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Perspective: Gender as a Health Determinant and Implications for Health Education

622 W. 168thth Street, PH9 Center, Rm. 948, Behavioral, Cardiovascular Health & Hypertension Program, Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032

Kimberlee J. Trudeau, PhD

Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York

Erica van Roosmalen, PhD

Independent scholar/consultant, Ontario, Canada

Miriam Stewart, PhD

Institute of Gender and Health, University of Albert, Canada

Susan Kirkland, PhD

Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

Gender is a health determinant, but gender itself is influenced, in part, by biological and psychological variables. Understanding gender's influence on health therefore requires an understanding of the determinants of the construct gender. A review of certain gender determinants is presented. The authors consider the modifiability of these determinants and present recommendations about which of these determinants should be targeted for health promotion and policy creation activities. In concluding, they argue that gender is a multidetermined construct that encompasses many factors that may be modifiable through intervention, and consideration of all of these factors should be vigorously pursued.

Key Words: gender • theory • determinants • policy • review

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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Davidson, K. W. Articles by Kirkland, S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Davidson, K. W. Articles by Kirkland, S. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?