Health care for women international
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Health Care Women Int · Apr 2008
The experience of low back pain in Iranian women: a focus group study.
Chronic low back pain (CLBP) often proves resistant to treatment because there are different biological, psychological, and social factors that can affect its treatment. In this study, we explored Iranian women's beliefs regarding the cause of their LBP. ⋯ Participants articulated their causation beliefs (Explanatory Models) about low back pain through three themes: idioms of distress: stress in women's lives; lack of knowledge resulted in high-risk behaviors; and organic/biomedical. Given the difficultly regarding diagnosis and treatment of CLBP, understanding patients' health beliefs, causation beliefs, and experiences are warranted.
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We conducted 16 in-depth interviews with family caregivers of AIDS patients in three rural districts in western Uganda. They were selected from a client visitation list of the home-based care program for AIDS patients, based on volunteer participation. Family caregivers reported huge problems associated with providing the necessary psychological, social, and economic care. ⋯ In many poor countries, family caregiving is the most common and often the only care that AIDS patients receive, because clinic-based care often is not available close to home or is not affordable. Therefore, family caregiver support programs to alleviate this burden are essential for all those countries where HIV/AIDS is prevalent. Family caregiver burden encompasses medical, social, and economic issues at the household level, which requires an interdisciplinary approach in order to fully understand and appreciate the different dimensions of the family caregiver burden and its negative impact on the lives of so many women in so many countries.
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Health Care Women Int · Nov 2007
Controlled Clinical TrialBreast cancer prevention with older women: a gender-focused intervention study.
Breast cancer continues to be the most frequently diagnosed cancer in American women, with older women at highest risk (American Cancer Society [ACS], 2007). In this study, the researcher explored whether an educational intervention using feminist pedagogical methods would affect the use of breast cancer screening methods (mammography and breast self-exam) by older women. At 6-month follow-up, those women receiving the education intervention were found to have significantly increased their use of screening methods in comparison with a control group of women of similar age from the same community. The results of this study indicate support for the use of gender-focused educational methods with an emphasis on empowerment to increase the cancer screening practices of older women.
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Health Care Women Int · Apr 2007
The health of female Iranian immigrants in Sweden: a qualitative six-year follow-up study.
Immigration affects life and health in many different ways. The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze female Iranian immigrants' perception of various factors that influence their health over time. ⋯ The results suggest that during the first decade after migration, female immigrants may overcome some health-related factors such as experiences of traumatic events. Other health determinants such as unemployment or experiences of discrimination and racism, however, were observed even two decades after migration.
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Our purpose in this article is to review theories critically that have been used to explain immigrant women's health based on 4 case studies of Korean immigrant women's experiences in the United States and suggest directions for future development of theories on immigrant women's health. First, 3 existing theories on immigration and health (selective migration, negative effect of immigration, and acculturation) are concisely described. Then, the daily experiences of 4 low-income Korean immigrant women are described in a narrative mode, and the 3 existing theories are critiqued in terms of how they can explain the women's narratives. Finally, implications for future theory development on immigrant women's health experience are proposed based on the discussion.