Oklahoma gets failing grade when it comes to womenâ€™s health issues

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- While Oklahoma got a failing grade for the status of women's health, it was one of five states to make the most strides to improve conditions for women, according to a report

Thursday, May 6th 2004, 5:19 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- While Oklahoma got a failing grade for the status of women's health, it was one of five states to make the most strides to improve conditions for women, according to a report released Thursday.

Oklahoma was ranked 47th overall on several factors that measure the health of women, including access to preventative screenings, diet, exercise and the number of heart disease deaths.

Only West Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi faired worse than the Sooner state, on the state-by-state report card compiled by National Women's Law Center and the Oregon Health and Science University.

Minnesota was the healthiest state for women followed by Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire. However, no state met the bulk of requirements laid out in the study, the report's authors said.

Regular dental visits and annual mammograms were the only benchmark achieved by all women in states. The health and policy indicators the study looked at are part of a Department of Human Services plan to improve health by 2010.

Diet was the weakest point for Oklahoma women, according to the study. In a state where chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes with white gravy are a staple, only 16.8 percent of women had eaten five fruits and vegetables in a day. The national average was 27.8 percent. This was an unattainable goal for women in many states as 44 others states got a failing grade in the category.

"I think a lot of it has to do with Oklahoma becoming more health literate," said Adeline Yerkes, coordinator of women's health for the Oklahoma Department of Health. "We need understand it and make health more of a priority and make changes to our lifestyles."

The state was 49th for the number of heart disease deaths. About 185 Oklahoma women per 100,000 women die of heart disease. The national average is 154.8.

Oklahoma ranked 48 among the 50 states and District of Columbia for women's access to a pap smear in the last three years. With only 83 percent of the state's 1.7 million women getting the screening for cervical cancer during that time. Nationally 86.6 percent of women reported getting a pap smear in the last three years.

Oklahoma was also ranked 48th for the number of women who reported having physical activity. About 66.2 percent of Oklahoma women reported having some kind of physical activity, compared to 72.2 percent nationally. The Department of Human Services has set a goal of 80 percent by 2010. Oklahoma is among 18 states that received an F in this category.

While the state failed on most indicators, authors of the report highlighted Oklahoma as one of five states that had improved its policies for women's health.

The state had improved access to health care for non-English speakers, availability of AIDS drug treatment programs, improved long-term medical care for women, applied for waivers to allow Medicaid to cover family planning and smoking cessation programs.

Oklahoma didn't decline in any category between the 2001 report and this year's study.

Oklahoma ranked in the top ten of states in two categories. It was number one for mental health with 2.7 percent of women saying their mental health had been bad during a 30-day period. The national average was 3.8 percent.

Oklahoma ranked ninth in binge drinking among women. The study shows that 6.1 percent of Oklahoma's females under than 18 said they had five or more drinks on one occasion in the last month, compared to about 8 percent nationally.