While women in the UK on average live longer than men – research has shown that they spend a significantly greater time in ill health and disability.
Therefore, being able to make healthier choices – and being better informed – could greatly help women to live healthier, longer lives, personally and professionally across the fire service.
With that in mind, we have focused this October’s Women’s Health Awareness Programme on four key areas:
- Menopause Week
- Female cancers Week
- Ageing healthily Week
- Osteoporosis
We’ll be sharing exclusive articles, videos and more in MyFFC throughout October. Here’s what you can expect:
Menopause
Approximately 13 million women in the UK are either peri-menopausal or menopausal, with one in four experiencing severe debilitating symptoms. In fact, a third of 18 19 women suffer with anxiety – yet around two thirds say there is a general lack of support and understanding.
It isn’t just women who are affected either; partners, friends and colleagues of menopausal women often struggle to understand what is happening to them too. Many women also have issues with sleep, night sweats and insomnia and we’ll be focusing on all of these symptoms, sharing advice on coping with them and posting tips on how to support a loved one, family member, friend or colleague on MyFFC.
Female cancers
Over the course of a dedicated week in October, we’ll take a closer look at cancers that commonly affect women, including ovarian cancer, breast cancer and uterine cancer, among others.
We’ll also discuss the psychological impact of cancer and offer advice on how to cope with the fear associated with the disease.
Ageing healthily
As we age it’s not uncommon for many of us to develop long-term conditions which need to be managed through drugs or specialist treatments.
However, maintaining good health, being physically active, eating healthier and raising awareness of risk factors for long-term conditions can all help us to avoid or manage these conditions and to live healthier.
In October we’ll therefore take a closer look on MyFFC at what lifestyle changes we can all make in order to avoid or manage longer term conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, and cardiovascular disease. We’ll also look at the transition into retirement and, subsequently, ageing – and ways of helping us to stay healthy throughout.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a health condition which weakens bones, making them more fragile and more likely to break. It affects over three million people in the UK, but women are more at risk as they lose bone mass rapidly in the first few years after the menopause.
If you are at risk of developing osteoporosis, taking steps to help keep your bones healthier is key.
This includes regular exercise, eating healthier, taking a daily supplement of Vitamin D (with medical advice) and making lifestyle changes such as giving up smoking and reducing your alcohol intake. We’ll tell you much more and share some top tips on MyFFC later in October to get you started.
You can also follow our Women’s Health journey on our dedicated page here:
