Women and health statistics: areas of deficient data collection and integration

Improved data on women's health should be based on a definition of health capital for women that takes into account reproductive efficiency and the life experience of women in relation to fertility, general health, employment, and household responsibilities. More information is needed about the conduct of household roles related to investment in health capital for family members. Definitions of health are pragmatic and are related to social systems, including health care providers, for which the definitions serve as signals for certain actions. Women can seek to modify these definitions, which have expressed historical biases about women. Data collection should include information about the extent to which privacy as a dimension of access to health care is achieved. Longitudinal and other approaches to health history data should be explored. Fertility and general health data statistics in federal data systems need to be integrated. Insurance adequacy must be determined in relation to benefit scope, relation to prices, employment requirements, and family contracts. Data that will be helpful in adapting industrial environment to health goals are needed. Provider characteristics relevant to women as patients and workers, and qualities of residential environments pertaining to health, need to be studied. Future research should include evaluation of women's health capital and opportunities for programmatic investment to improve household efficiency in conduct of health-related affairs.