In early 2023, Queensland Health commissioned this evidence review of data available on the health of Queensland women and girls. The review provided a quantitative evidence base to inform development of the Queensland women and girls’ health strategy 2032.

This report aims not just to provide a snapshot of the health of women and girls in Queensland, but to place this evidence in context in terms of trends evident across the life course and between generations, and to identify the main variations in outcomes for different groups of women, such as those living in rural and remote areas.

The review draws on findings from numerous publicly-available national and state data resources. However, it mainly shows results from analysis of data on Queensland women available in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH), a national flagship study since 1996 with four age cohorts from ages 18 to over 80 years. This analysis is far from exhaustive but still reveals an insightful picture of the recent past and current direction of women’s health in Queensland. In the process, the report highlights where the evidence points to key priority health areas for Queensland women and girls across the life course and any gaps in the currently available data that could provide further insights.