THE leading figure at the local health board says more work must be done into women's health because of under-diagnosis or misdiagnosis for common disorders.

Bevleigh Evans, the assistant director for population health at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, began looking into health inequalities and justice when she was working in Bristol.

Her work looked at ‘place-based commissioning' using the King's Fund, thinking about population, communities and how they lived in respect of healthy life expectancies.

South Wales Argus: Bevleigh Evans is the assistant director for population health at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.Bevleigh Evans is the assistant director for population health at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. (Image: Bevleigh Evans)

Ms Evans, 50, said: "I just couldn't accept that your postcode is how not only is your life expectancy dictated, but also your healthy life years."

Here she realised that it isn't inequality, but it is inequity that makes a big difference.

Bevleigh said: "To have inequality, you have to accept that everyone has the same life chances on birth and I don't believe that."

Her focus then turned to women's health a few years ago, where she discovered that the work into women's health goes beyond healthcare, and dives deep into social and economic factors like family responsibilities. 

"At a point in time in your 50s, you (women) will be caring for your children, but you will also be caring for your parents. So it's that multi -generational step -up caring, but also step -down caring.

"There are still way more women than men that care for their in-laws, too."

She has created a women's health quiz to test your knowledge of local woman's health facts and figures. You can take the quiz below.

Underestimating women's pain

In 2022, a study supported by Wellbeing of Women concluded that over 50% of UK women (51,000 surveyed) feel their pain is ignored or dismissed by healthcare professionals.

South Wales Argus: Woman in pain, sitting on her bed. Healthcare officials have confirmed that women's health is at times underestimated or not taken seriously.Woman in pain, sitting on her bed. Healthcare officials have confirmed that women's health is at times underestimated or not taken seriously. (Image: Canva)

The report also revealed that almost a third of women (31%) said "they didn’t want to waste their healthcare professional's time" while 27% said "it was easier to self-diagnose due to wait times".

Bevleigh Evans said there is a culture that needs to change, "when women say they're in pain or if women say something's not quite right, they do need to be heard and I think the women's strategy that came out highlighted talking to women as well and it was really clear that women just don't always feel heard and we need to change that culture from within the NHS. "

Future research

Ms Evans has studied health inequities in men and women and found that "we're still not doing enough research on understanding the different fat volumes between men and women's bodies and how that impacts us."

She said there could be a link between oestrogen levels and dementia, affirming: "We're still not doing enough research in understanding whether it is a drop in oestrogen in the woman's brain when she goes through the menopause that actually triggers dementia."

South Wales Argus: The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and Building a Fairer Gwent have created an infographic to highlight health, social and economic differences which still exist between men and women.The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and Building a Fairer Gwent have created an infographic to highlight health, social and economic differences which still exist between men and women. (Image: ABUHB and Building a Fairer Gwent)

 

Karen Newman, 56, is the assistant director for communications and engagement at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. She has been in the health sector for 14 years and wants to "highlight the opportunities for women".

She said: "We make sure that there's equality in the way we advertise our jobs and the way we do everything. I think we are really proud that we have a female chief exec and a female chair, and we have predominantly had that since 2014."

Read through the health strategy here.

Despite the focus on championing women in business, health and hospital specialists, Ms Newman said more focus needs to be put on "research and work, because those in high profile roles could be struggling."

Conditions affected by gender

Bevleigh Evans highlights that certain conditions are impacted by gender, though it may not be obvious.

South Wales Argus: Girl with asthma getting puff of inhaler.Girl with asthma getting puff of inhaler. (Image: Canva)

Ms Evans said: "One of the conditions in the women's health strategy is asthma. I didn't understand how gender impacted on that, and it is because when you're younger, your hormone cycle can actually impact how the inhaler works."

Brvleigh Evans and the health board are currently doing "scoping work to understand women's health more as one of the biggest challenges with inequalities is you can't turn it around within a year."

Bevleigh, along with other panellists, attended the South Wales Argus event to celebrate the week of International Women’s Day. The theme for this year is to ‘Inspire Inclusion'.