Women and men deserve equitable opportunities to achieve a reasonable standard of a healthy living. However, in developing countries, the interplay of various economic, social, cultural and biological factors render women underprivileged to attain their rights to decent nutrition, health care services and health information. Nevertheless, some issues affecting women’s health are shared, in part, by the opposite gender.
Inadequate access to nutritious food, and the resulting malnutrition, is perhaps the greatest dilemma for the health of women in developing countries. Indeed, undernutrition is the leading risk factor of under-five mortality in girls, accounting for around seven deaths per thousand children in low- and middle-income countries [1]. Rising food prices, climate change, wars and conflict have caused unprecedented food insecurity in various parts of the developing world [2]. It has been estimated that nearly 20% of the population of developing countries is affected by chronic food deficit [3]. The Global Hunger Index reports that 969 million people live on less than US $ 1 per day, and that 923 million people go hungry everyday [2]. Though malnutrition is a concern for both sexes, women are more vulnerable due to gender-based inequitable access to food [1]. Women are also more likely to suffer the repercussions of food insecurity because of their biological roles during pregnancy and lactation and the resultant increase in nutritional demands. In pregnant women, malnutrition stunts the immune system and homeostatic mechanisms of the body, leaving them vulnerable to developing infections and maternal complications such as miscarriage and obstructed labor, besides increasing the risk of maternal mortality [4].
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...throughout the ages, neglect of their health needs and concerns has caused them to endure immense suffering. Further, the health of women is closely intertwined to the well-being of the next generation of children. Malnourished women are likely to have poor birth outcomes, in particular, intra-uterine growth retardation, preterm birth and infants with low birth weight [4,12]. Such infants also have a higher neonatal and infant mortality compared to those born to healthy mothers [4]. The issue of women’s health thus has an enormous impact on the society as a whole and needs to be addressed as a priority. To what extent this issue has actually been prioritized, remains a question unanswered. Women deserve to be afforded treatment at par with their male counterparts to safeguard their fragile existence, and to give them a just opportunity to excel in their abilities.
Two-thirds of infants die during the first month of life due to low birth weight (Lia-Hoagberg et al, 1990). One reason for this outcome is primarily due to difficulties in accessing prenatal care. Prenatal health care encompasses the health of women in both pre and post childbearing years and provides the support for a healthy lifestyle for the mother and fetus and/or infant. This form of care plays an important role in the prevention of poor birth outcomes, such as prematurity, low birth weight and infant mortality, where education, risk assessment, treatment of complications, and monitoring of fetus development are vital (McKenzie, Pinger,& Kotecki, 2012). Although every woman is recommended to receive prenatal health care, low-income and disadvantaged minority women do not seek care due to structural and individual barriers.
The oppressive attitude towards woman interfered with women’s health care in the 19th century, and caused horrific medical issues to go untreated. When woman were sick with any kind of illness the doctors would basically classify the illness under one umbrella diagnosis “as a disease of the womb.”
As huge as the gender hole is, women, above all in developed countries have more contingencies today than ever before. But even with this, no country has truly accomplished gender equality. We need to shut down the gender gap in capacities such as health,employment, and education. The destiny of our world entrusts on the young women of todays times. Women have been struggling for equality for thousands of years. Even though we have taken many successes on our battle for equality and have made a tremendous amount of progress, we still are at disadvantages. We have been approved to vote and now we now can apply or take any job a male can have. Even if we are able do this, we nonetheless still are pinned to the equal expectations we had for all these years. We are anticipated to watch over the kids, have dinner made ready for everyone to enjoy, to do the laundry, and make sure the dishes are clean and put back where they belong. We must make our way towards the movements needed to make sure that the health of women around the world is efficient and fair. We must inform coverage and encourage actions throughout international location, groups, and development partners. This isn't just about the variations among women and men throughout our society, and not just for women. Discussing women’s health is a crucial and adequate approach to establishing better
HIV-infected women in developing countries are faced with a difficult choice. Do they breastfeed their infant and potentially transmit the disease through breastmilk, or do they use supplemental feedings of expensive synthetic formula. Many women that desire to use supplemental feedings lack the financial means or necessary equipment to be able to provide adequate nutrition. There is the distinct risk that even if they are able to use supplemental formula unclean water could expose their child gastrointestinal infections or parasites. The official recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) is that if supplemental feeding is feasible and practical by the mother, then the mother should avoid breastfeeding. If supplemental feeding is not feasible, then the child should be exclusively breastfed for at least six months. Neither choice is a one hundred percent satisfactory solution, and ongoing research continues to argue the benefits of one method of feeding versus the other.
Population Council. “World Conference on Women: The Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action on Women and Health”. Population and Development Review , Vol. 21, No. 4 (Dec., 1995), pp. 907-91. Web. 22 Nov. 2013
It is often challenging to have health care services that meet the needs of Canada’s diverse population and the needs of both men and women. Gender influences access to care and women in particular are at risk for face difficulties to care (Ontario Women`s Health Equity Report, 2010 p.1). Women are more likely to be poor and have greater caregiver responsibilities in contrast to men. These both factors are barriers to accessing health services. The way the health care system is organized creates barriers to accessing effective care for women because it has failed to take into account that men and women use the health care system very differently. Canada’s health care system reinforces gender inequity rather than eliminating it. For instance, drug research bias favour males and epistemological bias assume that women’s health is only about reproductive health. As a result of these biases, women are often excluded and their health needs are not fully addressed. The Romanow Report (2002) and the Accord on Health Care Renewal (2003) has made a strong commitment to understanding the importance of the non-medical determinants of health, such as income and social status; employment; education; social environments; physical environments; healthy child development; personal health practices and coping skills; health services; social support networks; gender; and culture (Health Canada, 2001). They have also committed to gender based analysis and women’s health but, this is not visible in its work to date on Canada’s health care reform. This paper will address how the Romanow Report, the Accord on Health Care Renewal and current health policies have failed to address the health needs of women in regards to support for family ...
Health inequalities in any country is an important issue. There are many reasons for inequalities in health, for example, gender and age, economic and social factors.
According to the surveys carried out by many organizations, the maternal malnutrition predominate this low birt...
The article “Young Mums Sidelined over Nutrition” discusses about how women are disempowered because they have little say in household and child rearing decisions and that “when mothers are disempowered they are less likely to attend health...services for themselves and their children” (Garbarino). This illustrates how closely tied together gender roles and nutrition are. Women are usually left with household managing and child rearing roles, yet in some parts of the world they can not even go to the doctor for medicine without their husband’s approval. Limiting a female’s decision-making power renders her incapable of taking control of herself and can be harmful to her children. The idea of gender roles being inimical to the health of women and their children is further validated by the The Memory Keeper’s Daughter as seen in the case of a woman name Norah. When Norah’s husband, David, tells her that their daughter Phoebe was stillborn she falls into postpartum depression. Instead of going to get the help Norah needs, she falls into the societal gender role that “she has her house, her baby, [and] her doctor husband. She [is] suppose to be content” (Edwards 76). The quote emphasizes that society dictates that a woman with a family and a house should be satisfied with what she has. Norah realizes that she’s not feeling well, but
Unbeknownst to some of us, gender inequality is present in health. Often, we see cases of gender inequality, particularly ones favouring men over women, in terms of basic salary and job opportunities, or the objectification of women, with groups of feminists clamouring for ample compensation. However, the rally against oppression in health isn’t very evident. But this isn’t just a female problem, and men don’t get off the inequality gig easily. Both genders are susceptible to cases of discrimination in health, and different cases may cause detriment to one and empowerment to the other, or vice versa. And that’s plenty unhealthy.
...on, race, and political belief, economic or social condition. Improving the poor health of disadvantaged individuals and reducing health gaps is important but not enough to level up health through socioeconomic groups. The objective of tackling health inequalities can be changed to local needs and priorities of a community allowing wide-ranging partnerships of support to be organised. However it needs to be made clear that what can be done to help improve the life chances and health prospects of individuals living in poverty may not come close to bringing their health prospects closer to the average of the rest of the population or prevent the gap living on throughout the generations. Being clear about what is trying to be overcome and achieved needs upmost importance in the development and delivery of policies that will promote health equality across the population.
Even though there are numerous families that struggle to put food on the table, protein deficiency is rare in the United States, but can be seen in third world countries like Africa. However, protein deficiency disorders can occur even in the United States with people suffering from “alcoholism, anorexia nervosa, or certain intestinal tract disorders, [as well as] those who are elderly, have limited incomes, and are chronically ill”(Schiff 2013). Under nutrition of any kind is due to a lack of food in some fashion whether from crop failures, political unrest, or civil wars, but the etiology of Kwashiorkor and other protein deficiencies is often more complicated. Protein energy malnutrition (also known as PEM) affects people who do not consume sufficient amounts of protein. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 18% of children are underweight due to malnutrition of some kind, including protein-energy malnutrition. There are in fact two types of PEM, kwashiorkor and marasmus. Kwashiorkor is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in developing countries, primarily occurring where mothers breastfeed their infants until they give birth to another child. The older
Food insecurity and poor nutrition is an alarmingly large problem for low income families, especially in developing countries. Many strategies exist to fight this problem, although not many of these address all the factors contributing to it along with all the possible solutions to solve it. In many cases, multiple strategies must correlate and work together so that all the determinants of this issue are addressed and can fight food insecurity from different angles. This essay will discuss the significance of the problem, a range of possible strategies to solve the problem, and go into detail on a select few that will correlate and work together to solve different factors of food insecurity and poor nutrition.
Men, Chean, et al. "Gender as a social determinant of health: Gender as a social determinant of health: Gender analysis of the health sector Gender analysis of the health sector ender analysis of the health sector in Cambodia." Summary Report: World Conference on Social Determinants of Health, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, 19-21 October 2011, World Conference on Social Determinants of Health. World Health Organization, 2012, pp. 22-42, www.who.int/sdhconference/resources/draft_background_paper15_cambodia.pdf. Accessed 4 July 2017.
An important area for the development of a country is definitely the health sector, but in countries like Nepal where the Human Development Index(WHO, 2012) is only 0.463, a lot of people do not even receive any health provisions. The ethnic groups such as Dalit and Janajati in Nepal, are much affected by the unequal access and use of state- provided public health resources, facilities and services. In many cases, even among all these, it is the women and children (especially girls) who suffer the most as they are discriminated based on gender, caste and ethnicity. That being said, through this research I will be focusing on the health issues among the women in Nepal and how various factors such as the gender inequality, caste system, and traditional beliefs contribute to affect their health.