臺灣原住民婦女健康問題

Background and Purpose: To explore the health problems and needs of aboriginal women in Taiwan. Methods: Convenience sampling was employed to collect data through a self-administered questionnaire. The population sample consisted of persons engaged in work or research related to aboriginal people nationwide. Results: A total of 101 subjects were recruited. The results indicated that the health problems and needs of the aboriginal women vary by geographical area. Economic stress, grand-parenting, a lower education level and injuries were regarded as critical problems among the mountain and plain townships populations. Attitudes regarding sex, adolescent pregnancy and single-parent families were most critical in urban populations. It is noted that the results of the open-ended questions analysis revealed that certain cultural factors and customs significantly influenced aboriginal women's health behavior. These factors included eating raw fish and meat, smoking, drinking alcohol, betel-nut chewing and riding motorcycles without wearing helmets. Moreover, the subjects indicated that the conducting of surveys and evaluations of aboriginal women's health, together with increased media advocacy and political influence, would help to enhance health policies affecting aboriginal women. Conclusion: Cultural and geographical factors should be taken into consideration when planning and implementing health policies and services that affect aboriginal women.