Menopausal and post-menopausal women of health status at Assiut Governorate

According to the WHO increase in life - expectancy and aging associated problems are increased, in developing countries 5 to 8% of the population arc postmenopausal women [WHO 1996]. The aim of this study is to assess menopausal and postmenopausal women health status in Assiut Governorate. A descriptive study was conducted; the target population was four hundred postmenopausal women, 220 from urban [Assiut city] and 180 women from rural [El-Asara and Mosha village].During the period from first March 2009 to the end of August 2009, Data was collected through home visits by using an interview questionnaire sheet developed by the investigator. . It includes three parts. First part includes socio demographic characteristics [age, residence, education, occupation, marital status, and income]. Second Part includes Physical characteristics, [height, weight, blood pressure, elimination, nutritional habits, teeth, sleeping hours and daily activities]. Third Part includes Health characteristics; [periodic check-up, health problems, exposure to accident some physiological changes related to age].The results reveled that the mean age of the studied sample at menopause was 45.9+3.7.The most common symptoms hot flushes [61%] and insomnia [51%].About Three quarter [76%] percent of women had health problems, the most common were hypertension [36.5] and diabetes [20.5%]. The percentage of agreement was statistically significant higher among women of post- menopause more than 60 years p<0.05. In .conclusion most of postmenopausal women were suffering from hot flushes and insomnia with menopause and had health problems .The present study recommended Increase the awareness of women regarding menopausal changes through mass media, educational programs in postmenopausal clinics

Intimate partner violence and life satisfaction among women in two different Arab countries: Egypt [Cairo] and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [Riyadh]

Intimate partner violence [IPV] is a global public health problem that violates fundamental human rights of women. Although intimate partner violence has been reported to be common, the magnitude of the violence and consequences are not usually identified and reported .Therefore; this study aimed at estimating the prevalence of IPV and its impact on life satisfaction in two community-based samples from Egypt Cairo governorate and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA] [Riyadh].a comparative design was utilized in this study. A convenient sample consisted of 200 women was recruited, 100 women from each community. The study was carried out in two different settings, the Gynecological Out-patient Clinic at El- Manial University Hospital [Cairo] and the Out-patient Clinic of Maternal and Child Health [MCH] Centre [Riyadh]. Tools for data collection included the following: 1] Interview questionnaire sheet, includes subject's socio -demographic characteristics 2] Intimate Partner Violence [IPV] questionnaire, Hassan [2003] and 3] Life Satisfaction Questionnaire [LSQ]. El-Dosouki [1998] Results of this study revealed a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding to socio-demographic characteristics. Prevalence of IPV was 74% in Egyptian group and 34% in the Saudi group [p <0.001]. In Egyptian group, psychological IPV was the most frequent [72%], followed by sexual [63%] then physical violence [29%]. The same ranking was seen in Saudi group with frequencies of 31%, 20% and 14%, respectively. However, sexual IPV was more frequent in the Egyptian group [p = 0.003]. There was a significant negative correlation between the total score of IPV and the LSQ score [r =-0.582]. IPV of all aspects was within the global figures. Low Income and large number of children were the two main factors associated with higher prevalence of IPV. The IPV is a real public health problem that necessitates counseling and out-reach program as well as social and economic solutions, the study recommended that organizations for violence against women should be activated to identify, screen, counsel and refer for appropriate services

Physical and health profile of post-menopausal women in Assiut

The aim of this study is to identify the physical and health profile of postmenopausal women in Assiut. Menopause is a beginning of another phase of women's life. Menopausal women are more vulnerable to body changes and certain illness, including heart diseases due to shifting hormonal levels. A descriptive study was conducted; the target population was two hundred postmenopausal women, 110 from urban [Assiut city] and 90 women from rural [E1A sara].During the period from first January 2004 to the end of June 2004, Data was collected through home visits by using an interview questionnaire sheet which developed by the investigators. The results reveled that the mean age of the studied sample at menopause was 47.9 +/- 3.7.The most common symptoms were hot flushes [61%] and insomnia [51%].More than half of the women [56.5%] in obese category while 34% were in morbid obese category. Seventy percent of women had health problems, the most common were hypertension [36.5] and diabetes [20.5%]. In conclusion most of postmenopausal women were in obese category, suffering from hot flushes and insomnia with menopause and had health problems .Increase the awareness of women regarding men-opausal changes through mass media .educational programs and postmenopausal clinics is recommended

Intentions of female health care providers towards circumcising their daughters

Female genital cutting is a public health problem. In Egypt, 97% of ever-married Egyptian women had been circumcised. In order to deal with FGC effectively, there is a need to discern the factors that lead to perpetuation of its practice. The aim of this study was to describe the intention of health care providers to circumcise their daughters, and to analyze the factors that might be influencing this intention. The study was carried out in the University and General hospitals, as well as the MCH centers in Assiut and Port-Said cities, using a cross-sectional analytic design. A consecutive convenience sample was taken, 101 from Port Said and 250 from Assiut, with inclusion criteria of being a female health care provider, and having at least one daughter. Data were collected during the period from June to November 2004 using self-administered questionnaire comprising questions about socio-demographic data, beliefs, conviction and intention to circumcise daughter[s], as well as husband's opinion. The age of women ranged from 17 to 60 years. Most of them were nurses, and had urban residence [83.8%,]. The number of daughters ranged front one to four. More husbands were convinced with circumcision than wives, 48.4% and 32.5%, respectively. The most commonly stated reasons for circumcision were habit [68.4%], religious factors [67.2%], and chastity [65.0%]. Women conviction with and intention of circumcision were influenced by their age, religion, education, job, husband education, family type, and number of daughters. husbands with rural residence, extended families, and higher number of daughters were also more convinced. Statistically significant association was present between conviction of women and husbands on one hand, and women intention to circumcise their daughters on the other hand, p<0. 001. More urban women mentioned changing concept and fear from complications, while more rural women have mentioned the change in traditions. About half of the women in Port Said were convinced [45.5%], compared to about one fourth in Assiut [27.2%], p<0.001. The mean age at circumcision was statistically significantly higher in Assiut [11.2+/-1.6 SD years], compared to Port Said [9.7+/-2.0 SD years], p<0.001. It is concluded that still more than one third of healthcare providers are convinced and have the intention to circumcise their daughters. It is recommended to conduct educational programs that emphasize the religious aspects of the issue. Also, nurses need to be acquainted with the various cultural forces that lead to FGC in order to help women