Women and Chronic Conditions: A Double-Edged Sword

Abstract

731 OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS, preventive hygiene, vaccines, antibiotic therapies, and various technologies have eliminated many of the diseases that killed people at an early age. Living longer, however, does not necessarily mean living better—especially for women, who not only suffer disproportionately from various chronic diseases but also do more than their fair share of caretaking for spouses, parents, and others with chronic conditions. To explore more about women and the doubleedged sword of chronic disease, we talked with Gerard F. Anderson, Ph.D., professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Dr. Anderson is director of Partnership for Solutions: Better Lives for People with Chronic Conditions, a project of Johns Hopkins and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. A $7 million, 3-year national effort, Partnership for Solutions is aimed at raising awareness among the public, policymakers, and business leaders about the impact of chronic disease. The project combines research and communications initiatives to explore the impact of chronic disease on individuals, families, business, government, the healthcare system, and society and to discuss possible solutions.