Women's health: Consumer views for planning local health promotion and health care priorities

A random door knock survey was conducted in five metropolitan postcode areas with a high proportion of low-income households to establish: 1. the health problems experienced by women, 2. the problems with which women would have liked more help, and 3. women's perceptions of how their health care experiences might have been improved. In all, 214 women were interviewed. Across all age groups the most common problems were tiredness, premenstrual syndrome, stress, being overweight and disturbed sleep. Premenstrual syndrome, tiredness and arthritis were the most commonly experienced problems among younger, middle-aged and older women respectively. In general, women were satisfied with the help available to them for their health problems, but one in five would have liked more help to cope with stress, and one in six said they would like help to address the issue of quality of medical care. In relation to health care services, suggestions for improvement included the provision of better health information from doctors and other health care professionals, and more opportunities for counselling and self-help. The project findings will be used to influence the development of local policies and services, and will form the focus for local women's health promotion programs.