Gender Differences in Health

Question 1

Preventable diseases

Answer 1

Affected by lifestyle (behavior).

Question 2

Life Span

Answer 2

Also known as life expectancy, a statistical measure of the average time something expected to live, based on the year of its birth, its current age and other demographic factors including gender.

Question 3

Morbidity

Answer 3

Illness or sickness (suffering from a disease or medical condition).

Question 4

Mortality

Answer 4

Death

Question 5

Actute Illness

Answer 5

Illnesses that develop suddently and last a short amount of time (compared to a chronic illness)

Question 6

Chronic Illness

Answer 6

A condition that develops slowly and lasts a longer time (compared to an acute illness)

Question 7

Osteoporosis

Answer 7

Causes bones to be brittle and weak

Question 8

CLRD

Answer 8

Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease

Question 9

Autoimmune diseases

Answer 9

Body’s immune system attacks self (healthy cells instead of foreign cells/viruses)
Examples include: Lupus, MS, Graves’ Disease
They are generally more common in women than in men, but the extent of the sex difference varies between diseases

Question 10

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Answer 10

Autoimmune disease that targets tissues/joints

Question 11

Subjective Rating of Health

Answer 11

Scientists ask participants to rate their own health on a scale. Women usually rate health to be poorer than men do.

Question 12

Illness behaviors

Answer 12

Often used to assess illness, includes missing work, staying in bed, using prescription drugs, etc.

Question 13

Sex Differences in Chromosomes

Answer 13

Women are XX; Men are XY
A theory to explain the sex discrepancy is the sex chromosomes; having multiple copies of those genes that remain active can lead to an over-active immune response and the development of the disease

Question 14

Hormones

Answer 14

Chemical messengers/signaling molecules (ex. estrogen and progesterone)

Question 15

Immune System

Answer 15

Affects one’s resistance to infection and vulnerability to auto-immune disorders

Question 16

Artifacts

Answer 16

Methodological variables, how studies are run and how variables are measured may affect results, can lead us to think there are differences even if those differences don’t exist.
Ex). healthcare providers respond to men and women differently. Women are more likely to be prescribed psychoactive drugs like antidepresants, etc (might be a bias)

Question 17

Physician Implicit Bias

Answer 17

Responding to patients differently

Question 18

Psychogenic

Answer 18

Has a psychological cause.

Question 19

Low birth weight

Answer 19

Newbor babies who weigh less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces

Question 20

Cirrhosis

Answer 20

Chronic liver damage

Question 21

Abdominal adiposity (obesity)

Answer 21

Fat located in the abdomen. More dangerous kind of obesity

Question 22

Obesity

Answer 22

About 2/3 of the population is overweight.

Question 23

BMI

Answer 23

Measure of your weight/height, not a perfect indicator of overweight or obesity.

Question 24

Preventive Health Care

Answer 24

Seeing a physician before having an illness.
Examples: pap smears, mammograms, yearly check-ups, etc

Question 25

Dose-Response relationship

Answer 25

Greater use of/exposure to a substance is associated with greater effect.

Question 26

Smoking

Answer 26

Associated with many leading causes of death in both men and women (heart disease, stroke, cancer, etc)

Question 27

Exercise

Answer 27

Benefits: stress reduction, reduces risk of cancers/diabetes/other dieases