Women's health is not in focus in disaster zones: lessons from the Nepal earthquake

Thapa, Suraj Bahadur; Acharya, Ganesh

doi:10.1136/jfprhc-2016-101605

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Absorbent materials, underwear, soap, and culturally appropriate storage spaces were mentioned in different papers as required MHM materials. 17 , 20 – 22 , 24 , 26 Government subsidization and tax reduction/removal on menstrual products were also mentioned strategies for improving access to required absorbents. 12 , 27 Humanitarian interventions include provision of MH materials through distribution of individual items or in the form of “dignity kits,” 20 – 22 , 24 or the provision of cash or vouchers for individual purchasing.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 40 Educating populations on how to use products provided in humanitarian responses is important when implementing interventions. 19 , 22 , 31 Incorporating menstrual education into school curricula was a consensus for most addressing this subject, 12 , 19 , 27 and both requires and contributes to overcoming taboos associated with the topic of menstruation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…47 A 2016 review 26 of MISP activities in postearthquake Nepal echoed these findings. Thapa and Acharya 22 mentioned that MH had received low priority, due to the overwhelming need for water, food, and shelter in such crisis situations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There was lots of agreement about incorporating part of this training and education within the school system, 61 but some papers also suggested the importance to work within families 17 or the creation of counseling services, psychological support groups, and women’s self-help groups, which could have a big impact on the well-being of girls and women in times of natural disasters. 22 Two systematic reviews assessing the association of the social effects of MHM concluded that there was good evidence that educational interventions can improve MHM practices and reduce social restrictions, but they also concluded that there is a lack of strong evidence and that the studies included presented a high risk of bias, mainly due to outcome assessment. 9 , 40 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Improving menstrual hygiene management in emergency contexts: literature review of current perspectives

VanLeeuwen

Torondel

2018

IJWH

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Management of menstruation in contexts of humanitarian emergencies can be challenging. A lack of empirical research about effective interventions which improve menstrual hygiene management (MHM) among female populations in humanitarian emergencies and a lack of clarity about which sectors within a humanitarian response should deliver MHM interventions can both be attributable to the lack of clear guidance on design and delivery of culturally appropriate MHM intervention in settings of humanitarian emergencies. The objective of this review was to collate, summarize, and appraise existing peer-reviewed and gray literature that describes the current scenario of MHM in emergency contexts in order to describe the breadth and depth of current policies, guidelines, empirical research, and humanitarian aid activities addressing populations’ menstrual needs. A structured-search strategy was conducted for peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify studies, published reports, guidelines, and policy papers related to menstrual response in emergency humanitarian contexts. Of the 51 articles included in the review, 16 were peer-reviewed papers and 35 were gray literature. Most of the literature agreed that hardware interventions should focus on the supply of adequate material (not only absorbent material but also other supportive material) and adequate sanitation facilities, with access to water and private space for washing, changing, drying, and disposing menstrual materials. Software interventions should focus on education in the usage of materials to manage menstruation hygienically and education about the female body’s biological processes. There was clear agreement that the needs of the target population should be assessed before designing any intervention. Although there is insight about which factors should be included in an effective menstrual hygiene intervention, there is insufficient empirical evidence to establish which interventions are most effective in humanitarian emergencies and which sectors should be responsible for the coordination and implementation of such. Increased monitoring and evaluation studies of interventions should be completed and publicly shared, in order to feed evidence-based guidelines in the humanitarian sector.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Improving menstrual hygiene management in emergency contexts: literature review of current perspectives

VanLeeuwen

Torondel

2018

IJWH

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“…It is estimated that approximately 38% of health workers suffer physical violence at some point in their careers. Unfortunately, attacks on hospitals and healthcare facilities are becoming more common in conflict areas and women′s health is not a focus in many disaster zones . According to the WHO, in the last two years (January 2014 to December 2015), there were 594 reported attacks on healthcare facilities resulting in 959 deaths and 1561 injuries, in 19 countries with emergency situations .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Moving forward with changing times

Acharya

2016

Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand

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In recent years, progress has been made in several aspects of women 0 s health world-wide. Women 0 s life expectancy has increased, a significant reduction in maternal mortality has been achieved and access to education for girls is getting better. With better access to contraception and safe abortion, women 0 s reproductive health is improving. However, women 0 s healthcare issues continue to be dominated by problems related to access, affordability and discrimination. For example, a recent report from Guttmacher Institute (1) estimates that nearly half (49%) of pregnancies among adolescent women (aged 15-19) living in developing regions are unintended, and many of these end in abortion under unsafe conditions. Meeting the contraceptive needs of these women would avert 3.2 million abortions and 5,600 maternal deaths annually. Therefore, having access to modern contraceptive methods and freedom of choice are of utmost importance. An article published in this issue of AOGS by Lindh et al (pages 19-28) shows that the use of contraception and choice of method vary even among women living in Nordic countries with comparable socioeconomic backgrounds.Ability to measure and monitor appropriate health indicators is of paramount importance and many tools may not be adequate in this respect. Data are usually missing from the most vulnerable countries and layers of societies, and estimates are not always reliable. Revision of existing tools and development of new methods is required for more robust and reliable data collection and evaluation of interventions that may help improve women 0 s health. It is good to see that some efforts have been made in this direction (2, 3), but much more needs to be done in this area. This is demonstrated by a report by Symon et al (pages, 53-60) from the University of Dundee, UK in this issue of AOGS, indicating that alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy might be underestimated using standard tools of assessment. Hopefully, the rapid progress observed in information and communication technology will help to obtain better quality data on the global status of women 0 s health, drive quality research and yield trustworthy results that will help to improve their situation. Women also need to take responsibility for their own health as well as that of their offspring. Education has to be key in developing a culture of healthier living and empowering women to make beneficial choices.In the past couple of years, the issues associated with migration, political conflicts, war, economic instability, and natural disasters have dominated problems related to women 0 s health. The scale of human suffering has been historically high. There have been significant political changes around the globe, including in Europe and North America recently, that are likely to have a global impact on health policies in general and women 0 s health issues in particular. Saving lives and reducing suffering is the mission of all health professionals, which becomes ever more important in times of crisis. It is...

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Physical and mental health status of women in disaster-affected areas in Bangladesh

et al. 2023

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Despite the increased risk of disasters in the Bangladesh, there is a dearth of research about women’s physical and mental health vulnerability following disasters. This study aimed to explore the physical and mental health status and associated risk factors of women in recurrent disaster-affected areas of Bangladesh. Participants (N = 408) were recruited using systematic random sampling from two purposively selected disaster-prone areas (Upazilas of Sagata and Sarankhola), using a structured questionnaire conducted in person. Physical and mental health status was assessed using the health Short Form 12 (SF-12) measure that is comprised of both physical health (PCS-12) and mental health (MCS-12) subscales. Of the 408 participants, the mean scores on PCS-12 and MCS-12 subscales were 43.85 ± 28.04 and 37.70 ± 27.29, respectively, which were strongly correlated, r = .71, p < .001. Overall, 65.9% and 63.0% of total participants scored below the validated cut-off of PCS-12 and MCS-12 subscales which indicates both poor physical and mental health. The results indicated that physical and mental health were significantly poorer for the participants who witnessed casualties, lost family members or relatives, were relocated to shelters and sacrificed food during disasters. Moreover, poorer mental health scores were identified among participants who were physically injured and/or consulted a medical practitioner during or after the disaster. Accurate health knowledge is crucial for adequate and effective disaster preparation to decrease the health impacts on women in disaster-prone areas of Bangladesh. Research in this area is needed, and strategies to improve the public health status of women are warranted.

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Women's health is not in focus in disaster zones: lessons from the Nepal earthquake

Cited by 9 publications

References 10 publications

Improving menstrual hygiene management in emergency contexts: literature review of current perspectives

Improving menstrual hygiene management in emergency contexts: literature review of current perspectives

Moving forward with changing times

Physical and mental health status of women in disaster-affected areas in Bangladesh

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