The 2001 Women's Health Survey caught the attention of Gov. Jane Hull and compelled her to re-evaluate the accessibility of health information and exercise for women in the state.
"Arizona is actually very lucky," said Francie Noyes, spokeswoman for Governor Jane Hull. "There are many (health) resources for women."
The Commission on the Health Status of Women and Families conducted the survey and has made a resource guide for women that includes over 100 numbers for health resource facilities.
The resource guide is available at www.governor.state.az.us.
The commission is working to improve women's health in other ways as well.
"One of the things that surprised us was that those who had more education had a better level of health. And it didn't matter where they lived, or race or anything," said Carol Hatler, the director of the Governor's Division for Women. "Education has health benefits. So one of the things that we are trying to press is getting women back into school."
The survey included 1,121 women from across the state, all over age 18 and reported that the main cause of death for Arizona women is cardiovascular disease, and leading health problems include high cholesterol and blood pressure, diabetes and greater than ideal weight.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that women are less likely than men to seek education on exercise or nutrition.
"One of the interesting things that came out of the survey was that while the majority believed that increased exercise was important, they had multiple barriers for exercising," said Carol Hatler from the Governor's Division for Women. "Many found they didn't have a safe place to exercise, especially those that don't have the money to pay for a gym. So what we are doing is talking to communities, having them look at their parks and see what they can do to make them safer."
Hatler also wants to talk to companies across the state to establish more childcare and exercise programs in order to give women more time to exercise.
There are also economical advantages to exercise.
"A happy and healthy person works better than a depressed person," Hatler said. "So it also has economic value to the state."
Doctor Mary Rimsza, the director of ASU Student Health, agreed that exercise is important for a healthy cardiovascular system, but said she thought women are using lack of time as an excuse not to exercise.
"The amount of exercise an adult has to do is no more than 30 minutes three times a week," Rimsza said.
Reach the reporter at emily.murphy@asu.edu.
