Women Of South East Asia: A Health Profile
| By | World Health Organization |
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| Description | Over the years, womens health needs have been addressed through maternal and child health programmes, focused primarily on a narrow aspect of their lives. With new knowledge and a changing perspective, womens health is now being viewed holistically on a continuum that starts before birth and progresses cumulatively through childhood and adolescence to adulthood and old age. This life-cycle approach extends beyond womens reproductive role to encompass womens health at every stage and in every aspect of their lives. Through this approach, other health issues affecting women that were previously overlooked or thought not to exist have become more apparent. The shift in perspective has also brought into focus the gender dimension to womens health. In practice this means considering all factors, not only biological ones, which determine womens health. These determinants include the economic, social and cultural factors that affect their status as well as gender relations between women and men. The life cycle and gender approach to women's health relies heavily on the use of information and data disaggregated by sex and other important variables. Yet, this information is often lacking or difficult to access. Thus, this regional analysis based on country profiles on women, health and development represents a major achievement in filling these information gaps. This publication, I am confident, will further improve our understanding of womens health and its underlying determinants. It should also facilitate advocacy efforts to raise awareness of the broad spectrum of health problems faced by women throughout their lives. The publication should provide useful inputs for policy and programme development to ensure that gender issues and womens health concerns are addressed in all health programmes. It should also lead to more research resulting in effective interventions for improving womens health and access to quality health care. The publication would deem to have served its purpose if it results in womens health being seen in its true dimension as the vital hub in the larger wheel of health for all. Dr Uton Muchtar Rafei Regional Director WHO |
| File size | 71 kB |
| Date | 19-04-2004 at 18h22 |