%0 Journal Article
%T Women's Understanding of Factors Affecting their Reproductive Health in a Rural Ngwa Community
%A Chimaraoke O Izugbara
%J African Journal of Reproductive Health
%D 2000
%I Women's Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC)
%X A great deal of what is currently known about maternal reproductive health worldwide is based on physicians' examinations and laboratory findings. Little work has been done in the area of understanding how women themselves perceive and conceptualise the essential factors that affect their reproductive health status. Yet insights gleaned from people directly affected by specific health issues are increasingly becoming critical in formulating sustainable health policies and building health partnerships. For this purpose the present study was designed to find out the notions and understanding of rural Ngwa women of reproductive health issues. Data for the study were collected from a rural Ngwa community using two separate surveys ¡ª a focus group discussion and an unstructured in-depth interview survey. It was found out that Ngwa women view reproductive health as vital to a woman's identity and role purpose; place emphasis on witchcraft, curses and oaths as the primary causes of maternal reproductive health disorders; classify maternal reproductive health problems on the basis of their perceived cause; and accord high value to herbal remedies in dealing with reproductive health ailments. The findings brought to focus the need to vigorously encourage the education of women and incorporate various health providers into primary health care delivery schemes. (Afr J Reprod Health 2000; 4[2]: 62¨C68) R¨¦sum¨¦ La compr¨¦hension chez les femmes des facteurs qui influent sur leur sant¨¦ reproductive dans la communaut¨¦ rurale de Ngwa. Une grande partie de ce qu'on conna t actuellement au sujet de la sant¨¦ reproductive maternelle dans le monde entier est fond¨¦e sur les examens de m¨¦decins et les r¨¦sultats de leurs recherches dans le laboratoire. Peu de recherche a ¨¦t¨¦ faite dans le domaine de comprendre comment les femmes elles¨Cm¨ºmes per oivent et conceptualisent les facteurs importants qui influent sur le statut de leur sant¨¦ reproductive. Pourtant, les aper us obtenus de la part des gens qui sont directement touch¨¦s par les probl¨¨mes de sant¨¦ particuliers deviennent de plus en plus critique quant il s'agit de l'¨¦laboration des politiques de sant¨¦ soutenables et de l'¨¦tablissement des associations ¨¤ l'¨¦gard de la sant¨¦. A cette fin, cette pr¨¦sente ¨¦tude avait pour but d'identifier les notions et la compr¨¦hension chez les femmes de la communaut¨¦ rurale de Ngwa des probl¨¨mes relatifs ¨¤ la sant¨¦ reproductive. Les donn¨¦es de l'etude ont ¨¦t¨¦ recueillies aupr¨¨s d'une communaut¨¦ rurale Ngwa ¨¤ l'aide de deux enqu¨ºtes diff¨¦rentes ¡ª une discussion en groupe cible et une enqu¨ºte ¨¤ fond et non¨Cstructur¨¦e, bas¨¦e sur l'interview. Il a ¨¦t¨¦ d¨¦couvert que les femmes Ngwa per oivent la sant¨¦ reproductive comme ¨¦tant essentielle ¨¤ l'identit¨¦ et au fonctionnement de la femme; elle soulignent que la sorcellerie, les mal¨¦dictions et les jurons sont les causes primaires des d¨¦sordres dans la sant¨¦ reproductive maternelle; elle classe les probl¨¨mes de la sant¨¦ reproductive maternelle selo
%U http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajrh/article/view/7710