Social media influencers are quite the thing these days, but have you ever thought about women as health influencers? Women can play a key role in influencing the health of their loved ones. Here are some ways we may positively impact the health of those we love:
Health Education and Awareness:
Women can educate their families and loved ones about healthy habits, nutrition, and preventive measures. Sharing information about vaccinations, regular check-ups, and hygiene helps improve overall health. Putting on the “teacher” hat is certainly one way that women might influence the health of loved ones.
- Emotional Support:
Women can provide emotional support to family members and others in their social circles during illness or stress. Emotional support is an expression of empathy, love, and caring (Davis, 2024) describing the characteristics of many women. Their empathy, active listening, and encouragement may contribute to better physical well-being of those they love. It has been found that those who give more support also get more support. This might happen because people feel better after helping others, which improves their health, or because they are in a quality relationship in which they can reciprocate positive behaviors and feelings (Reblin & Uchino, 2008). Being there for our loved ones and providing emotional support can be powerful!
- Healthy Lifestyle Choices:
Women can lead by example. Regular exercise, balanced diets, and adequate sleep benefit everyone in the household. Encouraging family members to adopt these habits promotes better health. Others in their social circles may also see women “leading by example” in these areas and may also make healthy lifestyle choices. When others observe healthy behaviors, they are more likely to adopt them (Duffy et al., 2019). There are multiple scientific theories and models such as the social ecological model (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). and the social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) that purports the impact of one person’s behavior on that of another.
- Advocacy for Healthcare Access:
Women can advocate for family members’ access to healthcare services. This includes scheduling appointments, ensuring medication adherence, and seeking timely medical attention. Not only are women taking care of their own households, but many might also be taking care of others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites that one in four (25.4%) women are caregivers. Women are often influencers of health because of their advocacy for healthcare access.
- Stress Reduction and Communication:
Women can create a positive home environment by managing stress, resolving conflicts, and promoting open communication. A supportive family atmosphere may positively impact health. Who doesn’t want LESS stress and conflict, right?!?
- Social Support:
Did you know that loneliness and social isolation can have negative impacts on our health? Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness (U.S. Surgeon General, 2023). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (n.d.), social isolation and loneliness can lead to heart disease and stroke, Type 2 diabetes, depression and anxiety, suicidality and self-harm, dementia, and earlier death. Researchers also have found that being socially isolated is about as bad for your health as smoking, having high blood pressure, and not exercising (Uchino et al., 1996) – wow! Reaching out to others to provide social support is an opportunity to influence the health of those we care about.
In my recent men’s health article, I shared one of my favorite quotes from author, inspirational speaker, and blogger Mandy Hale which also applies to women and our ability to influence our loved ones, including when it comes to health. “To make a difference in someone’s life, you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You just have to care.” We women are caring by nature, so the stage is already set for being a health influencer to those we love. Which one of the ways above might YOU be a health influencer?
Don’t Forget Yourself
While supporting the health and well-being of others is important, so is YOURS. Women are notorious for putting ourselves last. A survey (Sizensky, 2015) from Healthy Women and Working Women magazine found that women put themselves last behind their children, pets, senior relatives, and their spouse or significant other. The survey also found that 78% of women put off making a doctor’s appointment for themselves because they are too busy taking care of other family members’ health. While being an influencer to those we love is great, make sure your own health and wellness is not taking a backseat. Remember there is a reason they tell you to put on your oxygen mask first during flight safety drills. Don’t forget to be your own self-influencer so you can be there for those you love.
References:
Bandura, A. (1986) and National Institute of Mental Health. Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Harvard University PressCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Caregiving for Family and Friends – A Public Health Issue. https://www.cdc.gov/aging/caregiving/caregiver-brief.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (March 2024). Health Effects of Social Isolation. https://www.cdc.gov/social-connectedness/risk-factors/index.html
David, Tchiki (2024). How to Emotionally Support Someone. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-for-happiness/202304/how-to-emotionally-support-someone
Duffy, K.A., Green, P.A. & Chartrand, T.L. (2019). Mimicry and Modeling of Health(-Risk) Behaviors: How Others Impact Our Health(-Risk) Behaviors Without Our Awareness. J Nonverbal Behav 44, 5–40 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-019-00318-x
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (3.5 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Reblin, M., & Uchino, B. N. (2008). Social and emotional support and its implication for health. Current opinion in psychiatry, 21(2), 201–205. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0b013e3282f3ad89
Sizensky, Vera (2015). New Survey: Moms Are Putting Their Health Last. Healthy Women. https://www.healthywomen.org/content/article/new-survey-moms-are-putting-their-health-last
Uchino, B. N., Cacioppo, J. T., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. (1996). The relationship between social support and physiological processes: a review with emphasis on underlying mechanisms and implications for health. Psychological bulletin, 119(3), 488.
United States Surgeon General. (2023). https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/03/new-surgeon-general-advisory-raises-alarm-about-devastating-impact-epidemic-loneliness-isolation-united-states.html
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