New Agenda for Women's Health and Nutrition. Development in Practice

摘要

The timely publication gives well-deserved attention to the health risks facingwomen in developing countries. Investments that improve women's health and nutrition contribute to poverty alleviation and human resource development. They are therefore justified on both humantarian and economic grounds. The booklet examines the major health problems affecting women in the developing world. These include undernutrition, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy complications, cervical and breast cancer, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and genital mutilation. The paper presents a strategy for developing countries and the international aid community to alleviate the situation. It recommends policy reforms and public education programs that promote positive health practices and reduce gender discrimination. Special attention to girls is urged since adolescence is the stage at which the intergenerational cycle of early pregnancy, poor health and nutrition, and poverty can be broken. Also emphasized are efforts to improve women's low social status and involve women more fully in development projects.