Transcript Slide 1
WOMEN IN DECISION MAKING RELATED
TO HEALTH CARE UTLISATION:
EMPOWERMENT
Dr.Subhadra Iyengar, PhD. Prof. & HOD,
Research Department,
[email protected]
&
Prof.Elizabeth Jean Abraham , Professor In
Medical Surgical Nursing, [email protected]
PSG COLLEGE OF NURSING, COIMBATORE
Introduction
Women’s Health involves emotional,
social and physical well-being.
It is determined by social, political
and economic and also geographical
context of their lives.
In India, among women, irrespective
of variations in life style, using health
care service as a preventive measure
is not existing at all.
Why Is It Like This?
One major inderhence to this is the
innocence on one side and ignorance
on the other side.
Next is ofcousre as common to all
services is the lack of awareness.
Economic and social inaccessibility is
also one major cause, as many are
not able to cater to essential services
even for curative purpose.
Then why this approach?
We can never overlook the
importance of the well pronounced
slogan “ Prevention Is Better Then
Cure”.
Women at large are fortunate to have
access to simple and effective
information from mass media, where
they enrich with safe tips for healthy
life style.
Central Objective
An attempt is made to understand to
what extent women at large are able
to take decision on utuilisation of
health care service. Mainly to
understand how much they
understand the need of preventive
health care service, especially in
relation to Cancer of Breast and
Cervix. The main focus to assess the
knowledge, attitude.
Methodology
A simulation ( stimulation) approach s
followed.
500 women living in different socioeconomic and geographical
dimensions were intrugued.
Distribution in Each Class
I- Health care Persons-5%
II- Health Related institution-5%
III- Highly Qualified & Holding
High Post
- 10%
IV- High Income Residents
- 10%
V- Upper Middle Income
Apartment
-10%
VI- Ladies Hostel
-10%
VII- Self Help Group
-10%
VIII- Sales Girls in Textile
Shops
IX- Urban Slum
- 10%
X- General population
- 20%
( those not in any of the above)
Distribution under General
Population- in %. Random selection
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
SITRA- 1.5
Syrian Church Road- 2.0
P.N.Palyam-2.0
Patient’s Relatives- 6.1
Peelamedu (individual houses)-4.9
Irrugur- 4.3
Housing Unit-Peelamedu-4.9
Saibaba Colony- 2.5
Gandhipuram- 1.8
Nehru Nagar- 6.8
Podanur- 10.4
Vellalore-11.0
Sowaripalayam- 4.9
Arasur (Harijan colony)- 17.2
Singanallur- 0.6
PSG Estate- ( residence by PSG Mng- for Staff) -3.7
Veddapatti- 10.0
Ganapathi & Siddhapudur- 1.0
Table-1-Knowldeg And Attitude of Women
Towarads Specific Health care Utilisation
Sl.No
Servic Healt
es
h
Care
Profe
ssiona
ls
Worki
ng In
Healt
h
Relate
d
Instit
ution
Highl
y
Quali
fied
&Well
Place
d
High
Inco
me
Resid
ential
Com
plex
Uppe
r
Middl
e
Inco
me
Resid
ence
Ladie
s
Hoste
l
Self
Help
Grou
p
Sales Urba
Girls n
Textil Slum
e
Shops
Gene
ral
Popul
ation
1.
Healt
h
Check
-upEssen
tial
88.0
100
100
93.33
90
90
90
100
80
91.25
2.
BSE
93.33
88.88
80.95
100
100
65
50
66.66
60
47.87
3.
Mam
mogra
m
57.77
44.44
47.62
93.33
60
40
20
10-0
20
53.4
4.
Pap
Smear
88.88
66.66
57.14
100
50
40
45
100
26.66
61.35
Decision on Family Planning By
Women
Women-in Per Cent
60
50
40
30
20
10
SELF
SPOUSE
0
COUPLE
Categories
Knowledge of Women On Common Health
Problems
Obesity
AIDS,HIV,STD
7%
15%
7%
9%
14%
10%
13%
12%
Hypertension&Ostop
orosis
Ca.Cervix&Menopau
se
Ca.Breast
Cancer &Menstural
problem
Diabetes
13%
Malnutrition
Tuberculosis
Per Centage of Women
Age At Marriage & First Conception
Below 19 Years
80
60
40
20
0
General
Population
Urban
Slum
Self Help
Group
Women-Groups
Age at Marriage
First Conception
Major Findings:
1.Socio-Economic:
• Age ranged- 15 to 86 Years. One in 86
years
• Education from illiterate to PhD, middle
school
• Income- Rs.1200 to 1,50,000 (Indian)
• Married,Single, Widow
Attitude Towards Utilisation Pattern
1.
2.
3.
4.
Women working in Health related institution strongly agree that it
health check-up is highly essential. As 100 % of women have
agreed. This is because they have found numerous cases of
AIDS,HIV, CANCER.
Similarly women with very high educational qualification &
occupation also feel that it is essential to undergo health checkup. This is the feature among women living in high income
residential complex. These women not only have an attitude but
also are able to practice due to social and economic accessibility.
There are certain misnorms associated with AIDS and HIV as
women working in Textile sector feel that only mode of
transmission is through Sexual contact. They are ignorrant, about
other means of transmission.
It is rather unhappy to note that irrespective of propagation of
healthy marriage, family, still large number of women in slum,
and living in other rural-urban areas are married below 19 years.
They also have had first conception by 16 years. These women
are not belonging to 50 to 60 years but they belong to 24 to 35
years.
Health Care Policy Implication:
All KAP studies have proved that if people are enriched with
knowledge and positive attitude they can be motivated to
practice. Hence as this study has ear marked clearly that
people do want to utilise health care for preventive
purpose, health sector should cater to this.
BSE is a cost effective, easy friendly method of women
encouraging women to examine their breast and identify
any abnormality. Therefore women need to be empowered
with this knowledge through accessible services.
Knowledge on importance of Pap Smear test and
mammogram should be propagated through all medias.
It is evidential that Government alone can not resolve to all
problems and as like NGO’s even private sectors should be
supported by Government through financial assistance or
any other benefits to cater to women, needs at large.
Empowerment of women helps them in decision making,
and this need to be implemented through all media.