Call them strong, wise, resilient, creative, powerful, sophisticated, courageous, multitalented, intelligent, brave and so on, I call them women.
Tuned to nature and nurture, women exhibit their outstanding roles in all aspects of life.
It is always exciting to write about women and issues that affect them, because women are unique beings and are worth every bit of the time and energy spent.
Women are multi-talented, created to multi-task and endowed with creative powers and innate strength.
Just as women are unique, so is their health different from men in various ways. Gender differences affect the way diseases manifest, and also determine the health outcome. The health of women covers all areas of their lives (physical, mental, social) and not just their reproductive health as the World Health Organisation defined health as a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Factors such as socioeconomic status, educational background, religion, ethnicity, employment, family responsibilities and poverty, amongst others affect the health of women directly or indirectly, hence the need to improve the quality of lives of women by responding appropriately.
One of the many wonders of having a female baby is the feeling that someday she will become a woman. Many women experience different stages in life (pre-pubertal, reproductive, menopausal/post-menopausal) and health conditions may differ depending on the stage. It is also worthy of note that health impact from one stage can be felt on other stages.
At the pre-pubertal stage, attention is on the attainment of puberty. For adolescents, certain health conditions like teenage pregnancies, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, unsafe abortion, drug/substance abuse, mental disorders (for example, suicidal thoughts or attempts, eating disorders, depression) and rape affect the health of women. In her reproductive years, there may be health concerns like miscarriages, infertility, disorders of pregnancy, mental illness, poverty, sexually transmitted diseases, non –communicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes mellitus, thyroid disease, amongst others. With the cessation of menstruation at menopause a woman reaches the end of reproduction. Surrounding menopause places certain demands on the woman’s health. Common symptoms of menopause include hot flushes, night sweats, difficulty in sleeping, low mood, anxiety, reduced libido, irregular menstruation, headaches, weight gain, thinning of the hair and dry skin amongst others.
Despite the huge importance of women, their health still remains a concern due to certain sociocultural beliefs and practices in different parts of the world. Examples of such practices include female genital mutilation, early/forced marriage, human trafficking amongst many others. These practices adversely affect the health of women involved and should be checked if there is to be improvement in the health of women globally.
There is need for the emerging woman to fully equip herself to meet up with the demands of society through self-development and self-confidence. With the advocacy on education of the girl-child/women, they can learn to take control and improve their health and that of their families and communities wherever they are thus supporting the saying, “Educate a woman, educate a nation.” Improving maternal health is one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The quality of lives of women is in close relationship with the level of economic growth and development of the community and country at large. Reproductive health includes the rights of women to safe, appropriate and inclusive health services, easy access to necessary information, sustainable methods of contraception amongst other things. Support for all women from each other, partners, family and the community as a whole is very important to encourage them through every stage and challenges encountered.
To improve their health, women should apply active measures such as:
Adequate stress management: Women should be able to deal with the various demands that are associated with their roles in the society. In line with the theme for International Women’s Day 2019 – “Balance for Better”, women should balance every aspect of their lives to limit stress. Identifying which stress relieving method works best for her is vital in maintaining good health.
Eating healthy: Adequate nutrition, including water intake, plays key role in improving women’s health, hence women are encouraged to engage in healthy eating so as to ensure good health at all times.
Regular exercise: Being physically active improves the health of women. It helps relieve stress, prevent obesity and has numerous benefits.
Adequate sleep, rest and relaxation
Social support groups: Where women can interact freely with other women and share experiences
Education and other forms of self-development
Prompt presentation to hospital at initial signs of a disease for early diagnosis and intervention.
The striking feature about women’s health is that it is not limited to them alone. It has a ripple effect that affects the families, communities and country at large. So, as nation builders, every woman should give paramount importance to their health.