Eight in ten women say that they encounter barriers preventing them from taking better care of their health

Washington, DC, May 6, 2021 — A new MDVIP/Ipsos poll among women aged 20 and over finds that 79% report that there are barriers preventing them from taking better care of their health, including 31% who say they lack motivation and just under a quarter who already consider themselves to be healthy (24%) and/or are concerned with the financial cost (23%). Other barriers to taking better care of their own health include prioritizing their family’s health before their own (20%), being busy taking care of their family/home (17%), and not having time due to career/work obligations. Another 15% aren’t sure where to start or what to do and one in ten even admit that they feel guilty making time for self-care (10%). In contrast, only 21% of women say that they have not experienced any of these barriers preventing them from taking care of their health – with older women (31% of those aged 55 and over vs. 11% of those aged 20-34) and those with no children living at home (23% vs. 15% of parents) among those most likely to stand out here.
Thinking about their past experiences seeing a doctor/primary care physician, six in ten women (59%) say that they have ended up seeing a physician assistant or nurse practitioner rather than a doctor. Nearly half say that they have had to wait longer than they'd like to get a doctor's appointment (48%), while 44% have delayed seeing a doctor until their symptoms became urgent and or because they couldn’t fit it into their schedule (31%). Nearly a quarter admit that they have avoided going to the doctor altogether because they don't want him/her to find anything wrong (23%).

• Younger women (particularly those under the age of 35) are significantly more likely to have experienced many of these frustrations, including greater proportions who say that they have had to wait longer than they’d like to get an appointment and ended up seeing a physician assistant or nurse practitioner rather than a doctor. Younger women are also significantly more likely to delay or avoid seeing a physician for all reasons mentioned above.

When it comes to past experiences during an appointment with a doctor/primary care physician, one in three women say that certain concerns brought up were not taken seriously by the doctor (31%) and more than a quarter (28%) report that they had a condition that wasn't properly addressed and/or diagnosed by the doctor. Twenty-three percent also say that the doctor did not show empathy when delivering care. Younger women, particularly those under the age of 35, those who rate their health as fair/poor, and those who do not have a primary care physician are significantly more likely to have experienced these factors during an appointment compared to women over the age of 54, those in good/excellent health, and those with a PCP.
Another 31% say that they have felt rushed during an appointment and/or couldn't ask all their questions. Similar proportions admit that they changed (or considered changing) doctors in the past due to being dissatisfied with their experience and/or care (30%). These figures jump to at least two in five among women between the ages of 20-34 (47% and 42%, respectively) and those who do not have a primary care physician (44% and 45%).
One in four state that they have felt too embarrassed to bring up certain health issues with the doctor (24%) and 15% admit that there were times in the past where they did not understand the information the doctor told them.

• Younger women (44% of those aged 20-34 vs. 11% of those aged 55 and over), those with children (30% vs. 22% of those with no kids living at home), those who do not have a primary care physician (35% vs. 22% of those who do), those describing their health as fair/poor (33% vs. 22% of those in good health), and Hispanic women (35% vs. 21% of White and 19% of Black women) stand out as being especially likely to report feeling too embarrassed to bring up certain health issues.
• Women from these same demographic groups are also much more likely to have had difficulty understanding information provided to them by a doctor in the past compared to their demographic counterparts.

The majority of women surveyed (61%) agree that they prefer to see a female doctor over a male – particularly younger women (76% of those between the ages of 20-34 vs. 51% of those aged 55 and over), those who do not have a primary care doctor (75% vs. 59% of those who do), and Hispanic women (69% vs. 52% of Black women).
Based on their typical experiences with doctors/primary care physicians, more than a third (36%) wish that their doctor would spend more time talking to them about health concerns that are unique to women (vs. 8% of women who wish their physician would spend less time talking about this and 57% who say they want it to stay the same).

• This jumps to 51% among young women (aged 20-34) and 49% among those who do not have a primary care physician. Black (47%) and Hispanic women (42%) are also significantly more likely that White women (31%) to say that they would like their doctor to spend more time talking to them about women-specific health issues.

There is a similar demand for having physicians spend more time discussing nutritional and fitness plans to improve health (32%), ways to reduce risk for chronic conditions, such heart disease and breast cancer (31%), personal risk level for chronic conditions (30%), target range for health numbers (30%, e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.), and medication or supplement options to improve health (30%).

One in four would also want doctors/primary care physicians to spend more time discussing family medical history and how it influences their own health (26%) and 22% would want their physician to take more time explaining when and how often women should get preventive screenings (e.g., pap smear, mammogram, colonoscopy).

• Women under the age of 35 are significantly more likely to say that they want doctors/physicians spending more time discussing all of these factors compared to those aged 35 and over.
• Those in poor health also mirror this pattern, though they do not show a significantly greater interest in having their physician spend more time discussing nutritional/fitness plans, personal risk level for chronic disease, and when/how often preventative screening tests should be performed compared to those rating their health as good.
• Across different racial/ethnic groups, Hispanic women are much more likely to want their physician to spend more time discussing nutritional and fitness plans with them compared to White women (41% vs. 28%, respectively). Black women display heightened interest in wanting their physician to spend more time discussing medication or supplement options with them (46% vs. 27% of Hispanic women and 28% of White women). Both Black (47%) and Hispanic (42%) women are considerably more likely to want their physician to spend more time discussing women-specific health issues with them compared to White women (31%).

The Impact of COVID-19 on Women’s Health

Americans suffered immensely throughout 2020 due to COVID-19 – physically, socially, and financially. As data from our survey shows, it is a major concern for women into 2021, with 69% saying that this virus is very/somewhat concerning to them – ahead of cancer (60%), arthritis (57%), heart disease (55%), mental health/emotional well-being (54%), Alzheimer’s/dementia (47%), osteoporosis (47%), obesity (46%), and all other conditions/diseases included in the survey.

• Concerns toward COVID-19 are especially acute among older women (75% of those aged 55 and over), Asian women (87%), and Hispanic women (77%).
• While COVID-19 is the top concern for women across most demographic groups, mental health/emotional well-being surpasses COVID-19 as a priority concern for adults between the ages of 20-34 (78% vs. 67%, respectively) and those who do not have a primary care physician (61% vs. 53%).
• Among those who rate their health as fair/poor, arthritis proves to be a slightly greater concern (74%) than COVID-19 (73%), while obesity (73%) and mental health/emotional well-being (72%) are also top ranked.

Thinking about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their physical and emotional well-being over the past year, nearly six in ten women agree that the pandemic has motivated them to take steps to improve their own health (58%) and helped them become more resilient and better able to cope with life's difficulties (58%). Those most likely to say the pandemic has motivated them to improve their health include younger women (65% of those aged 20-34 vs. 54% of those aged 55+), those in the South (64%) and Northeast (63% vs. 47% of those in the West), those in good health (60% vs. 49% of those in fair/poor health), and Black (75%) and Hispanic women (67% vs. 52% of White women).
Despite these positive impressions, the reality is that more than half report that they have felt more stressed, anxious and/or depressed during the pandemic (53%) and 44% admit that they have developed unhealthy habits during the pandemic (e.g., overeating, drinking, not exercising). Two in five also say that there have been times during the pandemic where they felt like they were "going to break down" (41%).

• Women under the age of 35, those in the bottom income bracket, those with children living at home, and those who rate their health as fair/poor are particularly likely to agree with these statements compared to their demographic counterparts.
• Hispanic (58%) and White (55%) women are significantly more likely that Black women (35%) to say that they have felt more stressed, anxious and/or depressed during the pandemic. A majority of Hispanic women (53%) also say that there have been times during the pandemic where they felt like they were "going to break down" (vs. 38% of White women).
• Women living in urban areas (50%) are also significantly more likely than those living in suburban (40%) and rural (36%) areas to say that there have been times they felt they were going to break down in the past year.

Two in five women say the pandemic has had a negative impact on their relationships with family and/or friends (40%) - and this jumps at least half among young women (55% of those aged 20-34), those in fair/poor health (50%), and Hispanic women (51%).
One in four women have sought or considered seeking help from a doctor and/or therapist for emotional support during the pandemic (26%) – and this doubles among young women (52% of those under the age of 35) and Hispanic women (50%). A third find themselves constantly worrying that they have the virus, with 34% saying that now, whenever they cough or have a headache or sore throat, they worry that they have COVID-19.
The pandemic has not only taken a toll on women’s physicals and emotional well-being, but it has also affected their healthcare usage over the past year. For instance, 31% have made a telehealth appointment (e.g., video conference, phone) to be treated by a doctor during the pandemic and 14% have received communication from their doctor on where to go for local COVID-19 testing and/or the vaccine. More than two in five say that they received the COVID-19 vaccine or plan to receive the vaccine when eligible (44%) – especially women over the age of 54 (61%), those in high income households (51% of those earning $100,000 or more), and those with a college degree (53%).
Unfortunately, the pandemic has caused another 28% to report that they have delayed seeking medical treatment, a procedure and/or test, and another 15% to say that they have had difficulty reaching/ scheduling an appointment with their doctor. Nearly one in ten have opted to go to an urgent care facility/retail clinic instead of their own doctor (8%) and a few (4%) have changed or have considered changing primary care doctors as a result of the pandemic.

• Black women are significantly less likely than those in other racial/ethnic groups to say that they have delayed seeking medical treatment, a procedure and/or test due to the pandemic (14% vs. 31% of Asian, 30% of Hispanic, and 29% of White women).
• Women under the age of 35 are more than twice as likely as those aged 55 and over to say that they have had difficulty reaching/scheduling an appointment with their doctor (25% vs. 10%, respectively) and four times more likely to say that they have gone to an urgent care facility/retail clinic instead of their own doctor (17% vs. 4%).

To view the full results of this study, please see the downloadable PDF.

About the Study

These are the findings from an Ipsos poll conducted March 5 - 9, 2021 on behalf of MDVIP. For the survey, a sample of 1,466 adults ages 18 and over from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii was interviewed online in English.
The sample for this study was randomly drawn from Ipsos’ online panel (see link for more info on “Access Panels and Recruitment”), partner online panel sources, and “river” sampling (see link for more info on the Ipsos “Ampario Overview” sample method) and does not rely on a population frame in the traditional sense. Ipsos uses fixed sample targets, unique to each study, in drawing a sample. After a sample has been obtained from the Ipsos panel, Ipsos calibrates respondent characteristics to be representative of the U.S. Population using standard procedures such as raking-ratio adjustments. The source of these population targets is U.S. Census 2018 American Community Survey data. The sample drawn for this study reflects fixed sample targets on demographics. Posthoc weights were made to the population characteristics on gender, age, race/ethnicity, region, and education.  

Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online non-probability polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points for all respondents. Ipsos calculates a design effect (DEFF) for each study based on the variation of the weights, following the formula of Kish (1965). This study had a credibility interval adjusted for design effect of the following (n=1,466, DEFF=1.5, adjusted Confidence Interval =  +/-4.4 percentage points for all respondents).

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Chris Jackson
Senior Vice President, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]

Marie-Pierre Lemay
Director, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]

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