The Challenges of Women in Post-disaster Health Management: A Study in Khulna District

  • Rajani Akter Former Students
  • Tuhin Roy Professor
  • Rina Aktar Lecturer
Keywords: Post disaster, health, challenges, problems, women etc.

Abstract

Health management in post-disaster phase needs more attention than any other phase because this includes mitigation and recovery which is challenging for people especially women. Women play an active traditional gender roles in family with a lot of responsibilities; in post-disaster period they faced more challenges in management of health. Quantitative methods were used to assess the challenges of women in post-disaster health management, this study was carried out on Dacope Upazila (North Kamarkhola village) of Khulna District. Following simple random sampling procedure by using interview schedule, 199 participants were selected from 412 population. Both descriptive as well as inferential statistics were applied in this study, statistical tests such as Pearson’s chi-square, correlation and regression had been done to test the hypotheses. Findings show that socioeconomic position like employment status of women (p<0.024), types of houses (p<0.000), monthly income (p<0.001), monthly savings (p<0.001), monthly household income (p<0.000) and household savings (p<0.019) occupation (p<0.019) and head of the household had (p<0.058) a significant relationship with the challenges of women in post-disaster health management. Monthly income and physical health problem were also correlated with the challenges. In OLS regression test it was found that health (physical and mental) and family size had great positive impact on challenges of women. The study also found that, women of North Kamarkhola village were unable to get medical facilities and maintain proper menstrual hygiene immediately after disaster. Violence against women was also a little bit increased in post-disaster period which generated challenges.

References

Bell, S. A., & Folkerth, L. A. (2016). Women’s Mental Health and Intimate Partner Violence Following Natural Disaster: A Scoping Review, Prehospital and disaster medicine, 31(6), 648-657, Doi: 10.1017/S1049023X16000911.

Blaikie, P., Cannon, T., Davis, I., & Wisner, B. (2005). At Risk: Natural Hazards, People’s vulnerability and Disasters, USA and Canada: Routledge, London and New York ISBN: 1134887086.

Chew, L., & Ramdas, N. (2005). Caught in the Storm: The Impact of Natural Disasters on Women Caught in the storm: The impact of natural disaster on women, San Francisco, USA. The Global Fund for Women. Retrived 11.12.2019, fromhttps://www.globalfundforwomen.org/wpcontent/uploads/2006/11/disasterre port.pdf.

Climate Change Cell. (2009). Climate Change, Gender and Vulnerable Group in Bangladesh, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Department of Environment. Dhaka: Climate Change Cell. Retrieved 12 11, 2019, from http://www.climatechangecell-bd.org

Cordero, J. F. (1993). The Epidemiology of Disasters and Adverse Reproductive Outcomes: Lessons Learned, Environmental Health Perspectives, 101(suppl 2), 131-136, doi: 10.1289/ehp.93101s2131.

Freedy, J. R., & Simpson Jr, W. M. (2007). Disaster-related physical and mental health: A role for the family physician, American family physician, 75(6), 841-846.

Gokhale, V. (2008). Role of Women in Disaster Management: An Analytical Study with Reference to Indian Society, Paper presented at the 14th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering Chaina, Retrived 11.12.2009, from https://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/wcee/article/14_10-0049.PDF.

Mondal, M., Rashid, M. A., Rahman, S., & Amin, M. N. (2018). Challenges and Coping Strategies of Married Women in Post Disaster Situation: A Study on Khulna District, Advances in Sciences and Humanities, 4 (3), 37-44, Doi: 10.11648/j.ash.20180403.11.

Paul, B. K. (2010). Human Injuries Caused by Bangladesh’s Cyclone Sidr: An Empirical Study, Natural hazards, 54(2), 483-495, Doi: 10. 1007/s11069-009-9480-2.

Rahman, M. S. (2013). Climate Change, Disaster and Gender Vulnerability: A study on Two Divisions of Bangladesh, American Journal of Human Ecology, 2(2), 72-82, Doi: 10.11634/216796221302315.

Rashid, S., & Halder, S. (1998). Floods of 1998 and BRAC–A case study on three slums in the Dhanmandi area of Dhaka city, Unpublished report, Dhaka.

Reyes, D. D., & Lu, J. L. (2016). Gender Dimension in Disaster Situations: A case study of Flood Prone Women in Malabon City, Metro Manila, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 15, 162-168, Doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.11.001.

Reyes, D. D., & Lu, J. L. (2017). Gender Dimensions and Women's Vulnerability in Disaster Situations: A case study of Flood Prone Areas Impacting Women in Malabon City, Metro Manila, Journal of International Women's Studies,18(4), 69-88, http://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol18/iss4/6.

Schwartz, R. M., Liu, B., Lieberman-Cribbin, W., & Taioli, E. (2017). Displacement and Mental Health After Natural Disasters, The Lancet Planetary Health, 1(8), e314, Doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(17)30138-9.

Sohrabizadeh, S., Jahangiri, K., Jazani, R. K., Babaie, J., Moradian, M. J., & Rastegarfar, B. (2017). Women’s challenges and capabilities in disasters: A case report of the twin earthquakes of Eastern Azerbaijan, Iran. PLo Scurrents, 9.doi:10.1371.

Sohrabizadeh, S., Tourani, P., Sogand, & Khankeh, H. R. (2016). Women and Health Consequences of Natural Disasters: Challenge or Opportunity? Women & health, 56(8), 977-993, Doi: 10.1080/03630242.2016.1176101 54.

Van den Akker, T., de Vroome, S., Mwagomba, B., Ford, N., & van Roosmalen, J. (2011). Peripartum Infections and Associated Maternal Mortality in Rural Malawi, Obstetrics & Gynecology, 118(2), 266-272, Doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e3182254d03.

Van Kamp, I., Van der Velden, P. G., Stellato, R. K., Roorda, J., Van Loon, J., Kleber, R. J., Lebret, E. (2005). Physical and Mental Health Shortly After a Disaster: First Results from the Enschede Firework Disaster Study, The European Journal of Public Health, 16(3), 252-258, Doi: 10.1093/eurpub/cki188.

Xiong, X., Harville, E. W., Buekens, P., Mattison, D. R., Elkind-Hirsch, K., & Pridjian, G. (2008). Exposure to Hurricane Katrina, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Birth Outcomes, The American journal of the medical sciences, 336(2), 111-115, Doi: 10.1097/MAJ.0b013e318180f21c.

Yzermans, J., Donker, G., & Vasterman, P. (2004). The Impact of Disasters: Long Term Effects on Health Public Health in Europe (pp. 317-341), Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, Doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-18826-8_2.

Published
2023-06-29
How to Cite
Akter, R., Roy, T., & Aktar, R. (2023). The Challenges of Women in Post-disaster Health Management: A Study in Khulna District. International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, 5(1), 51-66. https://doi.org/10.18485/ijdrm.2023.5.1.5