UWLP Blog - Health & Well-being

Although mammography is widely recognized as an important tool in the fight against breast cancer, Utah remains one of the lowest-ranking states for mammography screening.

The last 50 years have not seen one static “Utah woman.” Rather, Utah women have made diverse decisions about their childbearing and families, changing throughout the decades in response to cultural contexts, social norms, and personal circumstances.

Health promotion efforts should adopt a “safety first” approach that begins by identifying whether individuals have sufficient and reliable access to affirmative and protective social relationships that provide them with consistent validation, affirmation, protection, and belonging.

Mental illness is progressively detrimental to one’s wellbeing if left untreated, and eating disorders are no exception. It is necessary to improve eating disorder prevention and treatment initiatives in Utah and implement evidence-based prevention programs in Utah schools.

Poverty is linked to many interrelated facets of overall wellbeing, and Utahns recognize the need to reduce poverty rates among those who struggle on a day-to-day basis.

Did you miss this Women's Leadership Forum event? Don't worry! You can read about it and watch the full recording here.

This research brief sheds light on the health effects of COVID-19 on working women. The pandemic affected every aspect of life, especially physical and mental health. Learn about important actions that can support the mental and physical health of Utah women in the workforce.

Did you miss this Women's Leadership Forum event? Don't worry! You can read about it and watch the full recording here.

There are many factors that previous research briefs have found can impact the wellbeing of women in the workplace during the pandemic. This research brief investigates the impact of maintaining a resilient mindset, which has been shown to help individuals better overcome challenges they may face. In doing so, we hope to share proven tools that could help Utahns cope and rebound stronger.

This snapshot summarizes research regarding physical activity levels, access, and barriers for girls and young women to help decision makers understand that instilling physically active habits early can improve the health and wellbeing of Utah women for the rest of their lives.

Did you miss this Women's Leadership Forum event? You can learn about this event and watch the full recording here!

On October 13th, the Utah Women & Leadership Project hosted a Women’s Leadership Forum entitled “Utah Women in 2020: Challenges, Opportunities, and Next Steps.” Read the recap here.

Though the role of a journalist is to report about the world objectively, the very nature of public media puts these professionals in a visible and trusted position. In choosing which stories to tell and how to tell them, reporters and producers naturally influence attitudes and beliefs. Media professionals can positively impact women and girls in the broader culture.

Well-informed health care providers are uniquely positioned to support and strengthen girls and women over a lifetime. This discussion focused on how practitioners can influence through providing quality patient care, serving as visible role models, educating their communities, mentoring, and advocating broadly to promote women’s wellbeing.

Substance use disorders, including the opioid epidemic, have reached crisis levels throughout the United States, and Utah is no exception. In 2017, more than 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, a number that has doubled in the past decade.

One recent in-depth study showed Utah ranking sightly below the national average in the percentage of adults who suffer from poor mental health, the state regularly reports rates higher than the national average for depression. Utah women, like women nationally, are diagnosed with depression at much higher rates than men.

Women who reported sexual harassment, the "silence breakers," were chosen by time magazine as the person of the year for 2017. Although workplace sexual harassment has likely been around since the conception of workplaces, and sexual harassment has been illegal in the U.S. for decades.

In September 2017, the Utah Women and Leadership Project along with the YWCA of Utah brought a group of healthcare experts together to identify current resources/strengths, challenges, and potential interventions to help Utah women have access to health care. What follows are their recommendations organized by category.

Approximately 80% of U.S. women do not like how they look; furthermore, research shows that poor body image affects girls and women worldwide. Body image is “the perception that a person has of their physical self and the thoughts and feelings that result from that perception.

Breast cancer is one of the most commonly occurring cancers among U.S. women and the primary cause of cancer death among women in Utah.1 Yet, research has found that deaths from breast cancer can be substantially reduced if the tumor is discovered early, and mammography screening is the most effective method for the early detection.

In 2010, Utah Women and Education Project researchers conducted in-depth research to discover why more young women around the state are not attending and graduating from college. Here, we look at some of the many benefits women experience after getting a college degree.

According to the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition, more than 40% of adult homicides in Utah since 2000 have been domestic violence related. Domestic violence is often presumed to refer only to physical violence, but it also includes many other forms of abuse—emotional, verbal, financial, and spiritual.

Nearly one in two women in the U.S. will experience some form of sexual violence victimization in her lifetime (broadly defined), and Utah has the same overall rate. According to the most recent Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice report, when considering more specific definitions.

I typically responded to the first with a fake laugh to avoid giving an actual answer. No one really wants to hear the long answer, that I inherited my mother’s petite frame, and most of my meals were consumed standing up. I also have the mad skills of making one peanut butter sandwich last for hours.

For many people, the beginning of a new school year is a good time to make resolutions, start fresh, and improve habits. As a 7th grade teacher, I see girls and boys come into my classroom with varying degrees of trepidation, and some come with enthusiasm. They don’t have to sign their names.

The critical need for college-educated individuals within the state of Utah has become an ongoing discussion in a variety of settings. In fact, a newly released study commissioned by the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) found that 99 percent of Utahns sampled believe that higher education is important; 82 percent say it is “very important.” Yet, in 2008 only 29 percent of Utahns 25 years and older held bachelor’s degrees or higher.