By Sumaiya
There is no doubt that women’s health affects the health of families and communities
For many years, women’s health has been treated as a given. Healthcare for women examines some particular issues including menstruation, childbirth, hormone issues including PCOS and PCOD, menopause, and other basic women’s health issues, even though nutrition and health education are topics relevant to both sexes. Women’s health issues typically centre on chronic illnesses and how they affect daily life.
WHY IS WOMEN’S HEALTH SUCH A CRUCIAL ISSUE?
Considering that women are the foundation of a family’s overall health, ensuring their access to high-quality treatment can also benefit the health of children and families.
There is no doubt that women’s health affects the health of families and communities. The condition of a woman’s children, family, and community is also significantly and far-reaching impacted by women’s health issues or death. Healthcare for women is receiving more attention in society today as people become aware that, despite the fact that women and men experience many of the same ailments, often the symptoms and treatments are different.
WHAT IS WOMEN’S HEALTH EDUCATION?
In general, women’s health education is essential for a healthy life, safe birthing, and effective parenting. Women now frequently rely on formally organized antenatal and health education institutions to educate them on delivery and other topics related to women’s health. Healthcare facilities are essential in educating women about delivery and other health-related topics.
IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN’S HEALTH EDUCATION AND HOW IT IMPACTS WOMEN’S HEALTH ISSUES
Women’s health education helps mothers limit the number of children they have. Over time, boosting girls’ school enrollment lowers fertility rates. Women with secondary education or higher give birth to 3 children on average, compared to 7 for those with no education.
Maternal health is enhanced by expanding women’s health education. In Burkina Faso, mothers with secondary education are twice as likely as mothers without one to give birth in a hospital with greater safety. According to estimates, every additional year of education for 1,000 women helps to avert two cases of miscarriage.
HIV/AIDS: Education lowers a girl’s or woman’s risk of getting HIV or passing it on to her unborn child. After finishing primary education, women in 32 countries were five times more likely to know fundamental information about HIV than uneducated women.
Although the precise mechanism of education’s effect on health is unknown, it has been proposed that women’s health education disrupts the traditional power dynamics within the family, which in turn affects how decisions are made and how resources are distributed. As a result, mothers who have had a health education are more likely than women who have not to utilize modern medicine and adhere to prescribed therapies.
Male awareness and involvement in matters relating to healthcare for women are essential to carrying out successful women’s health education. Educating and informing male partners about women’s health services is likely to improve their antenatal care participation, which in turn improves skilled delivery and lowers childbirth mortality, according to a study on male involvement in women’s health education.
THE STORY OF A NUTRITIONIST WHO FOCUSED ON WOMEN’S HEALTH EDUCATION TO FIGHT DIFFERENT WOMEN’S HEALTH ISSUES
About 2500 patients with HIV regularly seek care at the Marindi Sub County Hospital in Homa Bay County, western Kenya, which is run by nutritionist Susan Onyango. She began to see a tendency among her patients, particularly among women, to move from under nutrition to overweight and obesity, which is frequently brought on by an unbalanced diet.
Susan made the decision to approach the problem regarding healthcare for women through health education and practical training, working with a small team from the hospital and a group of skilled peer educators.
Naming her program the Healthy Woman, she adopted a special, cutting-edge tactic. In addition to addressing the issue of unequal gender roles, it also filled in gaps in integrated HIV and NCD care, diversified local food systems, and significantly increased the local communities’ low levels of health literacy.
Conclusion
Women’s health issues are influenced by a variety of factors. Further advancements in healthcare for women are hampered by ongoing wars, calamities, economic downturns, and uneven foreign aid promises. Women’s health education is very important in order to fight women’s health issues and maintain a healthy lifestyle globally.
