Resources for Women

You and Your Health: A Woman’s Guide (2009). Produced by the British Columbia Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport, this guide offers women-specific health information on issues across the lifespan such as body image, pregnancy, menopause, heart health and other chronic diseases. Check it out at http://www.bccewh.bc.ca/publications-resources/documents/YouandYourHealth_AWomansGuide.pdf

The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (2009). The CIW provides unique insights into the quality of life of Canadians – overall, and in specific areas that matter: our standard of living, our health, the quality of our environment, our education and skill levels, the way we use our time, the vitality of our communities, our participation in the democratic process, and the state of our arts, culture and recreation. Find it at http://www.ciw.ca/en/TheCanadianIndexOfWellbeing.aspx.

A Profile of Women’s Health in Manitoba (2008). Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence has produced an extensive profile of over 130 indicators of women’s health in Manitoba. This first of a kind document provides a detailed analysis of women’s health status in Manitoba, including determinants of health such as income and living conditions, healthy behaviours, sexual and reproductive health, physical and mental health, health services and mortality for women. Download it at http://www.pwhce.ca/profile/mbWomensHealthProfile.htm.

World Disasters Report (2008) The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies produced this report which discusses the connections between world disasters and AIDS epidemics. HIV is a challenge to the humanitarian world whose task is to improve the lives of vulnerable people and to support them in strengthening their capacities and resilience. Disasters, man-made and 'natural', exacerbate other drivers of the epidemic and can also increase people's vulnerability to infection. Available online as PDF at http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/pubs/disasters/wdr2008/WDR2008-full.pdf.

Gender in Health and Development Website (2008). The unit of Gender in Health and Development of the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is pleased to announce the launch of the Gender in Health and Development website http://www.emro.who.int/ghd/index.htm The unit of Gender in Health and Development works towards the inclusion of gender considerations at all levels of health care and delivery entailing the recognition of both the biological and social differences of males and females and the resulting impacts on health attainment and vulnerability.

Canadian Addictions Survey highlights gender differences (released 2008): A new survey released by Health Canada shows a breakdown of drug and alcohol use by gender. This information can be useful for identifying addiction issues specific for women and developing appropriate programs. http://www.ccsa.ca/eng/priorities/research/CanadianAddiction/Pages/default.aspx

New Resource for Women (2008): Women Wading Through the Web: A Health Toolkit is a new and valuable tool for any consumer who wants to get the most from their visit to a health website. To access the Toolkit, visit: www.womenshealthmatters.ca and click on Health on the Web Toolkit.

New Health Policy Study (released 2008): The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy has released a new study called What Works? A First Look at Evaluating Manitoba's Regional Health Programs and Policies at the Population Level. A copy of the study and the four page summary can be found at http://mchp-appserv.cpe.umanitoba.ca/deliverablesList.html.

An Update on Hormone Replacement Therapy Use (2008): Since, 2002, when a study reported significant health risks for those using combination estrogen-progesterone hormone replacements, the number of senior women using HRT has dropped from 14% to 5%. Read more about the history of hormone replacement therapy and its current use at the Canadian Institute for Health Information http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=media_19jun2008_e.

Health Canada gives Canadian women a Plan B (2007): Health Canada recently confirmed that Plan B, a safe and effective "morning after pill" has officially been approved for use without a prescription in Canada. The decision means Canadian women now have full and immediate access to Plan B, a safe and effective "morning after pill" that is 95 per cent effective in preventing unintended pregnancy if taken within 24 hours of unprotected sex. See Canadian Women's Health Network for more information http://www.cwhn.ca/resources/cwhn/ec.html

The debate continues over HPV vaccinations: Since it's approval in Canada in 2006, there has been debate over whether girls should receive a vaccine which protects against 3 types of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). There are more than 100 different types of HPV. The vaccine is effective against HPV 16 and HPV 18 - which are responsible for about 70 per cent of cervical cancers. Concerns have been raised by women's health organizations and doctors about whether the vaccine's effectiveness, it's trial period, and the necessity for women to continue regular PAP smears. For information on both sides of the debate, see the Public Health Agency's website http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/std-mts/hpv-vph/fact-faits_e.html and the Canadian Women's Health Network at http://www.cwhn.ca/network-reseau/index.html

Condoms and sexually-transmitted infections (released 2006): According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine article: "Polarization of opinion about condoms may finally be starting to abate, as scientific evidence mounts that their use can reduce the risk of most sexually transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection". To read more, see: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/25/2642?query=TOC.

WHO report on gender equality, work and health (released 2006): Gender Equality, Work and Health: A Review of the Evidence is the title of a report published by the World Health Organization's Gender, Women and Health Department. The 57-page report is available online as at: http://www.who.int/gender/documents/Genderworkhealth.pdf

Study of high-cost pharmaceutical users (released 2005): The study titled High-Cost Pharmaceutical Users: Who Are They?, recently released by the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, found that five per cent of Manitobans taking prescription medications accounted for 41 per cent of prescription drug spending. The report by Anita Kozyrskyj, Lisa Lix, Matthew Dahl and Ruth-Ann Soodeen is available on the Centre's website at: http://mchp-appserv.cpe.umanitoba.ca/deliverablesList.html.

Canadian Women's Health Discussion List: CDN-WOMEN is a moderated list created to join together and strengthen links among organizations, individuals and groups across Canada involved in women's health. It serves as a forum of discussion and debate on current and timely issues affecting women and girls. It is also a place to share information and resources, events, calls for action, and research findings (both biomedical and social research). To join: e-mail cdn-women-admin@list.web.net asking to subscribe to listserv, leaving the subject line blank. You can also view registration information on their website at http://www.cwhn.ca/cdn_women/index.en.html

CWHN's women's health database: The Canadian Women's Health Network's updated bilingual database of women's health resources is now available free of charge via their website: http://www.cwhn.ca/hot/default.html. The database includes more than 5,900 resources that cover a wide range of topics on women's health and women's lives. It is for health consumers, health professionals, researchers, students and activists alike. The database also includes more than 2,400 organizations involved in women's health, both in Canada and internationally.

Findings on abortion and breast cancer (released 2003): In February 2003, the National Cancer Institute convened a workshop to examine the issue of abortion and breast cancer and they concluded that having an abortion or miscarriage does not increase a woman's subsequent risk of developing breast cancer. A summary of their findings, titled Summary Report: Early Reproductive Events and Breast Cancer Workshop, is available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/ere-workshop-report.

Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Task Force final report available: The Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Task force examined issues of nutrition, physical activity and injury prevention, and identified priorities, initiatives and actions that can be implemented over the short-, medium- and long-term to provide support for healthy environments. Recommendations in the report cover 10 key areas. The report is available at: www.gov.mb.ca/healthykids/index.html

National study on balancing work, family and lifestyle (2004): Report Three - Exploring the Link Between Work-Life Conflict and Demands on Canada's Health Care System is available at: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/work-travail/report3/index.html.

The effects of the environment on our health: Cases of environmental sensitivities, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia are increasing in North America, and the overwhelming majority of those affected are women. Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre's Environmental Health Centre is available online at: http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca/centres/environmental/index.html.

Report on female genital cutting (released 2004): Information on Female Genital Cutting: What is out there? What is needed? is a report funded by the USAID Interagency Working Group on FGC (female genital cutting). The full report is available at: http://www.prb.org/pdf04/InfoOnFGC.pdf.

New resource on smoking and pregnancy: Expecting To Quit: A Best Practices Review of Smoking Cessation Interventions for Pregnant and Postpartum Girls and Women is produced by the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women's Health. This guide includes information on research on smoking in pregnancy, a review of smoking cessation programs and recommendations for practice and research. Download this report at http://www.bccewh.bc.ca/publications-resources/documents/Expecting_to_Quit.pdf

Report on Canadian birthing trends (released 2004): Giving Birth in Canada: Providers of Maternity and Infant Care is the title of the first in a series of four documents on Canadian birthing trends to be released from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. For more information, visit: http://secure.cihi.ca/ or call: (613) 241-7860.

Rural and remote women's health (released 2004): The Centres of Excellence for Women's Health's report Rural, Remote and Northern Women's Health: Policy and Research Directions suggests that rural, remote and Northern Canadians remain underserved by primary health care. Over 1 in 5 Canadian women live in a rural area. For the full report, visit: http://www.pwhce.ca/pdf/rr/RRN_Summary_CompleteE.pdf or call: (204) 982-6630.

STI pamphlets available: The Sexuality Education Resource Centre (SERC) has a range of STI (sexually transmitted infections) pamphlets available for download at http://www.serc.mb.ca/. This new syphilis resource uses direct language and graphics to discuss issues including transmission, symptoms, prevention and further resources. These resources include street language which may not be appropriate for some clients. Call 982-7800 to have a Resource Order Form faxed for easy ordering. SERC supplies the pamphlet series at no cost within the province of Manitoba, but charges for shipping and handling costs.

How do drugs affect breastfeeding? The National Library of Medicine has released a database, on drugs and breastfeeding, available at http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT. This free online database contains over 450 drug records.

Silicone breast implants and platinum levels (released 2006): Research titled "Total Platinum Concentration and Platinum Oxidation States in Body Fluids, Tissue, and Explants from Women Exposed to Silicone and Saline Breast Implants by IC-ICP-MS" may be read on-line at: http://www.humanticsfoundation.com/LykissaMaharaj2006.pdf.

Transgender health resources available: The Trans Care Project was completed in Vancouver in 2006. This was a collaborative effort between the Transgender Health Program and Transcend Transgender Support & Education Society, which launched new transgender health resources. The documents are available online at: http://www.vch.ca/transhealth/resources/tcp.html.

Questions to ask about Health Care Evidence: A Women's Guide for Understanding Evidence about Health and Health Care from the National Coordinating Group on Healthcare Reform and Women looks at questions women should ask about health care evidence. This 20-page guide provides tools to assess arguments and evidence about women, health and health care reforms. It is available at: http://www.cewh-cesf.ca/PDF/health_reform/evidenceEN.pdf.

Media Doctor Canada: Media Doctor (http://www.mediadoctor.ca) is an initiative driven by Alan Cassels, a drug policy researcher at the University of Victoria and co-author of the best-selling book Selling Sickness: How the World's Big Pharmaceutical Companies are Turning Us All Into Patients. The goal is to improve Canadian media coverage of new medical drugs and treatments. The Media Doctor Canada team of volunteer distinguished scientists reviews current news stories about medical drugs and treatments, and assesses the stories' quality on a standardised rating scale.

CCPA study on public sector solutions to Canada's waitlist problems (released 2005): A study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) shows that there are public sector solutions to Canada's wait list problems. Public Solutions to Health Care Waitlists is available on the CCPA web site at http://www.policyalternatives.ca/documents/National_Office_Pubs/2005/Health_Care_Waitlists.pdf.

Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter: Join the MedEffect mailing list to receive e-mail updates from Health Canada for the most recent publication of the Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter and marketed health product advisories for health professionals and the public. The Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter alerts health professionals to adverse reactions reported in Canada. These documents are an important source of information regarding the post-market safety and effectiveness of health products. To subscribe, visit: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/medeff/advers-react-neg/index-eng.php.

Women and Health Protection keeps up to date on the safety of pharmaceutical drugs: See their website for the most recent news on drugs that may be harmful to women http://www.whp-apsf.ca/en/index.html.

Health and Poverty - changes needed for women on social assistance: Two Regina researchers found that women on social assistance need advocates to help them access services and benefits, and that this is true in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Women and Social Assistance Policy in Saskatchewan and Manitoba is part of a series of reports by Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence (PWHCE) examining social assistance policies in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and their effects on women's health. Two other reports in the series are: Don't We Count As People: Saskatchewan Social Welfare Policy and Women's Health and Surviving on Hope is Not Enough: Women's Health, Poverty, Justice and Income Support in Manitoba. These reports are available on the PWHCE website at http://www.pwhce.ca/publications_browse_subject.htm#poverty or by calling: 982-6630.

Friday Facts, Updates on reproductive and sexual human rights: ACPD is a human rights advocacy organization that seeks to enhance the quality of life of women, men and children by promoting progressive policies in the field of international development with a primary focus on reproductive and sexual rights and health and an emerging focus on international migration and development. : ACPD's monthly electronic newsletter, Friday Facts, includes the latest issues in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights, human rights, international development and sustainable development. It includes online resources and extracts from various media sources. To subscribe, visit: http://www.acpd.ca/acpd.cfm/en/section/FridayFacts

Report on health of rural Canadians (released 2006): A new report titled How Healthy Are Rural Canadians? An Assessment of Their Health Status and Health Determinants shows that Canadians living in rural areas generally have higher mortality (or death) rates than those living in urban areas. The report is available at: http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=media_19sep2006_e.

Community Economic and Demographic Factors: The Community Information Database (CID) is intended to provide communities and governments with consistent, reliable and accessible information on economic and demographic factors at the community level. At this site, click on any region of Canada to determine the demographics and key information on the determinants of health for that particular region. Check it out at: http://www.cid-bdc.ca/

Gender-based analysis and wait times (released 2006): A discussion paper, titled Gender-based Analysis and Wait Times: New Questions, New Knowledge, has been prepared by Beth E. Jackson, PhD, Ann Pederson, MSc and Madeline Boscoe, RN, on behalf of the Women and Health Care Reform Group. The issue of wait times is prominent in current health care reform debates and encapsulates key concerns about the state of the health care system in Canada including issues of quality, access, equity, and efficiency of health care services. A gender-based analysis of wait times is important because women and men have different experiences of health, illness and treatment, have different health care needs, access health care differently and may experience different outcomes from programs and services. To read more, see: http://www.cewh-cesf.ca/PDF/health_reform/genderWaitTimes.pdf

New resource connects arts and health: The Canadian Creative Arts in Health, Training and Education eNews/journal, a national journal launched in March, helps connect the arts with practical applications in health, training and education. This Canadian e-journal is free and recent issues and archived copies can be accessed at: http://www.cmclean.com.

Quality Care in Personal Care Homes (released 2007): The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy's new report titled Using Administrative Data to Develop Indicators of Quality Care in Personal Care Homes is available at: http://mchp-appserv.cpe.umanitoba.ca/reference/pch.qi.pdf

Women and pharmaceuticals: Check out the Canadian Women's Health Network's popular myspace 'social networking site' and see their new initiative on women and pharmaceuticals, entitled: 'Don't Swallow Everything You Hear About Women's Health'. Visit: http://www.myspace.com/cwhn and view posters on this subject (and download them for free) at: http://www.cwhn.ca/resources/posters/posters.html

Healthy Living Resource Clearinghouse: The Healthy Living Resource Clearinghouse (HLRC) works to enhance the capacity of communities and organizations to develop, implement and sustain community-based healthy living programs through the provision of consultative support, referral services, resources, training and best practice information. View a variety of Provincial strategies for healthy living and sign up for their listserv at http://www.healthincommon.ca

Women and HIV/AIDS

AIDS in women and girls: According to the most recent UNAIDS data, of the over six million people between the ages of 15 and 24 living with AIDS, 75% are women and girls. This reflects the unbearable tragedy of gender inequality. For more information and the most up-to-date information on HIV/AIDS, see: http://www.unaids.org/en/PolicyAndPractice/Gender/default.asp

HIV/AIDS CONNECT Library Catalogue: World's AIDS Day (December 1, 2006) marked the launch of the CONNECT website. CONNECT is a new joint library catalogue database developed by community-based HIV/AIDS organizations. The web-site can be used to search the collections of the five largest HIV/AIDS libraries in Canada: a combined collection of more than 67,000 books, reports, videos, DVD's, posters, pamphlets, journal articles and other resources on HIV/AIDS. To view the website, visit: www.hivinfovih.ca.

Violence against women and HIV/AIDS (released 2006): The Center for Women's Global Leadership launched the online version of its 43-page human rights report, Strengthening Resistance: Confronting Violence Against Women and HIV/AIDS and is available at: http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/publications/strengthening.pdf.

Resource for women with HIV: The Positive Women's Network, developed with HIV-positive women, features Positive Currents, a bulletin for women who are newly diagnosed with HIV. The bulletin is available at: www.pwn.bc.ca.

Highlights from the 16th International AIDS conference: Transcripts and/or video of sessions, held August 14 - 18, 2006, are posted in accessible format on the DAWN Ontario website at the URLs listed below:

• High Level Session on Leadership: Time to Deliver for Women & Girls.
  Visit: http://dawn.thot.net/aids2006_leadership_women_girls.html
• Clinton, Gates Address Stigma, Other Challenges to Combating HIV/AIDS Pandemic.
  Visit: http://dawn.thot.net/aids2006_stigma.html
• Actor, HIV/AIDS Advocate Richard Gere Says Media is Crucial in Fighting Pandemic.
  Visit: http://dawn.thot.net/aids2006_media.html

Canadian women and HIV/AIDS (released 2005): Vectors, Vessels and Victims HIV/AIDS and Women's Human Rights in Canada makes the case that while women in Canada may not suffer the extremes of subordination faced by many of their counterparts in other parts of the world, inequality and violations of women's human rights still contribute to their vulnerability and to the challenges they face in seeking treatment for HIV/AIDS. The 61-page report is available in PDF format at http://www.aidslaw.ca/publications/publicationsdocEN.php?ref=526

HIV/AIDS blueprint for action: Leading Together: Canada Takes Action on HIV/AIDS (2005-2010) is the title of Canada's first comprehensive blueprint for action which sets out a coordinated national approach to tackling the epidemic on all fronts. Leading Together is available online at: www.leadingtogether.ca

Training Manual for service providers (2006): EngenderHealth has released a training manual containing materials for program managers, trainers, and health care providers working with women in the field of HIV and AIDS. The link is: http://www.engenderhealth.org/pubs/hiv-aids-sti/

Federal initiative to address HIV/AIDS (released 2005): Since the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic when fear was widespread and little was known about the disease, Canada's response to HIV/AIDS has grown in both scope and complexity, according to a new report. The Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada: Strengthening Federal Action in the Canadian Response to HIV/AIDS provides for more action on HIV/AIDS, both at home and abroad. Copies of the report are available from the Canadian HIV/AIDS Information Centre at 1-877-999-7740 or by e-mail at aidssida@cpha.ca. This publication is also available at http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/aids-sida/fi-if/index.html

Gender and HIV/AIDS electronic library: To promote understanding, knowledge sharing and action on HIV/AIDS as a gender equality and human rights issue, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), with support from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), has developed a Gender and HIV/AIDS Electronic Library to provide up-to-date information on the gender dimensions of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Regularly updated information and resources can be found at the UNIFEM Gender and HIV/AIDS Web Portal at http://www.genderandaids.org/