US Women's Health Declines, Lacks Life-Threatening Condition Testing

In a troubling discovery, the United States has slid seven places to 30th in the annual global ranking of women's health, among Kazakhstan and Mauritius, according to a health index developed by Hologic Inc. in partnership with Gallup. The ranking, unveiled at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, highlighted "emergency in women's health," with billions of women worldwide going untested for life-threatening illnesses.

The three-year survey shows a deterioration in women's mental wellbeing since the pandemic's peak. Hologic CEO Stephen MacMillan underlined that the findings are a "wake-up call" to prioritize women's health improvement. The index is based on interviews with approximately 147,000 people from 143 nations and territories, offering insights into preventative care, mental health, and perspectives on a variety of health-related topics.

Globally, women have not seen any progress in the five aspects of health over the last three years, with the poll finding a deterioration in some important categories. Surprisingly, most women had not been tested for cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, or sexually transmitted illnesses in the previous 12 months. Despite its high per capita healthcare spending, the United States lags behind several other nations in terms of women's health, including Vietnam, Latvia, and Estonia.

While the United States tied with Canada for the greatest preventive care score, it ranked near or below the worldwide average in emotional health, individual health, and health and safety opinions. Taiwan, Kuwait, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland were ranked highest in the index for women's health, while the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan received the lowest ranks.