Suchergebnisse

Background: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer worldwide among women, with the number of new cases increasing from 493 243 in 2002 to 527 000 in 2012. These numbers are likely to be underestimated because given the lack of registration resources, cervical cancer deaths are usually under-reported in low-income countries. Aim: To describe the distribution of and trends in visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) to detected cervical abnormalities in Swaziland by reviewing records of VIA examinations performed at two main hospitals in Swaziland between 2011 and 2014. Setting: Mbabane Government Hospital and Realign Fitkin Memorial (RFM). Methods: Records of cervical screening using VIA at the Mbabane government hospital and RFM hospital between 2011 and 2014 were retrieved. Positivity rates (PRs) of VIA with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated and used as proxies of cervical abnormalities. Odds ratios of the association between VIA-detected cervical abnormalities and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status were estimated using logistic regressions. Results: VIA was positive in 1828 of 12 151 VIA records used for analysis (15%, 95% CI: 14.4–15.7). VIA was positive in 9% (36 of 403) women under the age of 20, in 15.5% (1714 of 11 046) of women aged 20–49 years and in 11.1% (78 of 624) of women aged 50–64 years. A decreasing trend of VIA positivity was observed over time at both screening centres (p for trend < 0.001). Of 2697 records with Papanicolaou results, 20% (67 of 331) VIA-positives and only 5% (114 of 2366) VIA negatives had high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. Among 4578 women with reported HIV status, 1702 were HIV-positive (37.2%, 95% CI: 35.8–38.6). The prevalence of HIV in VIA-positive women was 62.5% (95% CI: 58.7–66.2), almost double that among VIA-negative women (33.0%, 95% CI: 31.6–34.5) and that among all women screened (p < 0.001). HIV-positive women were 3.4 times more likely to have cervical abnormalities on VIA than HIV-negative women (OR: 3.4, 95% CI: ...

Although contemporary economies take women entrepreneurship seriously, the uptake of entrepreneurship activities by women remains low in Swaziland; the involvement of women-run businesses in economic development is minimal. Using a quantitative research methodology which involved the filling in of objective questionnaires by female entrepreneurs, the study sought to establish the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Swaziland, identify contributing factors to these challenges and consider the roles played by different stakeholders in promoting women entrepreneurship. The study revealed that most women who are actively engaged in business are aged between 30 to 49. Because of the power of education, these women believe that they are capable of running successful businesses. However, some women feel that they are weak and marginalized. All the study participants have less than 10 years of experience in business. There is inadequate Government support and most of the women lack knowledge about where they could get support. Despite having legislation that supports women's participation in economic development and the business interests of women, women remain underrepresented in national economic activities. Significant challenges faced by women in business in Swaziland are related to cultural factors, funding and lack of information. More research based strategies are required to create awareness of the business opportunities available for women entrepreneurs in Swaziland. The study concluded that women entrepreneurism is fairly new in Swaziland hence there is need for further research on the women entrepreneurism and how it benefits different stakeholders. Gender justice based socio-cultural reorientation in Swaziland could give more women the opportunity to explore their potential in business without fear of victimization and marginalization.