Citation

Kumar S. Lancet 2000; 356(9233): 922.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0140-6736(05)73916-7

PMID

11036908

Abstract

The study entitled "Women of South-East-Asia: A Health Profile", released by WHO on September 5, takes an in-depth look at women's health in the region beyond a medical issue confined to biological factors amenable to medical intervention. The report underscores the paucity of and need for sex-specific data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases in the region, especially those diseases that render women more vulnerable. Overall, the study specified that a higher prevalence of morbidity in women was evident in Bangladesh, India, and Thailand, while higher levels of male morbidity were seen in Indonesia and Burma. In addition, it was found that women in Nepal had a higher psychiatric morbidity than men, while neurosis was among the leading cause of morbidity only in Indonesian women. Moreover, it is estimated that the global health burden from violence against women is nearly 9.5 million disability-adjusted life years in the reproductive group. According to the report, this estimate is comparable to the burden of tuberculosis and HIV.

Language: en