National Health Survey of Women Reveals Many Feel Anxious or Are Clinically Depressed

Australian women are smoking less and exercising more, but many are anxious and a significant number say they have been diagnosed with depression, according to one of the nation’s biggest health studies.

The data provides compelling insights into the wellbeing of today’s women, who have been christened the “sandwich generation” as they grapple with their children and career on one end of the spectrum and ageing parents on the other.

The Women’s Health Survey 2018 spoke to 15,000 women from across Australia and found:

• 66.9 per cent of women felt nervous, anxious or on edge on several days or more in the last four weeks
• 46.1 per cent reported that a doctor or a psychologist had diagnosed them with depression or anxiety
• 34.3 per cent of women reported that they didn’t get time to themselves on a weekly basis
• 70.3 per cent reported doing at least two hours of exercise per week
• 50.8 per cent described themselves as overweight or obese

The study was put together by the not-for-profit organisation Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, ahead of Women’s Health Week on Monday.

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Source: ABC News