Introduction: Women's health is supposed to be one of the indicators of development. Reproductive health is an important part of women's health. Vulnerable women are a group of women whose reproductive health needs to be given special attention. The aim of this study was to compare reproductive health and its related factors in vulnerable and non-vulnerable women. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on women covered by special centers for vulnerable women (n = 250) and comprehensive health centers (n = 250). The samples were randomly selected from Isfahan (Iran) from October to December 2017. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire completed by the researcher using interview method. Internal reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed to be 0.89 using Cronbach's alpha. The data were analyzed in SPSS 20 using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Pearson and Spearman tests. P < 0.05 was considered to be significant. Results The results showed that the mean total score of reproductive health in the non-vulnerable group (81.41) was significantly higher than that of the vulnerable group (68.6). The mean total score and the score of reproductive health components, except for access to and receipt of health services and healthy reproductive counseling, were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.05). Having an addicted spouse and unsafe sex were the most prevalent features associated with high risk behaviors. Smoking and alcohol consumption were significantly higher in the vulnerable group (P < 0.01). Conclusion According to the results, reproductive health status of vulnerable women is inappropriate in all dimensions. Given the importance of this issue, the development and implementation of special health programs for this group seems to be necessary in order to promote their reproductive health.
BACKGROUND: Women's health is supposed to be one of the indicators of development. Reproductive health is an important part of women's health. Vulnerable women are a group of women whose reproductive health needs to be given special attention. The purpose of this study was to compare the reproductive health of vulnerable and nonvulnerable women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on vulnerable women (n = 250) and nonvulnerable women (n = 250). The samples were selected from vulnerable women's centers and comprehensive health centers in Isfahan by quota and using simple random sampling method in 2017. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire completed by the researcher using interview method. Internal reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed to be 0.89 using Cronbach's alpha. A P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 18 software and independent t-test, Mann–Whitney, Pearson, Spearman, and Chi-square tests. RESULTS: The results showed that the mean total score of reproductive health in the nonvulnerable group (81.41) was significantly higher than that of the vulnerable group (68.6). The mean total score and the score of reproductive health components, except some of them, were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.05). Having an addicted spouse and unsafe sex were the most prevalent features associated with high-risk behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results, reproductive health status of vulnerable women is inappropriate in all dimensions. Given the importance of this issue, the development and implementation of special health programs for this group seem to be necessary.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.