Is a Serious Public Health Issue Being Overlooked?

What if I were to tell you one of the most pervasive and serious public health issues in the country is preventable? It's an issue that hugely impacts women, men, children and communities. Would you be surprised to learn I was talking about sexual violence?

According to the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, health impacts and rates of short-and long-term chronic disease can be a significant lasting effect of sexual violence. Women and men who experienced rape, stalking or physical violence by an intimate partner were "more likely to report frequent headaches, chronic pain, difficulty with sleeping, activity limitations, poor physical health and poor mental health than men and women who did not experience these forms of violence."

The health consequences of sexual violence are more far reaching than you might expect. Conditions including asthma, diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome are reported at higher rates. Eighty-one percent of women in the survey reported significant short- or long-term impacts, including post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Thirty-five percent of men reported similar health impacts.

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