Gender-sensitive public health risks and vulnerabilities’ assessment with reference to floods in Pakistan

Type Journal Article - International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
Title Gender-sensitive public health risks and vulnerabilities’ assessment with reference to floods in Pakistan
Author(s)
Volume 19
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2016
Page numbers 47-56
URL http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420916302473
Abstract
Disasters are not discriminatory but affect every one of us irrespective of our age, gender, religion or any other determinant. However, women tend to feel the greater brunt of disaster consequences. It is a need of the day to examine why women are more vulnerable and at a great risk during disasters. In this regard, we conducted this study to assess public health risks and vulnerabilities in the context of floods through gender perspective. The study is a cross-sectional study conducted from September 2013 to January 2014. Two stage sampling techniques were adopted; first, two union councils (administrative units) in the district of Nowshehra were purposively selected as these were the most affected union councils in the floods of 2010 in Pakistan, and in the second stage, 386 households were selected randomly. The data analysis reveals that although more than 51% of the sample population was female, but females make up only 5% of household heads. Antenatal care (45%) and postnatal care (39%) coverage is very low and skilled birth attendants assisted only 26% deliveries. The higher the education status of the mother, the higher was the rate of health facility utilization. We concluded that women's health risks and vulnerabilities can be decrease largely with education in general, specifically with promotion of health education.

Related studies

»