Why expectant women shun hospitals

One in five women suffers severe physical and verbal abuse during labour and delivery at public hospitals, a new study says. PHOTO | FILE 

In Summary

• Researchers interviewed 641 mothers at 13 purposely selected facilities in Kisumu, Kiambu, Nyandarua and Uasin Gishu, and one maternity hospital in Nairobi.
• “Understanding the prevalence of disrespect and abuse is critical in developing interventions at national, health facility and community levels,” the report says.
• It asserts that disrespect and abuse in childbirth is a critical but little discussed subject which is a major barrier in helping increase the number of expectant mothers who seek medical assistance, with many unaware that what they go through is a serious human rights violation as well as criminal in nature.

One in five women suffers severe physical and verbal abuse during labour and delivery at public hospitals, a new study says.

The study, funded by the United States Agency for International Development, says the government’s pledge to provide free maternity services is hampered by rude and violent health workers who make women shun hospitals, endangering their babies’ as well as their own lives.

Researchers interviewed 641 mothers at 13 purposely selected facilities in Kisumu, Kiambu, Nyandarua and Uasin Gishu, and one maternity hospital in Nairobi.

The study says the presence of spouses in the delivery room could curb the “mistreatment” and is now considered a norm by mothers.

It says key manifestations of abuse include pinching, slapping and beating, non-consensual care (coerced Caesarean sections), non-dignified care, verbal abuse, discrimination towards poor and young mothers, abandonment of women during and after labour, and detention because of inability to pay hospital fees.

The research protocol approved by the Division of Reproductive Health, Ministry of Health, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Ethical Review Board and the Population Council’s Institutional Review Board urges an open reporting system that will help the Health ministry formulate measures to curb the abuse.

FEAR OF BEING INSULTED

“Understanding the prevalence of disrespect and abuse is critical in developing interventions at national, health facility and community levels,” the report says.
The study, published this month, says women did not attend hospitals for fear of being insulted, assaulted, or abandoned.

“Patient abuse was most commonly documented during labour in maternity units, where nurses occasionally shout at women or slap or pinch them. A total of 115 reported being treated with disrespect, which made them feel unwanted.

“Hardest hit are under 19-year-olds who are openly abused mainly for unwanted pregnancies while those whose HIV status is known are openly addressed in the main ward. While 155 reported verbal abuse, 81 spoke of being abandoned and 48 said no one responded to their plea of pain,” it says.

It asserts that disrespect and abuse in childbirth is a critical but little discussed subject which is a major barrier in helping increase the number of expectant mothers who seek medical assistance, with many unaware that what they go through is a serious human rights violation as well as criminal in nature.

The study calls for renewed efforts to improve the expectant mother-healthcare giver relationship.

While it praises efforts to improve the facilities by the government, and increased investment by private individuals, it suggests that the “soft tissues” during labour and delivery, which can be described as “a vulnerable moment” during the birthing needs to be documented.

It says that at least 100 women underwent Caesarean Section procedures, with a small percentage of 4.3per cent reporting non-consented care where they were subjected to tubal ligation and heteroscopy.

11 THINGS YOU’RE DOING THAT COULD CAUSE YOU TO DIE YOUNG

Are you sitting down while reading this? Well that could be shortening your lifespan.
Let’s be honest: From the moment we’re born, we’re all dying just as we’re living. But certain mundane things we do every day may actually be helping us get there faster. None of this means we should even try to eliminate these behaviors from our lives entirely, but it’s proof that overdoing anything, even when seemingly innocuous, can have serious impacts on our health. Below we’ve rounded up 11 everyday things you’re probably doing that could potentially shorten your lifespan.
1. You’re having a hard time finding love.
Having a difficult time finding a mate can shave off months of your life, while being single for prolonged periods of time could cost you a whole decade. A study found that communities with gender ratios skewing significantly more male or female caused the minority sex to have shorter lifespans.

2. You’re sitting down for more than a few hours every day.
Two whole years of your life could be cut just from sitting more than three hours a day. Australian researchers found that even regular exercise couldn’t deter the potential negative effects of sitting for long stretches of time.
3. No Friends.
People with weak social connections were found to die at much higher rates than their counterparts, according to research.
On top of all this, elderly people with large circles of friends were found to be 22 percent less likely to die over a tested study period, and those social connections generally promote brain health in aging brains.

4. You’re vegging out in front of your TV.

Watching just two hours of television a day can lead to an increased risk of premature death, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, according to Harvard researchers. The negative effects of watching television seem to overlap with the potential negative effects of sitting too much, but watching television seems to make the negative effects of sitting even worse. ”

5. You’re eating too much unhealthy food.

Perhaps this sounds obvious, but the truth is that so many of us continue to do it. As far as what foods to especially avoid, eating red meat seems to shorten life expectancy by as much as 20 percent when eating extra portions.

6. You’re still looking for a job.

Being unemployed can increase a person’s risk of premature death by 63 percent. Other more specific studies found that “the two factors most strongly associated with higher death rates were smoking and not having a job.” Another found that older people who lost their jobs during the recession could have seen their lifespan decrease by as many as three years.

7. You’re dealing with a long commute.

Commutes of about an hour have been found to increase stress and have been linked to the same negative effects as sitting. Long commutes also reduce the likelihood that individuals will consistently participate in health related activities. The greatest lifespan risk is with female commuters, who were found to have significantly shorter lifespans after consistently commuting for 31 miles or more.

8. You’re having a dry-spell.
A study among men found that failing to orgasm for extended periods of time can potentially cause your mortality rate to be 50 percent higher than for those who have frequent orgasms. This result was found even when controlling for factors such as age, smoking, and social class. On the opposite spectrum, orgasms have been linked to quite a few additional health benefits.
9. You’re putting up with annoying co-workers.
Missing out on strong connections with your co-workers can also potentially mean missing out on a longer life. Peer social support, which could represent how well a participant is socially integrated in his or her employment context, is a potent predictor of the risk of all causes of mortality. 
10. You’re not sleeping enough (or maybe too much?)
Harvard Medical School points out that research has shown that life expectancies significantly decrease in subjects who average less than five or more than nine hours a night.
Most of us suffer from too little rather than too much sleep, but research suggests there truly is a sleep “sweet spot” — at least if you’re primarily concerned about living for as long as possible.

11. You’re fearing death or that you won’t live for as long as you’d like.
This is a painful paradox. A fear of a shortened lifespans, or Thanatophobia, can potentially end up causing – a shortened lifespan. A 2012 study on cancer patients ended up finding that, “life expectancy was perceived as shortened in patients with death anxiety.”