Global Decline in Cancer Testing Among Women: A Wake-Up Call

TESTING for cancer among women has declined around the world, a new study has found.

According to the latest Hologic Global Women’s Health Index, just 10% of women polled worldwide said they were tested for any cancer in the past year. This was two percentage points less than in the first two years of the Index, which was created in partnership with Gallup.

“Today’s data reveal a worsening trend in women’s health,” said Stephen P. MacMillan, chairman, president and CEO of Hologic, which develops medical technologies to detect, diagnose and treat health conditions.

“The shocking decline in cancer testing is a wake-up call. Business as usual is not working. Innovative strategies and collaborative efforts are needed to make sustained improvements in women’s health and well-being around the world.”

Important findings from the study:

• Only 10% of women said they underwent cancer testing in the past year.
• 38% of women said they were unable to afford food at some point in the past year, the highest level of food insecurity in nearly 20 years.
• 32% of women could not afford adequate shelter.
• 42% of women reported feeling worried and 30% were sad, while 35% felt unsafe in their communities.
• 34% of women said they had experienced significant pain, and 26% that health problems affected their everyday activities.

Other findings included low testing rates for HIV in women in some countries, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. However, the Index scores of 28 countries had increased since the first year of the Index, including Kazakhstan, Kenya, Poland and Venezuela, indicating some progress.

Taiwan had the best index for the fourth consecutive year, with 68 out of 100, followed by Kuwait (67), Austria (66) and Switzerland (65). At the other end of the spectrum were Afghanistan (30), the Democratic Republic of Congo (34) and Chad (35).

The Index is arrived at from interviews with more than 146 000 women and men in 142 countries and territories, and is intended to represent 97% of women and girls aged 15 and older around the world.

The Independent on Saturday