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Office of Health Equity

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Population Page - Women Veterans

 Data

Visualizations and Dashboards

National Veteran Health Equity Report - FY13

National Veteran Health Equity Report FY 13 CoverThe National Veteran Health Equity Report details patterns and provides comparative rates of health conditions for vulnerable Veteran groups. Specifically, this report is designed to provide basic comparative information on the sociodemographics, utilization patterns and rates of diagnosed health conditions among the groups over which the VHA Office of Health Equity (OHE) has responsibility with respect to monitoring, evaluating and acting on identified disparities in access, use, care, quality and outcomes. The report allows the VA, Veterans, and stakeholders to monitor the care vulnerable Veterans receive and set goals for improving their care.

PDF, ePUB, Visualization Tool

 Awareness

Information Briefs

African American Women Heart Disease DisparitiesAfrican American Women Heart Disease Disparities

This Information Brief highlights research by Dr. Donna Washington and her colleagues at the Health Equity-QUERI National Partnered Evaluation Center on rates of heart disease in African American Women Veterans. The Information Brief also highlights videos of Veterans discussing their experiences with high blood pressure offering tips on taking medications, talking to health care providers, and making other healthy behavior changes and the long-standing national partnership between VA and the American Heart Association to bring awareness and knowledge about heart disease and stroke.

Women Veterans exercisingWomen Veterans & Healthy Living Information Brief

This Information Brief highlights research by Jessica Breland, PhD, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, and her colleagues on rates of obesity among women Veteran VHA users with specific obesity related conditions such as: sleep apnea, diabetes and hypertension among others. This Information Brief also highlights the Whole Health for Women Workshop at the Columbia VA Health Care System in Columbia, South Carolina.

Focus on Health Equity and Action Cyberseminars

Chronic Health Conditions Among Vulnerable Veterans: Current Research and ActionChronic Health Conditions Among Vulnerable Veterans: Current Research and Action - June 29, 2017

June’s Focus on Health Equity and Action Cyberseminar session spotlights recent research on chronic health conditions and disparities among vulnerable Veteran patient groups. Panelists will discuss the following: 1) Demographic variability in the prevalence of chronic health conditions and disparities among Veterans using primary care in VHA. 2) Recent efforts in using VA data to systematically characterize health and healthcare disparities in VA for vulnerable Veteran groups. 3) Operational and research partnerships executed by the Office of Health Equity to advance the goals of the VA Health Equity Action Plan. Intended Audience: Researchers, clinicians, care coordinators, policy makers, educators, Veteran stakeholders and representatives of vulnerable Veteran groups who are interested in understanding and/or promoting equitable health among all Veterans.

VA Research Publications

Health Disparities Evidence-based Synthesis Reviews

VA Health Services Research & Development Publication Briefs

The VA Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D) pursues research that underscores all aspects of VA healthcare: patient care, care delivery, health outcomes, cost, and quality.

External Research and Reports

Please check back fo more resources

PubMed Search Results

Pubmed SearchPeer-reviewed literature on women Veterans.
 Health Outcomes

Journeys with High Blood Pressure

Did you know that some Veterans, including some racial and ethnic minorities, experience higher rates of hypertension? A VA research team created a series of videos of patients discussing their experiences with high blood pressure and offering tips to take medications, talk to their health care providers, and make other changes. According to the 2016 study, Veterans who watched the videos, compared to those who did not watch the videos, reported greater intentions to:
  • Become more physically active;
  • Use salt substitutes;
  • Talk openly with their doctor about hypertension; and
  • Remember to take their hypertension medications.
The Office of Health Equity is pleased to be able to share these videos with Veterans and stakeholders. The short videos below feature stories from Veterans about high blood pressure and important resources.

Module 1 - Journeys with High Blood Pressure

Module 1 Introduction Introduction

Natasha, an Army Veteran who served for 7 years and worked as a medic, highlights the importance of managing high blood pressure in the African American community. Natasha introduces five African American Veterans who successfully manage their blood pressure. As these Veterans share their stories, Natasha reflects on key factors in their journeys that may help you.

Module 1 Patricia Patricia

Patricia grew up in Chicago and joined the military along with two of her friends the year her mother died. Years later, she was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Patricia refused to take her medication because she did not like the side effects. A friend who ended up on kidney dialysis due to high blood pressure convinced Patricia to take her medication daily, as prescribed. Learn what Patricia does to manage her high blood pressure in addition to taking her medication.

To view additional videos and module, visit Tools for Veterans.
 Partnerships

VA National Partners

The Office of Health Equity is committed to working closely with our VA colleagues to ensure that Veterans receive appropriate individualized health care in a way that eliminates disparate health outcomes and assures health equity. OHE's VA Partners include:

External Partners

The Office of Health Equity is committed to working closely with other government agencies and non-governmental organizations to ensure that Veterans receive appropriate individualized health care in a way that eliminates disparate health outcomes and assures health equity. OHE's External Partners include:
 Workforce Training

Cultural Competence Training

VHA Providers Explore Unconscious Bias

VHA providers share their stories of creating awareness of unconscious bias within their clinical practice and how bias impacts us all. A bias is a tendency. Most biases are natural. However, biases can cause problems when we are not aware of them and we apply them inappropriately to our everyday choices, which can lead to discriminatory practices and result in poorer health outcomes and experiences for patients. The brief videos were created by the VA Office of Health Equity and Employee Education System in an effort to ensure all Veterans receive high quality and equitable healthcare. The videos were recorded April 2013.

Harvard Implicit Associations Test

The Implicit Association Test measures attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report. This tool may be especially interesting if it shows that you have an implicit attitude that you did not know about.

FDA Clinical Trial Diversity Educational Series

The Office of Health Equity, in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Minority Health, is pleased to share the Inclusion of Veterans in Clinical Trials video series featuring racial and ethnic minority Veterans describing the importance of minorities and Veteran participation in clinical trials. Clinical trials are an important type of research that determine whether medical products like medicines, vaccines, or devices are safe and effective. It is very important to make sure that diverse populations are included in clinical trials. This helps researchers find out if different populations respond to treatment differently and to make sure the population who would most likely benefit from the medical product is included in the clinical trial. – Video 1, Video 2, Podcast

 

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