Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Young women – Health and hygiene – Ethiopia'

The aims of this PhD study were to assess the feasibility of accessing non-medical settings within which to offer chlamydia screening, to ascertain the knowledge of chlamydia and young men’s and women’s views towards non-medical screening, and to assess relative willingness to be screened for chlamydia by young men and women. Results: Eighty-four percent of age eligible users approached participated in education, health and fitness and workplace settings (n=126, n=133 and n=104, respectively). Of all sexually active people 113 (32%) were willing to be tested for chlamydia in non-medical settings. Uptake of testing was highest in the health and fitness setting (50% uptake for both women and men compared with 20% in education and 30% in workplace settings). In each setting young men were more willing than women to accept the offer of a chlamydia test. Overall, 40% of men approached provided a sample compared with 27% of all women. Disease prevalence was 4.4% (4.9% in men; 3.8% in women). Interview data suggests young men’s willingness to be tested for chlamydia in non-medical settings is due to convenience and raised awareness of the largely asymptomatic nature of chlamydia infection. Whilst 94% of men screened had never been tested for chlamydia before, one in three young women screened had previous screening experience. Women’s lower uptake of screening was due to concerns about the public nature of the settings leading to stigma. Conclusions: Increasing opportunities for the take-up of screening in non-medical settings could be an effective approach to reaching young men and have a significant impact on the incidence and prevalence of this easily treated STI, thereby reducing the future burden of unwanted reproductive health sequelae.

Poorly nourished women are more likely to give birth to smaller babies, as nutrients supplied to the fetus determine growth and development of key organs and systems. Children born to poor and disadvantaged women are particularly at risk, as these women are themselves born less able to nourish their babies in utero and are more likely to be eating unbalanced diets. The literature supports the hypothesis that the inadequate supply of nutrients to the fetus and in early infancy will increase the risk of ill health in later life. The Southampton Women’s Survey (SWS) found that education was the strongest predictor of consuming a diet in line with current government recommendations. Women of lower educational attainment ate the poorest quality diets. The current study aimed to understand why women of lower educational attainment have less balanced diets than women of higher educational attainment, and how we can use this knowledge to develop an intervention to improve their diets. Three phases of data collection were undertaken. First, a focus group study showed that a range of psychological and social factors influenced young women’s food choices, with differences emerging between women of lower and higher educational attainment. Social cognitive theory structured the interpretation of the findings. Women of lower educational attainment had lower perceived control over food choices; fewer appropriate mastery and vicarious experiences to provide them with food management, preparation and cooking skills; more negative affect; more impediments to eating healthily; less social support for eating healthily; and ambivalent views about the diet-disease relationship. Some women of lower educational attainment managed the food choices for themselves and their families better than others. In phase two a survey quantified the relationship between diet and these psychological and social factors in Southampton women. Questionnaire development was guided by findings from the focus group study and social cognitive theory. Eating a poor diet was associated with four factors: lower perceived control over life, fewer positive outcome expectancies, less social support for healthy eating and lower food involvement. Bandura’s construct of self-efficacy was less important than perceived control in predicting quality of diet. In phase three an expert panel focus group gauged the views of practitioners working with our target population on how to improve the diets of disadvantaged women. Three themes emerged from the discussion: trust, meeting needs, and barriers to change. The practitioners gave us insight into the challenges they face, the barriers to changing women’s dietary behaviour and what their role might be in bringing about change. This research has increased our understanding of what influences women’s food choices and what we need to do in order to improve the diets of young women with lower educational attainment. Increasing a woman’s sense of control over her life may be the key to empowering her to improve her own and her family’s diets. The next step is to work with key personnel in the City to develop an intervention for Sure Start Children’s Centre staff, who already engage with the most vulnerable populations, and are thus best placed to support women to improve their diets

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of oral contraceptives (OC) on bone health in active women during early adulthood. Thirty-eight women between the ages of 18 and 35 years participated in this study. Participants were placed into two groups: 1) those who had taken OCs (Ortho Tri-Cyclen for a minimum of two years (n=22) and 2) those who had never taken OCs (n=16). The two groups were matched based on age, nutritional habits, percent body fat, and activity level. Participants completed a health history questionnaire, food frequency questionnaire, and received a full body scan via dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). An independent t-test revealed no significant difference (p < 0.05) between the bone mineral density of the women taking OCs (1.188 g/cm2 ± 0.09) and those women who never consumed OCs (1.207 g/cm2 ± 0.09). The effect of taking OCs in a young healthy population of women appears to have no osteogenic influence on bone health.
School of Physical Education

This project discusses the problem of eating disorders in dancers. The development of eating disorders can be attributed to sociocultural development, and psychological factors. Dance places an emphasis on thinness, and the pressure to obtain ideal standards of thinness appear to be particularly salient in the development of eating disorders in dancers.

Background AIDS remains one of the world’s most serious health challenges affecting more females than men. The differences in the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among gender groups stem from biology, sexual behaviour and socially constructed gender differences between women and men in roles and responsibilities, access to resources and decision-making power. It could also be due to the females’ status in society which could be justified by lower economic and decision making ability. Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the role of gender in the spread of HIV among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia; with the view of developing gender sensitive HIV and AIDS prevention strategies. Methods The study used sequential mixed method with quantitative and qualitative paradigm. During first phase of the study, health facility based descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. Data was collected from 422 respondents using a structured questionnaire. Forty participants were recruited by purposive sampling from representatives working in reproductive health or related fields. Results About 83.2% of respondents reported that sexual intercourse discussion should be initiated by male partners. This showed that majority of respondents were dependent on their male partners in decision-making regarding sexual matters in their relationship. Multiple sexual partners were common among the respondents. One third of the respondents reported to have had intercourse with more than one partner during the past twelve months of the study period. Higher proportion of respondents (61.4%, n=259) had never used condom during sexual intercourse with their partner/s. As a result these risky sexual practices are a potential threat for spread of HIV and AIDS among women. Thus developed guidelines would alleviate the existing problems through implementation of strategies of HIV and AIDS prevention to enhance women’s status at household and different administrative structure level. Conclusion Gender disparities in relation to negotiating sexual relations among the study respondents were found to be still relevant. The culture that has placed men at the helm of leadership in sexual matters is strongly upheld and that includes who recommends use of preventive measures and who regulates when and how to enter into a sexual relationship. Guidelines for gender sensitive prevention strategies if applied appropriately would educate women and men to make decision about what directly affects their health
Health Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Correct and consistent use of female condom is an effective strategy for the reduction of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS. The researcher used a non-experimental descriptive quantitative research design to explore the acceptability of female condom among young women aged between 15 and 34 years of age in Jwaneng Township, Botswana. Simple random sampling was used to recruit the respondents. Data were collected using self-administered structured questionnaires from women accessing health care services in the three health facilities in Jwaneng Township. Data were analysed using the SPSS statistical program version 23 for windows. The findings show low utilisation of the female condom. The study highlights the significant challenges regarding availability, shape, material and lack of information about female condom in Jwaneng. Based on the study results, various strategies need to be developed, there might be a need to package health promotion differently for different age groups to effectively promote the female condom.
Health Studies
M.A. (Nursing Science)

Background: In many developing countries, maternal deaths occur mainly as a result of unsafe abortions, a situation reflecting the inaccessibility of safe abortion services in such countries. In Ethiopia, unsafe abortion accounts for 32% of maternal deaths and almost 60% of gynaecological admissions, and is one of the top ten causes of general hospital admissions. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the views of women about the accessibility of safe abortion services in governmental health centres. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive and non-experimental study using structured questionnaires was conducted. 342 women who had received abortion care services in governmental health centres participated. Findings: 46.8% of the participants do not know about the penal code regarding safe abortion care. 52.9% of the participants viewed safe abortion care as inaccessible because there are various and competing factors which make abortion service to be viewed as accessible or inaccessible and these include distance to nearest health centre, the time it takes to receive the service, the cost of the service, and the lack of appropriate skills in the service providers. Conclusion: An improvement in the accessibility of abortion services will prevent deaths resulting from unsafe abortions
Health Studies
M.A. (Public Health)

The purpose of this study is to tell the story of female victims of human trafficking from Ethiopia. It pertains to the cause of trafficking and how it affects their social and emotional wellbeing. The study is conducted in light of constructivist framework and involves in-depth interviews with five returnees whose experiences as victims are explored. This is done to get insight into the challenges faced by the wider population. Themes evident in the stories are discussed in line with relevant literature. The study shows lack of job opportunities, limited income and false promises made by brokers as the major factors drawing women into human trafficking. The findings also show that even after return, the victims experience further difficulties due to post-traumatic psychological factors. Looking at the significance of the research outcome, the gleaned information could be of value for organizations working on migration and countering human trafficking.
Investigation into the experiences of female victims of trafficking in Ethiopia
Experiences of female victims of trafficking in Ethiopia
Female victims of trafficking in Ethiopia
Psychology
M.A. (Psychology)

Over the past decade, the "problem" of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects among Aboriginal peoples has received increasing attention from the Canadian nation-state. However, few feminist, anti-racist, anti-ableist, and anti-colonial scholars have offered a critique of FAS/E "prevention" policies aimed at Aboriginal women. In this dissertation, I present my analysis of the "official knowledge" and "public pedagogies" articulated in one such policy, The First Nations and Inuit Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/ Fetal Alcohol Effects Initiative (herein "the Initiative"). This analysis unravels the complex and contradictory tensions in contemporary state policy formation. My findings show how the Initiative paradoxically supports the development of inclusive, grassroots approaches to FAS/E prevention in Aboriginal communities while at the same time eclipsing the voices and concerns of Aboriginal women. Though neglected in the official policy texts and talk of the Initiative, young Aboriginal mothers' agency and insights are central in the dialectic of ideology, discourse, and lived experience that this study documents. To facilitate this shift, I engage a productive methodological synthesis of textual analysis, institutional ethnography, and participatory research, by grounding my analysis of the texts in indepth group interviews with six Aboriginal mothers whose lives include substance use and FAS/E. This study offers significant implications for the development of future policy, research, and "culturally appropriate" pedagogy for and about FAS/E "prevention". My findings do not support the outright rejection of medical models of disability, as has been favoured by many critical theorists and activists on the grounds that such models are universally oppressive and disenfranchising. Rather, the women's insights into their own lived experiences emphasize the simultaneously enabling and disabling consequences of medicalization. Accordingly, my findings underscore the urgent need to reconsider the roles of "race", gender, class, nation and dis/ability in contemporary theories and practices of substantive citizenship and nation-building in and outside of education.
Education, Faculty of
Educational Studies (EDST), Department of
Graduate

The aim of this study was to identify factors affecting facility-based delivery with the purpose of developing a framework for the promotion of facility-based delivery among women living in rural Ethiopia. Explanatory mixed methods design, comprising of four phases-the descriptive (quantitative), explorative (qualitative), meta-inference and development phases was employed. The quantitative phase was conducted first using a structured questionnaire to identify the variables influencing facility-based delivery care seeking behaviour. A sample of 389 responses were used for data analysis using Structural Equation Modeling. The quantitative phase conducted next to explain the determinants that contributed to influencing facility-based delivery care seeking behaviour. Sixteen participants who were involved the first phase were involved in the follow-up second phase. As illustrated by the results of the study, the majority of women in the study areas continued to deliver at home, putting themselves at risk of dying from pregnancy related causes. As highlighted by the key findings from the quantitative and qualitative data of this study, the most influential factors in predicting and explaining delivery care seeking behaviour are response efficacy, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control which are shaped by mothers’ confidence in the outcome, quality of care, interpersonal relations with family members, willingness to conform, access to services, and their decision making power. The way these findings emphasized the factors attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control were consistent with the Theory of Planned Behaviour, while the significance of response efficacy was in line with Protection Motivation Theory. The study developed a framework to help promote facility-based delivery among mothers living in rural Ethiopia.
Health Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease affecting 44 million Americans. A primary strategy to prevent osteoporosis is to develop a high peak bone mass in youth. Oral Contraceptives (OCs) alter hormones in women and could affect bone mass development. The interaction between OCs and skeletal mineralization is poorly understood. PURPOSE: Our aims were to 1) compare bone mineral density (BMD) of young women who had a history of OC use with regularly menstruating controls, 2) compare changes in BMD in controls, women who initiate OC use, and those who have a history of use, and 3) to evaluate predictive capabilities of physical activity and years of oral contraceptives use on changes in BMD. METHODS: We recruited women, 18 to 25 years of age, with a history of OC use and controls. BMD at the hip, whole-body, and spine (AP, g/cm�� and width-adjusted lateral, g/cm��) was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Physical activity (METs) was measured via questionnaire and grip strength was evaluated using an isometric dynamometer. RESULTS: Groups were similar in body mass index (BMI), fat mass, grip strength, calcium intake and physical activity but controls were slightly older than OC users. In analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), controlling for age and BMI, controls had significantly greater BMD than OC users at baseline at the AP and lateral spine, hip, and whole-body (p<0.05). By ANCOVA (covariates = age at baseline, change in weight), oral contraceptive users had greater bone loss at L��� in the lateral view than controls whereas, controls had greater increases in L��� volumetric BMD, BMD of the total hip, and whole body than OC users (p<0.05). Stepwise regression results did not reveal years of oral contraceptive use, grip strength, or METs to be a significant predictor of changes in BMD at any site. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that, in the cross-sectional analysis, oral contraceptive use by young women may compromise bone health during a time when mineral is still accruing. In the prospective analysis, regularly menstruating controls had greater BMD accrual or less bone loss over a 12-month time period than women with a history of oral contraceptive use.
Graduation date: 2005

Introduction: Evidences indicate that human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and diabetes (DM) impact pregnancy outcomes but no experience on the integrated service delivery of HIV, DM and pregnancy care. This study explored the domains and levels of integration among DM, HIV and pregnancy care to prepare a service delivery model in Ethiopia. Methods: A sequential exploratory mixed method and the integration theoretical framework guided the study. An exploratory qualitative phase used focused group discussion, in-depth interview and observation to explore the level of integration and to refine a questionnaire for the quantitative phase. The data were transcribed and coded for theme-based analysis. The descriptive quantitative phase described HIV, DM and pregnancy care services, and determined the burden of DM among HIV patients and the prevalence of pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. Data was analysed using Epi-info. The findings were triangulated, discussed and interpreted. Results: Seven themes were generated: joint plan, shared budget, monitoring system, structural location, the need of policy guide, the practice of integrated service delivery and suggested integration approaches. A coordinated HIV and pregnancy care services were noted. There was a linkage between diabetes and HIV, and diabetes and pregnancy care. The 1.5% of diabetes among HIV, the low number of pregnancies per a mother in diabetes (1.8) and HIV (1.3); the high adverse pregnancy outcomes among HIV (13.4% abortion, 12.4% low birth weight (LBW), 3.5% pre-term birth, 2.1% congenital malformation) and diabetes (3.2% big baby, 3.2% LBW, 3.1% Cesarean-section); the respective absent and low (16.2%) diabetes screening service at anti-natal and HIV clinics, the absent pregnancy care service for diabetic females justified the development of the tripartite integrated service delivery model of diabetes, HIV and pregnancy care. Conclusions: The model suggests active diabetes screening, evaluation and treatment at HIV and antenatal clinics. It considers the coordination between non-communicable diseases (NCD), HIV and maternal health units. Pregnancy care could be coordinated at HIV and NCD units. Full integration can be practiced between HIV and pregnancy care units. Preparing policy guide, building the capacity of health providers, advocating and piloting the model may be prioritized before the implementation of the model.
Health Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Young women working in SMEs are increasingly being affected by HIV and AIDS, and SMEs are expected to respond to HIV and AIDS through workplace policies and programmes. This requires commitment from SMEs to help young women who face various gendered vulnerabilities to HIV and AIDs. The study, whose purpose was to investigate young women workers’ experiences of the HIV and AIDS response of small and medium enterprises in a semi urban area in KwaZulu-Natal, used a qualitative approach and collected data from three SMEs in Pietermaritzburg during the period of the study. Findings of the study indicate that the majority of respondents from all three SMEs agree on experiencing limited or no HIV and AIDS policies and programmes in SMEs. With reference to incomplete or limited responses, two SMEs provide financial assistance for funerals. However, some aspects such as education and awareness, monitoring, management commitment, provision of medical aid, facilitation of peer education, appointment of an HIV officer and more were not evident. Thus recommendations were made on how SMEs should respond, and future research ideas were outlined.
Health Studies
M. A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

Women face a greater risk of HIV infection worldwide than men. This study explored socio-economic, cultural and environmental factors influencing young women’s vulnerability to HIV. A quantitative explorative study was conducted among young women in Sunnyside, Pretoria. A sample of 158 young women in the age group 18 to 24 years from all language groups was randomly selected to participate in this study. The findings showed that poverty, peer pressure and multiple sexual partners were the main factors that influenced young women in Sunnyside’s vulnerability to HIV. Behavioural change and social change were recommended as long-term processes, which need to be taken into consideration. Findings from the Sexual Relationship Power Scales show that young women between 18 and 21 years experience physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and forced sex in their relationships. The study concluded with specific recommendations for the successful implementation of policy makers and planners to protect women.
Health Studies
M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)