Alarming decline in women’s cancer testing worldwide, report reveals

There has been a “shocking” decline in testing for cancer in women across the globe, a new report has revealed.

Only 10 per cent of women surveyed worldwide said they were tested for any type of cancer in the past year, down two percentage points from the first two years of the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index – one of the largest collections of data on women’s health and wellbeing.

“Today’s data reveal a worsening trend in women’s health,” said Stephen MacMillan, chairman, president and CEO of Hologic.

“The shocking decline in cancer testing is a wake-up call. Business as usual is not working. Innovative strategies and collaborative efforts are needed to make sustained improvements in women’s health and wellbeing around the world.”

Further key health findings from the report include that 34 per cent of women reported experiencing significant pain, while 26 per cent indicated that health problems impacted their ability to engage in everyday activities.

The Index also assessed women’s HIV testing for the first time , finding concerning disparities. The finding revealed that less than 0.5 per cent of women were tested for HIV in certain countries, primarily those in the Middle East and North Africa, and no country scored above 41 per cent.

Globally, the percentage is much lower. Just 6 per cent of women — regardless of whether they visited a healthcare professional or were tested for STIs — said they were tested for HIV in the past year.

The Index assigns a women’s health score to each country or territory based on survey responses on five dimensions of health. Overall, the world scored 53 out of 100 on the Index in Year 4, reflecting no significant change since the Index started.

Taiwan led the world for the fourth consecutive year, scoring 68 out of a possible 100. Other top scores went to Kuwait (67), Austria (66) and Switzerland (65).

The lowest scores went to Afghanistan (30), the Democratic Republic of Congo (34) and Chad (35). The United States scored 60 – on par with New Zealand (60) and Lithuania (60) – and fell seven places from its ranking in the third year of the Index to 37 out of 142 countries and territories.

Based on interviews with more than 146,000 women and men in 142 countries and territories, it represents the voices of 97 per cent of the world’s women and girls aged 15 and older.