Women's Health Australia homepage about the Women's Health Australia project Women's Health Australia staff Women's Health Australia current events Women's Health Australia surveys and data Women's Health Australia substudies information for Women's Health Australia participants University of Newcastle contact Women's Health Australia Women's Health Australia publications and presentations University of Queenlsand Women's Health Australia homepage about the Women's Health Australia project Women's Health Australia staff Women's Health Australia current events Women's Health Australia surveys and data Women's Health Australia substudies information for Women's Health Australia participants University of Newcastle contact Women's Health Australia Women's Health Australia publications and presentations Women's Health Australia homepage about the Women's Health Australia project Women's Health Australia staff Women's Health Australia current events Women's Health Australia surveys and data Women's Health Australia substudies information for Women's Health Australia participants University of Newcastle contact Women's Health Australia Women's Health Australia publications and presentations Women's Health Australia homepage about the Women's Health Australia project Women's Health Australia staff Women's Health Australia current events Women's Health Australia surveys and data Women's Health Australia substudies information for Women's Health Australia participants University of Newcastle contact Women's Health Australia Women's Health Australia publications and presentations

Women's Health Australia homepage about the Women's Health Australia project Women's Health Australia staff Women's Health Australia current events Women's Health Australia surveys and data Women's Health Australia substudies information for Women's Health Australia participants University of Newcastle contact Women's Health Australia Women's Health Australia publications and presentations Women's Health Australia homepage about the Women's Health Australia project Women's Health Australia staff Women's Health Australia current events Women's Health Australia surveys and data Women's Health Australia substudies information for Women's Health Australia participants University of Newcastle contact Women's Health Australia Women's Health Australia publications and presentations

 
 


The Women's Health Australia project

 

Women's Health Australia is a national research resource providing information on women's health issues. It provides an evidence base to the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing for the development and evaluation of policy and practice in many areas of service delivery that affect women. The project is the largest of its kind ever conducted in Australia and it is gaining an international reputation for its multidisciplinary methodology.

The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health - widely known as Women's Health Australia - is a longitudinal population-based survey, which examines the health of over 40,000 Australian women over a 20 year period. It was first funded in 1995. The project was designed to explore factors that influence health among women who are broadly representative of the entire Australian population. The study goes beyond a narrow perspective that equates women's health with reproductive and sexual health, and takes a comprehensive view of all aspects of health throughout women's lifespan.

The project assesses:

  • physical and emotional health (including well-being, major diagnoses, symptoms)
  • use of health services (GP, specialist and other visits, access, satisfaction)
  • health behaviours and risk factors (diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol, other drugs)
  • time use (including paid and unpaid work, family roles and leisure)
  • sociodemographic factors (location, education, employment, family composition)
  • life stages and key events (such as childbirth, divorce, widowhood)

In addition to supplying valuable information about women’s health and their use of health services to governments and other decision-making bodies within Australia, we are developing valuable relationships with international research teams, and increasing the growing bank of national and international knowledge about women’s health. For example, we are comparing menopause experiences for Australian women with women in England, we are comparing Australian women’s patterns of work and leisure with Canadian women, and we are comparing Australian women’s use of complementary and alternative medical services with women in Norway.

Women’s Health Australia is managed by staff and investigators at the Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing, the University of Newcastle, and staff and investigators at the University of Queensland.
Link to Project Aims page Link to Project Progress page Link to Project Methods page Link to Project Progress page 		 


 
 

Last updated: 30 August 2007 by Cath Chojenta © Copyright