(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

 By Joseph A. Curtatone

Special Women’s Health Edition

In late 2017, along with the Cambridge Health Alliance, we released our joint Wellbeing of Somerville Report. The report provides an overview of the health of city residents across the life stages from the womb to old age. The data is not only fascinating—and in some cases eye opening—it provides an informed launching pad for our coming community-wide dialogue about resident health and the steps we want to take to improve it. Taking cues from our SomerVision process, we’re hoping to tap into the well of creative and compassionate thinking we know this community is capable of to chart a path forward that will benefit us all. In short, we’ll be asking you to help develop a comprehensive Community Health Improvement Plan. Women’s health will most certainly be a key area of discussion.

Due to persistent gender inequality, women and girls still face unique social and health concerns. Women are more likely to be caregivers to others, including parents, partners, and children, and are less likely to have their needs met by healthcare providers and employers. It’s our job when creating a Community Health Improvement Plan to acknowledge these concerns and develop strategies to help us close the gap.

Recently, City staff presented data relevant to women’s health from the Wellbeing Report to the Somerville Commission for Women to facilitate a discussion about the data, learn from the commissioners own experiences, and identify next steps the Commission plans to take to help improve the health of women and girls in Somerville. A sampling of some of that data is included below.

Food Security

• From 2010-2015, there was a 44 percent increase in the number of female-headed families with children accessing SNAP benefits, representing 658 households.
• As of 2016, 61 percent of those eligible for SNAP in Somerville weren’t enrolled.
• In 2017, 1,834 Somerville residents received WIC benefits.

Employment

• In 2015, 14 percent of U.S. mothers age 25-34 took time off from careers to raise a family. This represents a sharp decrease from the 43 percent of mothers who did so in 1975.
• Nationally, 25 percent of women who took parental leave in the past two years reported a negative impact on their careers.

Poverty, Homelessness, and Violence

• Of families with a female householder and no husband present, 43.2 percent of them had incomes below poverty level. This is a 2.6 percent increase since 2010 and higher than the statewide rate.
• In 2016, 198 domestic assaults were recorded in Somerville.
• The Point in Time count from January 2017 reported 34 people sheltered in Somerville, 30 of whom were female, 13 with a serious mental illness, 8 with substance use disorder, and 20 victims of domestic violence.

A look across the life spans

Ages 5-18

• Female high school students have double the rate of self-harm compared to males.
• Girls reported dating violence (3.8 percent) at more than twice the rate of boys (1.4 percent).
• In 2016, 2.9% of high school females and 1.2% of high school males self-reported using anti-anxiety or anti-depression prescription medication without a prescription.

Ages 18-24

• In 2016, 59 women in this age group residing in Somerville gave birth, a decrease from the 79 women in this cohort who gave birth in 2012.

Ages 25-39

• The vast majority of births occurring in Somerville happen in the young adult age range of 25-40.

Ages 40-64

• Some residents are giving birth in their 40s.
• Breast cancer was the leading cause of cancer deaths in Somerville from 2010 to 2012, and the majority of cases were found in women in this age range.

All childbearing ages

• Of the total of 865 women from the area who had postpartum visits at Cambridge Health Alliance in 2016, 93.2% were screened for postpartum depression and 4.6% screened positive, indicating the need for further investigation and/or treatment.

Ages 65+

• The rate for females visiting emergency room departments for mental disorders has been rising steadily.
• Women are more likely to be assessed as being frail and at risk for injury.

To view the Wellbeing Report in its entirety, visit www.somervillema.gov/wellbeing. For questions, feedback, or ways to get involved, contact Director of Health and Human Services Doug Kress at dkress@somervillema.gov.

Data-based decision making is at the core of how the City of Somerville develops policy and sets priorities. Every day we check the latest 311 stats, and throughout the week we meet for in-depth review of departmental data and city trends. The Data Download column shares some of the data we’ve been reviewing recently, as well as interesting updates. To see more Somerville Data, visit the online Somerville Data Farm at www.somervillema.gov/datafarm.