ISSUES OF MATERNAL & CHILD

HEALTH NURSING

BY- MRS LAXMI

ISSUES OF MATERNAL AND
CHILD HEALTH NURSING –
AGE,GENDER, SEXUALITY
AND PSYCHO-SOCIO
CULTURAL
 Introduction
• Irrespective of the race, culture, Age, Gender
the care of the ante – natal mother is to be
given equally. In a multicultural, multi ethnic
society valuing diversity is an important aspect.
An understanding of some of the cultural
differences between social groups is essential in
ensuring that professional practice is closely
matched to meet the needs of individual clients.
Practitioners of health and social cure must
understand the role culture plays in
determining health, health behaviors and illness
so that services are planned and delivered to
meet the health needs of the population they
serve.
 Terminologies
• Ethinicity - It refers to the cultural, group into which
a person was born, although the term is sometimes
used in a narrow context to mean only a race.
• Culture - Culture is a view of the world and a set of
traditions acc. To culture that a people follows
• Cultural values
• Specific society groups users and transmits to the
next generation.
• These are preferred ways of acting based on those
traditions. The way people react to health care is a
cultural value.
 Cont….
• Norms - The usually values of a group are
termed more of norms. Expecting women to
come for prenatal care and parents to bring
children for immunizations are examples of
norms in the India.
• Taboos
• Action that are not acceptable to a culture are
called taboos.
• The primary goal of maternal and child health
nursing care can be stated simply as the
promotion and maintenance of optimal family
health to ensure cycles of optimal child bearing
and child rearing.
The range of Practice includes
• Pre conceptual health care
• Care of women during 3 trimesters of
pregnancy and the puerperium
• Care of mother during the perinatal period (6
weeks before conception to 6 weeks after
birth).
• Care of children from infancy through
adolescents.
• care in settings as treated as the birthing
room, pediatrics intensive care unit, and
the home. Maternal and child health
nursing is always family – centered, which
means the family is considered the
primary unit of care. The level of family
functioning affects the health status of
individuals. If the family’s level of
functioning is low, the emotional, physical
and social health and potential of
individuals in the family can be adversely
affected.
• A healthy family, on the other hand establishers an
environment. Conducive to growth and health promoting
behaviours that sustain family members during crises.
Similarly, the health of individuals and the ability to strongly
influences the health of the family members, and overall
family functioning. Thus a family centered approach enables
the nurse to better understand an individual and in turn,
provide the holistic care standards of maternal and child
health nursing practice. The importance a society places on
caring can best be measured by the concern it places on its
most vulnerable members or its elderly, disadvantaged, and
young citizens. Specialty organizations develop standards of
care to promote consistency and ensure quality nursing care
in their areas of nursing practice.
ISSUES RELATED TO THE CARE OF
WOMAN AND INFANTS

• Health care providers are providing care to clients

who often do speak the same language and have
belief, values and traditions that differ from their
own. As trends in maternal, neonatal and woman’s
health have developed issues evolved that have
affected practice in the field.
Socio – cultural aspects
• Cultural differences occur not only different
ethnic backgrounds but also different life styles.
Cultural values influence the manner on which
people plan for child bearing and child rearing
and respond to health and illness. In a culture, in
which men are the authority figures, for
example, if might be expected that the father
rather than mother ensures questions about an
ill child. Nursing care that is guided by cultural
aspects and respects individual difference is
termed trans cultural nursing.
 SOCIAL ISSUES
• Sex and gender respectively refers to
biological, socio-cultural differences. We see
that woman are affected more due to socio-
economic status and it will affect the woman
health. Great no. of woman lives below
poverty line and they have not to aware them
about health, because they are eager to
promote the health of their families. If the
family is prone to domestic violence, the
woman are likely to be a victim.
Behavioral issues
• Behavior is a important content of
health. It is increasing day by day, that
obesity is a particular problem in our
society. Over eating in pregnancy
contribute to the development of
GDM, macrosomia, hypoglycemia
increase the risk for negative fetal
outcomes. Being overweight
contribute to develop chronic disease
like HTN, DM and cardiovascular
diseases.
 Environmental issues
• In rural area women face unique and
specific health challenges regarding
health care access a result of geographic
and occupational circumstances. Many
woman are farming, exposed to
pesticides, exposed to teratogens &
inhalation in work place that may be
toxic. These type of woman have a higher
rate of spontaneous miscarriage.
Cultural issues
• Cultural beliefs influences a women
special roles and her relationship with her
husband and other family members.
Culture also influences life style and
health seeking behavior.
• In many culture woman do not have social
authority to access health care outside of
the family. Other family members
generally the woman’s husband must
make the decision to go to health care
providers.
GENDER ISSUES IN INDIA
Female Infanticide And Female
Feticide
• Female Feticide is the act of aborting a baby because it is of a
female gender. Sex selective abortion is a big problem in India.
The number of abortions by medical professionals have
increased so much that today it has become a industry even
though it is punishable by law.
• Female Infanticide is the act of killing a female
girl either new-born or within the first few years
of life. It could be actively, murdering through
suffocation, poisoning etc. Such acts can also
be passive, where no interest is taken with
regards to feeding or towards her general
health in affect total neglect.
 Education
• The female literacy rate in India is lower than the male literacy rate
According to Census of India 2011, literacy rate of females is 65.46%
compared to males which is 82.14%. Compared to boys, far fewer girls are
enrolled in the schools, and many of them drop out From 2006-2010, the
percent of females 26.6% who completed at least a secondary education
was almost half that of males 50.4%.In the current generation of youth,
the gap seems to be closing at the primary level and increasing in the
secondary level. In rural Punjab, the gap between girls and boys in school
enrollment increases dramatically with age as demonstrated in National
Family Health Survey, where girls age 15-17 in Punjab are 10% more likely
than boys to drop out of school. Although this gap has been reduced
significantly, problems still remain in the quality of education for girls
where boys in the same family will be sent to higher quality private
schools and girls sent to the government school in the village.
 Marriages
 250 million girls were married before they turned 15
 In 2010, 70 million young girls between 20-24 were married before they
turned 18

 Why does it happen

 Tradition
 Simply because it has happened for generations
 Staying from tradition could mean exclusion from the community

 Gender Role
 Girls are not valued as much as boys, they are seen as a burden.
Cont…..

 Poverty
 Giving daughter in marriage allows the family to reduce on their daughters
expenses
 Where a dowry is paid, it is often welcome income for poor families
 They often have to pay less money if the bride is young and uneducated.
 Security
 To ensure her safety in areas where girls are at high risk of physical or
sexual assault.
GENDER EQUITY ISSUES IN INDIA
HUMAN SEXUALITY
• Within the framework of the World Health
Organization's (WHO) definition of health as a
state of complete physical, mental and social
well-being, and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity. reproductive health, or
sexual health/hygiene, addresses the
reproductive processes, functions and system
at all stages of life.
• Reproductive health, therefore, implies that people are able to have
a responsible, satisfying and safer sex life and that they have the
capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and
how often to do so. One interpretation of this implies that men and
women ought to be informed of and to have access to safe,
effective, affordable and acceptable methods of birth control; also
access to appropriate health care services of sexual, reproductive
medicine and implementation of health education programs to
stress the importance of women to go safely through pregnancy
and childbirth could provide couples with the best chance of having
a healthy infant..
Sexual health
• An unofficial working definition for sexual health is that "Sexual
health is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being
in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease,
dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and
respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as
the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences,
free of coercion, discrimination and violence. For sexual health to
be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be
respected, protected and fulfilled."
 Childbearing and health

• Early childbearing and other behaviours can have health risks for women
and their infants. Waiting until a woman is at least 18 years old before
trying to have children improves maternal and child health. If an
additional child is to be conceived, it is considered healthier for the
mother, as well as for the succeeding child, to wait at least 2 years after
the previous birth before attempting to conception. After a fetal fatality, it
is healthier to wait at least 6 months.
Cont…
• The WHO estimates that each year, 358 000 women die due
to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth; 99% of
these deaths occur within the most disadvantaged population
groups living in the poorest countries of the world.Most of
these deaths can be avoided with improving women's access
to quality care from a skilled birth attendant before, during
and after pregnancy and childbirth.
 Access to care
• In rural area many woman have no health care
facilities . If a woman does not have health
care facilities then access to health care may
be delayed and the treatment may be less
effective. In addition, access to health care
involves the availability of appropriate health
care services, transportation facilities,
neonatal care services in the community.
 Conclusion
• To provide maternal and child health nursing
effectively the sociocultural factors to be considered
in mind so that the wholistic care can be achieved
fully, people also seek the health service if it is
satisfied as per their custom, culture etc.Health
education can be given to modify their behaviour if
they needto get change regarding the prevention of
health problems. We can’t forcethe public to follow
the methods to attain the goal. Creating the
awareness insuch a way and to accept them to follow
the healthy aspects to maintain their health is most
important.
•