Bandyopadhyay L
Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA School of Public Health 90024-1772, USA.
Soc Sci Med. 1996 May;42(10):1401-10. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(95)00288-x.
Lymphatic filariasis is a disease of the poor and underprivileged and has received little attention in the past. In particular, there has been a lack of gender sensitive research on women and lymphatic filariasis. Women suffer from lymphatic filariasis to a great extent but embarrassment, shame, cultural constraints and social taboos are some of the reasons that refrain them from reporting problems and seeking help. Women are thus silently bearing the brunt of this disease. This study has tried to obtain basic information on women and lymphatic filariasis with a gender approach. To understand the consequence of lymphatic filariasis on women in India, a holistic framework was used for this study, which encompasses all issues in women's lives such as their perspective on the disease, their role as social and economic entities and their relationships with others; in addition to their reproductive role. A qualitative approach using the technique of informal interview was used for this research. Eighty-eight women and 39 children were interviewed, during home visits and at clinics, primary health care centers and schools in both urban and rural areas in India. The study has obtained the much needed information on the knowledge of lymphatic filariasis among women in India, the impact of the disease on the women which include the social and economic aspects, clinic attendance and the barriers to health care for women with the disease, and women's awareness regarding control programs for lymphatic filariasis. The study also found how women cope with the disabilities or other manifestations of the disease. This paper discusses lymphatic filariasis using a gender sensitive approach. It reviews the literature, describes the study, analyzes the results and suggests feasible disease control programs for women with a multisectoral approach.
淋巴丝虫病是贫困和弱势群体易患的疾病，过去很少受到关注。特别是，针对女性和淋巴丝虫病的性别敏感研究一直匮乏。女性在很大程度上遭受着淋巴丝虫病的折磨，但尴尬、羞耻、文化限制和社会禁忌是她们不愿报告问题和寻求帮助的部分原因。因此，女性在默默承受着这种疾病带来的冲击。本研究试图采用性别视角获取有关女性和淋巴丝虫病的基本信息。为了解淋巴丝虫病对印度女性的影响，本研究采用了一个全面的框架，该框架涵盖了女性生活中的所有问题，如她们对疾病的看法、她们作为社会和经济实体的角色以及她们与他人的关系；此外还包括她们的生殖角色。本研究采用了一种使用非正式访谈技巧的定性研究方法。在印度城乡的家庭访问以及诊所、初级卫生保健中心和学校对88名女性和39名儿童进行了访谈。该研究获取了关于印度女性对淋巴丝虫病的了解、该疾病对女性包括社会和经济方面的影响、就诊情况以及患病女性获得医疗保健的障碍，以及女性对淋巴丝虫病控制项目的知晓情况等急需的信息。该研究还发现了女性如何应对疾病的残疾或其他表现。本文使用性别敏感方法探讨淋巴丝虫病。它回顾了相关文献，描述了研究过程，分析了研究结果，并建议采用多部门方法为女性制定可行的疾病控制项目。
