Health care for women international
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Health Care Women Int · Sep 2010
The sociocultural contexts of attempting suicide among women in Iran.
In this study, we investigated the sociocultural contexts of suicide attempts among women in Iran. Fifty women who attempted suicide and were admitted to the two main hospitals in Isfahan in 2006 were interviewed. ⋯ Based on our findings we conclude that the women in the study were affected by social changes and the interplay between traditional and modern values and attitudes. Understanding sociocultural aspects of suicide in Iran is critical in providing effective and culturally sensitive suicide prevention and care programs.
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Health Care Women Int · Sep 2010
An exploration of rural and urban Kenyan women's knowledge and attitudes regarding breast cancer and breast cancer early detection measures.
Many women in Kenya with breast cancer symptoms do not seek medical attention until their cancer is very advanced, leading to high mortality rates and a heavy cancer burden on the nation. In this study we employed eight focus groups with low- and middle-income rural and urban Kenyan women to explore their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning breast cancer and its early detection measures. ⋯ In addition, women viewed breast cancer as a highly severe disease. Perceived benefits of early detection measures centered around preparing themselves for what was assumed to be inevitable death.
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Health Care Women Int · Feb 2010
Review"The Western gaze"--an analysis of medical research publications concerning the expressions of depression, focusing on ethnicity and gender.
Our aim of this study was to explore how authors of medical articles wrote about different symptoms and expressions of depression in men and women from various ethnic groups as well as to analyze the meaning of gender and ethnicity for expressions of depression. A database search was carried out using PubMed. ⋯ Articles often present issues based on a Western point of view. This may lead to "cultural or gender gaps," which we refer to as "the Western gaze," which may in turn influence the diagnosis of depression.
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Health Care Women Int · Nov 2009
Health literacy and its association with the use of information sources and with barriers to information seeking in clinic-based pregnant women.
We investigated health literacy and its association with the use of information sources and with barriers to information seeking in clinic-based pregnant women. The Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (STOFHLA) was used to measure health literacy in 143 English-speaking low-income pregnant women. ⋯ Participants with low health literacy were less likely to use the Internet and more likely to have self-efficacy barriers than participants with high health literacy. Interventions to promote information-seeking skills and Internet access are indicated for women with low health literacy.
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Health Care Women Int · Mar 2009
A global imperative: development, safety, and health from girl child to woman.
The purposes of this article are to review what we know about the health status for girl children in the world and to suggest policy that allows us to see how to improve the health of girl-children. First, I will consider globalization and its relationship to health disparities. I then will review what we know about the health of the girl-child, contrasting patterns of health observed in girl-children from Sub-Saharan Africa and the consequences for subsequent generations. Finally, I will focus on interventions at the level of social and health policy, the community, and systems of health care delivery.