Abstract
This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Women go through several stages and changes throughout their life time. Hence, their health needs differ according to their life stage. More importantly, women are perceived as the decision-makers for the source of health care for their families. The object of this project is to integrate women's health into higher education curriculum with the aim of empowering women with the knowledge they need to take control of their own health through making informed health decisions, and to seek appropriate and timely care and managing the processes of illness and wellness. I designed an undergraduate course in women's health that addresses the main health issues across the life span of women from local and global perspectives.I developed a stepwise process, or framework, for including women's health course in the undergraduate curriculum of the Royal University for Women in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The course was offered as an elective module pertaining to 3 credits and comprising 3hours of teaching per week. This pioneer experience of introducing women's health to non-medical university students is innovative and supports the notion of "Healthy women hold up a healthy world". Informed women ensure future informed health decisions. This experience will be evaluated and reflected upon with the hope of expanding it to other universities.
Highlights
As defined by World Health Organization (WHO), health is a "State of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (Nobile, 2014)
Reviewing syllabi assisted in identifying the priorities in global and local women health issues to be included in the curriculum
In the first semester, 18 students have registered from different colleges with the majority being from years 2 and 3
Summary
As defined by World Health Organization (WHO), health is a "State of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (Nobile, 2014). Prevention is the foundation of the public health system. We cannot begin to address prevention if our patients do not know what we are trying to say to them. Improving the nation's health literacy is critical to creating a system of care based on wellness and prevention (Benjamin, 2010). Women are perceived as the decision-makers for the source of health care for their families. Women often delay self-care as they attend to the care of their family or children
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have