Trends in women's risk factors and chronic conditions: findings from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.

Chronic diseases present a growing challenge to women's health. This paper presents data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health to show prevalence and incidence among three cohorts of women of six chronic conditions: hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, osteoporosis and arthritis. It also examines the role of five important risk factors (body mass index, level of physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and level of education) on these chronic conditions. The most striking finding is that being overweight or obese is the most important risk factor for chronic disease for women in all three age groups.