Factsheets/Policy Briefings
The European Institute of Women’s Health regularly publishes newsletters summarising the Institute’s activities generally and specific activities, such as Roundtable Discussions.
Gender and Chronic Disease Factsheet/Policy Briefing Series
Chronic disease is the leading cause of illness and death in the EU. As a result, these diseases heavily burden EU citizens and their healthcare systems. With ageing populations and changes in lifestyle, chronic disease will increasingly affect the EU and its citizenry in the future. Chronic disease does not have the same effects on all individuals. Gender largely impacts susceptibility, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chronic disease. As a result, it is imperative that people across the EU are aware of how gendered exposures and vulnerabilities influence chronic disease. The impact of gender on chronic disease has been understudied and under-discussed throughout the EU. The European Institute of Women’s Health will generate bi-monthly policy briefings—factsheets—on a variety of chronic diseases beginning in March 2012.
These two- to three-page policy briefings will be succinct and in basic English to raise health literacy levels and increase awareness at national and EU levels. The policy briefings will describe how gender impacts various chronic diseases and include policy recommendations in order to educate policymakers, stakeholders, and EU citizens. The EIWH aims to generate, publish, and distribute twenty-five (25) briefings in the next 12 months. Chronic diseases include but are not limited to cardiovascular disease, diabetes cancer, respiratory disease, autoimmune disease (such as Lupus), arthritis, musculoskeletal and osteoporosis specifically.
ENGENDER Policy Briefings
ENGENDER, a DG Health and Consumer funded project, is led by the Karolinska Institute of Sweden in partnership with nine associated organisations (including the EIWH) all of whom active in research, health and gender policy. The overall aim of ENGENDER is to increase awareness and knowledge for all stakeholders, including policy makers, politicians, researchers, health NGOs within and outside the health sector about effective policies and programmes to achieve gender equity in health.
Based on the information on good practices in the ENGENDER database, six policy briefings have been produced by the ENGENDER partnership for dissemination to policy makers. The creation of the six policy briefs was based on the analysis of the ENGENDER database of good practice in promoting gender equity in health. The briefings have been designed in such a way as to provide practical examples on each policy area, informing policymakers of best practice models of promoting gender equity in policy development in each of the six policy areas.