Study Reveals Majority of Young Women Go On-line First with Health Questions

A February survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of iVillage found that women heavily rely on the Internet as a health resource before turning to a family member or visiting a doctor. Anonymous peer networking and sharing common experiences is what drives women online for health matters, with 4 out of 5 (82%) saying there are reasons to feel uncomfortable when discussing health concerns or questions with friends or family members. Over half of women (59%) said that discussing health concerns with people they know can be embarrassing.

Click here to read more at HealthLeaders Media Marketing Weekly.

Women's Heart Expert to Present "State of Women's Heart Health in US"

Here's an opportunity for you to hear one of the nation’s leading experts in women’s heart health. Dr. C. Noel Bairey Merz, will present a national overview and update on women and heart disease on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 12 p.m. EDT during a Women’s HeartAdvantage™ webcast.

Dr. Bairey Merz is Professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai (Los Angeles), medical director for the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Women’s Health Program and Women’s Heart Center, and holds the Women’s Guild Endowed Chair in Women’s Health. She has been the clinical co-director for Women’s HeartAdvantage since its inception, and acts as a national spokesperson for the program in order to raise awareness about women and heart disease. Her appearances have included Good Morning America, NBC Dateline and 20/20, and she has been interviewed for the New York Times, US News and World Report and Working Woman, among others.

During the hour long webcast, Dr. Bairey Merz will discuss the latest trends regarding women’s heart health and provide a sneak peek into what the next decade may hold for women and heart disease. Session topics include:

• An update on clinical trials regarding diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women
• Screenings, diagnostics and therapeutic modalities for microvascular disease in women
• The most appropriate general cardiovascular screenings and diagnostic applications for women
• Heart screenings protocols and practices to engage physicians and women in prevention and self care
• Strategies to create and sustain a women’s heart program as part of an overall cardiovascular service line business plan

The webcast is being offered free of charge to Chief Marketing Officer readers. Click here to register.

Is Your Marketing on Target for Young Moms?

If you are targeting female Gen Xers and Ys for obstetric, pediatric, urgent care, docs or other health and wellness services, The New Female Consumer: The Rise of the Real Mom is a terrific resource for health care marketers seeking to gain a better understanding of their lives, priorities, needs and motivators.

This Advertising Age and JWT white paper explores what multiple generations of American women want when it comes to family, work and life in the 21st century, decades after the women's liberation movement. It focuses in depth on Generation X (ages 30 to 44) and millennial (ages 18 to 29) mothers and how they differ from their older counterparts. And also examines how marketers can and should improve communications that target this demographic.

Here are a couple of insights from the study:

• To reach this demographic, marketers need not just to communicate that the goods and services they offer are practical and convenient; they also need to make real moms feel confident and in charge.
• Marketers should empower these female consumers to delegate to others (spouses, children, brands) so they can have more time to be who they want to be—at home, at work and on their own.
• Marketers have to use new ways to reach a population that rarely has time to sit down to read or watch or enjoy something without simultaneously doing something else

The New Female Consumer is a free, downloadable guide chocked full of insights, data, graphs and other information to help you better understand young moms.

Click here to link to the PDF.