Designing Strategies for the Development of Health and Physical Activities of Women in Iran

: The current study aimed to design strategies to develop women’s health and physical activities in Iran. This study was drafted in the descriptive-correlational framework following an applied objective. The population of the study in the qualitative section consisted of 10 professors of sports management and sociology and in the quantitative section consisted of 160 experts (e.g., female sports managers and experts, women’s sports activists, and professors of sports management) selected through a purposive and comprehensive sampling method. Data collection was performed through a 20-items questionnaire drafted to examine the four fundamental factors of the study (e.g., management, social, economic, and cultural factors). The content validity and face validity of the questionnaire were confirmed by 10 university faculty members. The structural equation modeling in PLS software (version 3) was used to analyze the statistical data. The findings of the study indicated that among the study variables, the variable of management in the development of health and physical activities, with a correlation level of 75% and at a value of 5.696, was considered the most effective variable. Furthermore, among the essential elements of the study, in the cultural factor, the effect of the social values and beliefs in the participation of women in sports activities was reportedly at a correlation rate of 87%. In the management factor, the assignment of management roles to women in sports was at a correlation rate of 85%. In the economic factor, the element of budget allocation to women’s sports was at a correlation rate of 73%. In the social factor, the impact of the Ministry of Health and Education and the Ministry of Sports and Youth in creating sports events for the development of women’s health in the various provinces of Iran was at a correlation rate of 92%. All of the aforementioned items were among the most contributing factors in the essential elements of the study. In conclusion, it can be stated that the Ministry of Sports and Youth and the Federations of Public Sports succeeded to initiate programs in the development of Iranian women’s health and sports by employing a comprehensive plan that included allocating budget, highlighting the role of women in the sports management positions, and cooperating with different agencies and organizations.

Developing the Women’s health strategy: The British Menopause society’s recommendations to the department of health and social care’s call for evidence

In the early part of 2021, the government launched a call for evidence to inform the development of the Women’s Health Strategy with the objective of better understanding women’s experiences of the health and care system and to help improve the health and wellbeing of women. The British Menopause Society Medical Advisory Council and the BMS Board of Trustees recommendations specific to the menopause and post reproductive health in relation to all six core themes included in the call for evidence assessing the different areas of women’s health are discussed in this document

Taking action to advance the study of race and ethnicity: the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)

Abstract“Race” and “ethnicity” are socially constructed terms, not based on biology - in contrast to biologic ancestry and genetic admixture - and are flexible, contested, and unstable concepts, often driven by power. Although individuals may self-identify with a given race and ethnic group, as multidimensional beings exposed to differential life influencing factors that contribute to disease risk, additional social determinants of health (SDOH) should be explored to understand the relationship of race or ethnicity to health. Potential health effects of structural racism, defined as “the structures, policies, practices, and norms resulting in differential access to goods, services, and opportunities of society by “race,” have been largely ignored in medical research. The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was expected to enroll a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of older women at 40 U.S. clinical centers between 1993 and 1998; yet, key information on the racial and ethnic make-up of the WHI cohort of 161,808 women was limited until a 2020–2021 Task Force was charged by the WHI Steering Committee to better characterize the WHI cohort and develop recommendations for WHI investigators who want to include “race” and/or “ethnicity” in papers and presentations. As the lessons learned are of relevance to most cohorts, the essence of the WHI Race and Ethnicity Language and Data Interpretation Guide is presented in this paper. Recommendations from the WHI Race and Ethnicity Language and Data Interpretation Guide include: Studies should be designed to include all populations and researchers should actively, purposefully and with cultural-relevance, commit to recruiting a diverse sample; Researchers should collect robust data on race, ethnicity and SDOH variables that may intersect with participant identities, such as immigration status, country of origin, acculturation, current residence and neighborhood, religion; Authors should use appropriate terminology, based on a participant’s self-identified “race” and “ethnicity”, and provide clear rationale, including a conceptual framework, for including race and ethnicity in the analytic plan; Researchers should employ appropriate analytical methods, including mixed-methods, to study the relationship of these sociocultural variables to health; Authors should address how representative study participants are of the population to which results might apply, such as by age, race and ethnicity.

Isolation in COVID, and COVID in Isolation—Exacerbated Shortfalls in Provision for Women's Health and Well-Being Among Marginalized Urban Communities in India

This paper describes the lived experiences of health seeking, health care recourse, and well-being of women waste pickers, a highly marginalized sub-population in urban areas in India, highlighting the intersectionality of gender, socioeconomic and cultural contexts, and occupational hazards that they face, as studied by a research team engaged in participatory action research with waste workers in urban India. We note the impact of the superimposition of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the restrictions on movement and access to livelihoods, social support, and health care, and policies made and enforced in a fragmented manner, on the already deprived conditions of the waste pickers. We reflect on the women waste pickers' practices of health seeking, their access to health care, the provisions made for them and made use of by them, and the support they could tap in protecting and restoring their health. A range of these experiences is illustrated through three case studies. Finally, recommendations are made for better provision for women's health and well-being, and improved preparedness for emergency situations.