Although women in the UK on average live longer than men, women spend a significantly greater proportion of their lives in ill health and disability when compared with men. The Women’s Health Strategy for England aims to tackle this.

The strategy sets out a six-point plan to boost health outcomes for all women and girls and radically improve the way in which the health and care system engages and listens to all women and girls.

There is a small section on MSK conditions, which includes reference to osteoporosis and fragility fractures. It also talks about addressing both the prevalence and disparities in MSK conditions such as osteoarthritis, back pain, inflammatory arthritis and osteoporosis. “NHS England are addressing health disparities for those with MSK conditions through the NHS Best MSK Health programme, including those related to sex.”

There are more general sections on issues such as physical activity, obesity and smoking in women, all of which impact MSK health outcomes. Women will be a target group in a £3 million national ‘reconditioning programme’ to support older people to build up strength and resume some of the activities they used to do before the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is an ambition for increased participation of women in research into long-term conditions and disabilities, and research into sex-based differences in general health conditions, also relevant to a number of MSK conditions (see, for instance, this webinar from ARMA on women and AxSpA).