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An Overview of Women’s Health in the Arab World

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Book cover Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World

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Abstract

The Arab world comprises of 22 countries with a population of more than 350 million people. Nearly half of the population are women, most of whom are young and middle-aged. Women’s health has made some remarkable progress in the context of the rights of women in accessing the health care system and in the control of maternal diseases. However, the Arab world is experiencing a significant increase in hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers. The major contributor is an unhealthy lifestyle due to low physical activity, unhealthy diets, smoking, and prolonged sitting times. Information on sexual health is not openly available and women, especially adolescents, lack knowledge of sexual health and related problems. There is lack of information on exposure to environmental hazards and their associations with newly emerging health issues such as various types of cancers and immune-related diseases. Hence, the majority of common health problems in women can be discussed under the following broad headings: lifestyle diseases, reproductive health/hormonal problems, psychosocial and behavioral problems, and common cancers in women. Future policies targeting women’s health should focus on the determinants of health related to the environmental and social factors prevailing in the Arab world.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Princess Nora Bent Abdullah Chair for Women’s Health Research, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Al Johara M. AlQuaiz & Ambreen Kazi

  2. Department of Family & Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Al Johara M. AlQuaiz & Ambreen Kazi

Authors
  1. Al Johara M. AlQuaiz
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  2. Ambreen Kazi
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Correspondence to Al Johara M. AlQuaiz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Pharmacology Therapeutics, University of British Colombia Dept. Pharmacology Therapeutics, VANCOUVER, BC, Canada

    Ismail Laher

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AlQuaiz, A.J.M., Kazi, A. (2020). An Overview of Women’s Health in the Arab World. In: Laher, I. (eds) Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_2-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_2-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74365-3

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