Scholars Bulletin (SB)
Volume-2 | Issue-01 | Sch. Bull.; 2016, 2(1): 27-35
Research Article
Factors Affecting Women’s Reproductive Health in Punjab (A Study of District Faisalabad & District Multan)
Muhammad Siddique, Yasir Nawaz, Manzoom Akhter, Abdul Waheed, Muhammad Shahid, Zeenia Ahmed
Published : Jan. 20, 2016
Abstract
Abstract: Women’s health status is affected by complex biological, social and cultural factors, which are interrelated and only can be addressed in a comprehensive manner. Reproductive health is determined not only by the quality and availability of health care, but also by socio-economic development levels, lifestyles and women’s position in society. Women health is compromised not by lack of medical knowledge, but by infringement on women’s human rights including reproductive health rights. Poor women, who lack adequate food, basic health care, or modern contraception, suffer grave consequences for reproductive health. A woman who is malnourished and in poor health runs much greater risks in reproductive health issues and usually suffers without proper treatment and dies in most of cases. The aim of the present study to find out the factors affecting women’s reproductive health in Punjab. Multistage sampling techniques were used for data collection. At the first stage two Districts i.e. Faisalabad and Multan of Punjab province were selected randomly. At the second stage four tehsils, two from each district (Tehsil Faisalabad and Tehsil Jaranwala from District Faisalabad and Tehsil Multan and Tehsil Shujabad from District Multan) were selected randomly from the selected districts, than 12 localities, three from each tehsil (Chak No. 59/JB, 30/JB & 31/JB from Tehsil Faisalabad, Chak No. 60/GB, 55/GB & 54/GB from Tehsil Jaranwala and Khokhran, Mithal Shah and Gondian from Tehsil Shujabad and Ghalu, Sanhbai and Hasnabad from Tehsil Multan) were selected randomly. A sample of 300 respondents (25 from each locality) selected purposively. It was found that majority of the respondents were eating vegetables and less than a half of them were drinking milk on daily basis. It is clear from the findings that the respondents had many health problems i.e. headache (61.7%), high blood pressure (60.3%), back pain (54.7%), swelling on different body parts (41.3%), irregular menses (33.0%), hand, facial swelling (32.7%), urinary complications (28.3%), cramps and abdominal pain (26.7%), vaginal bleeding (25.0%) and some of them had anemia and heavy bleeding. Less than a half of the respondents (45.0%) used any contraceptive method and one-fourth of them were observed its side effects. Bi-variate analysis shows that education, income and age at marriage were positively associated with reproductive health status and age and total no. of pregnancies were negatively associated with reproductive health status. There is a dire need to improve the health facilities available at government Health Centers especially at BHUs to address the reproductive health problems that will surely improve women’s health status.