Preventative Care Lacking Among Large Percentage of State's Women

The number of Connecticut women who are foregoing annual preventative health care is growing, especially among minorities and young adults, according to a survey commissioned by Women's Health Connecticut and reported by the Connecticut Health I-Team. Less than half of those surveyed said they were "very satisfied" with the information they receive from their doctors about common health issues, and only 52%, for example, knew the age at which they should start undergoing mammograms.  The survey found that 28% of women in the state had not had an ob-gyn exam in the past year - among minority women, the number was 38%.

The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, citing data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, recently indicated that as health care grows more expensive, more than 1/4 of non-elderly women (27%) and two-thirds of uninsured women (67%) report that they delayed or went without care they believed they needed because they could not afford it.