across all genders.

The report also examines issues which are gender specific around
menstruation and menopause. It reports concerns across the city from
council services and elected members that better education on issues around
menstruation is needed, along with affordable feminine hygiene and health
products.

Cllr Asher Craig, Deputy Mayor said:

“This report demonstrates that there is
much we can learn about how issues around gender can affect the health of our
city. This report is one of the first of its kind focusing on issues
around women’s health within Bristol. It is an important part of recognising
the issues we know are present so that the city can address them.

“This report will form a strong evidence base for our strategy for women’s
health. We are developing this alongside Bristol Women’s Commission to show how
we are going to tackle some of the many complex issues that are raised by this
study. However this report should also be seen as a resource that other
organisations across the city can use to understand the key health issues faced
in their local area.”

Work on the strategy began earlier last year during a women’s health conference that was hosted at City Hall, with organisations
around the city coming to share ideas and concerns around the issue.

Penny Gane, Chair of Bristol Women’s Commission said:

“This year we are
celebrating the centenary of some women getting the vote and women being able
to stand for public office. One of the suffragettes’ demands was better health
care for women. One hundred years later we are drawing attention to women’s
health needs in Bristol in this illuminating report and working towards a
strategy to address them. Some might say this is long overdue.”

The full report can be read on the council’s website.