Objective: This study identified the relationship between interventions with womens health volunteer groups in two Myanmar villages and maternal and child health outcomes. Design and Sample: This cross-sectional study included 188 women aged 15-49 years old with at least one ≤5-year-old child. The women were randomly selected from two control and two experimental villages. Measures: Data were collected via structured interview with a questionnaire based on the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey.
Objectives: This study aimed to qualitatively analyze the experiences and perceptions of students at a nursing college in Japan who studied abroad in Asia and North America, thereby identifying the full range of benefits of study abroad programs for Japanese nursing students. Methods: We conducted a qualitative analysis of the reflection papers and free-response questionnaire items completed by 50 Japanese undergraduate nursing students who participated in 9 study abroad programs in Asia and North America. Content analysis of the data proceeded from typological and deductive to data-driven and inductive, recursively and collaboratively. Results: The results reveal perceived benefits in the areas of English language proficiency and motivation; knowledge of nursing practices, healthcare systems, and global health; cultural awareness and sensitivity; and various types of identity development (second-language motivation and identity, national/ethnic identity, professional identity, identity as a global citizen, and personal growth). It was also shown that students' perceptions of what they learned or gained varied according to the specific characteristics of each study abroad program. Conclusions: Study abroad experiences are often critical turning points that enhance nursing students' identity formation in the context of multiple and overlapping communities of practice. They also enhance core elements of the educational mission of a nursing college, particularly relating to liberal arts and internationalization. These findings can inform the development of assessment tools to be used in conjunction with study abroad programs at nursing colleges.
Aim:To explore the general applicability of women-centered care (WCC) as a philosophical foundation used for capacity-building (CB) through examining the results of international collaboration efforts in Bolivia and the Union of Myanmar. Methods: PubMed was used to search for articles related to WCC. The literature was sorted into the categories of "antecedents", "characteristics", and "outcomes". The descriptors of WCC were extracted and applied to midwifery projects in Bolivia and the Union of Myanmar. Pre-assessments and postassessments captured recipients' and health workers' "voices". Case studies were used to illustrate the outcomes. Results: Extracted from the literature were two antecedents that typified pre-WCC: gender inequality and hierarchical, male-centered medical treatment. The characteristics of WCC were respect, safety, holism, and partnership. The consequences of WCC were the empowerment of women, autonomy for the care provider, and societal reform. Using these WCC characteristics as the philosophical foundation of our approach, our Bolivian and Union of Myanmar projects were implemented to improve maternal health through CB mother and baby-friendly care at the primary level of normal birth care. The two projects illustrated the WCC characteristics of respect, safety, and partnership, as well as the resulting empowerment of women and autonomy for the nursing profession. Conclusion: Women-centered care, as a universal philosophical foundation, transcends cultures and CB leads to reform for women, both as the providers and users of care. The field results indicated that WCC can be successfully applied to real-life situations.
This study describes the changes in the Women's Health Voluntary Group (WVG) members developed by participatory approach as a direct result of their participation in the WVG program in rural areas of Myanmar. Method A total of 74 people, including: 22 WVG members, eight people directly involved in the program, 20 WVG's family members, and 25 villagers, were interviewed in using a semi-structured interview format at intervention villages of the WVG program. Data was translated in Japanese and analyzed qualitatively and inductively. Result The analysis of WVG changes yielded 10 categories and 28 subcategories. WVG members developed from a stage of 'ignorance' to a stage of 'extension of consciousness derived from acquiring knowledge'. There was a core of 'behavior changes triggered by acquiring knowledge that could be used in their daily life' participation in the WVG program. The process of change was instigated by functions that could be applied within the village community: 'family support', 'handling of money', and 'the presence of things'. These functions had direct effects on the process of change. The changes were attained due to: 'the women's motivation to participate' and 'thought based on their religion and culture'. Furthermore, 'the sense of gratitude projected by the local community' and 'the collaboration with the basic health staff', in the form of greater cooperation, appeared as secondary benefits of the program. Conclusion The program resulted in changes in the WVG members themselves. This occurred in terms of an extension of consciousness derived from acquiring knowledge together with behavioral changes caused by the acquiring of knowledge applicable to daily life. These results occurred, as a direct result of participation in the WVG program.
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