This document provides a literature review on the influence of religion and culture on female health in Bangladesh. It begins with an introduction and country profile of Bangladesh. It then discusses several cultural and religious influences that impact female health, such as the preference for sons, child marriage, dowry practices, traditional healing methods, nutrition practices, and views on infertility. These influences can increase health risks for females such as maternal complications, malnutrition, and mental health issues. The document concludes that religious and cultural beliefs significantly impact female health in Bangladesh and that interventions require addressing both individual and community factors.

1. The Influence of Religion and
Culture on Female Health - a
Review of Bangladesh
Dr. Rishad Choudhury Robin
BDS,MPH,PGDHA
Doctor of Public Health Candidate
Naresuan University
Thailand

2. Outline
 Introduction
 Country Profile
 Religion and Cultural Influence
◦ Preference of Son
◦ Child Marriage
◦ Dowry
◦ Traditional Heeling
◦ Nutrition
 Conclusion
Dr. Rishad C Robin 2
◦ Infertility
◦ Family Influence
◦ Antenatal Care
◦ Physical Exercise
◦ Use of Table Salt

3. INTRODUCTION
Dr. Rishad C Robin 3

4. Introduction
 Female health has now become a global
concern.
 Women's health problems are
determined by human biology, though
many others arise from or aggravated by
socioeconomic factors, such as cultural
and religious beliefs.
 All major religion has a different belief
about health issue as well as it’s varying
from personal interpretation of faith and
the impact of culture and tradition.
Dr. Rishad C Robin 4

5. Introduction (Cont.)
 The female’s health issue in
Bangladesh is a fusion of religious
belief and Bengali culture as majority
of the population is Muslim but they
are also influenced by the culture from
west bangle of India.
 The focus of this literature review is to
describe the religion and cultural
aspect of female health in the context
of Bangladesh.
Dr. Rishad C Robin 5

6. COUNTRY PROFILE
Dr. Rishad C Robin 6

7. Country Profile
7Dr. Rishad C Robin

8. Country Profile (Cont.)
 Name: People Republic of Bangladesh
 Population: 164.7 million
 Area: 143,998 sq km (55,598 sq miles)
 Major Language: Bengali
 Major Religion: Islam (89%)
 Life Expectancy: 71.1 years (Men), 74.4
years (Women)
 Currency: Taka (1$= 86 Tk)
 Capital: Dhaka
8Dr. Rishad C Robin

9. RELIGION AND
CULTURAL INFLUENCE
Dr. Rishad C Robin 9

10. Preference of Son
 As like other countries of South Asia,
preference of son is explicitly expressed by
families.
 Preference of son consider as the continuity
of the male line tends.
 Gender biased and traditional social norms
prevail for son preference in the community
as well as national level.
 Selection of sex increases abrogation in
traditional method though abortion which is
not legal according to the law of Bangladesh.
 This induces abrogation attribute different
health complication of female and sometime
the cause of death.
Dr. Rishad C Robin 10

11. Child Marriage
 According to Bangladesh low, the minimum
legal age for marriage in Bangladesh is 18 for
female and 21 for male.
 18% of girls got married by under 15 years
and 52% by 18 years.
 Socio-economic background, disrupted family
structure, low educational attainment, poor
sexual health practices , less dowry for young
girl are potential factors for child marriage.
 in South Asia, Bangladesh has the highest
adolescent fertility rate where 1 girl in 10 has
a child before the age of 15.
Dr. Rishad C Robin 11

12. Child Marriage (Cont.)
 Teenager mother has 3 times higher
change to get anemia.
 Different neonatal complications include
prematurity, intrauterine growth
retardation, neonatal mortality and
stillbirth also associate with child
pregnancy.
 Preeclampsia, perineal tear and
episiotomy are also common among
teenager mother.
 Child born to a teenager mother are
more likely to have poorer behavioral
and health outcomes .
Dr. Rishad C Robin 12

13. Dowry
 Dowry is widely practice system in
Bangladesh though is not legal according to
the law.
 The transmission of large sums of money,
jewelry, cash, and other goods from the
bride’s family to the groom’s family is
called Dowry.
 Dowry has a serious consequence on female
health and violence include, dowry deaths ,
divorce , gender violence like brutally tortured
or acid burns , physical and mental abuses,
forced starvation and suicide .
 These are predisposed the mental illness,
precipitated it as well as consequence of it.Dr. Rishad C Robin 13

14. Traditional Heeling
 Traditional heeling is the first line of
treatment consider by the local people in
some part of the rural area.
 The have a deep belief in natural plants,
herbal medicine, homeopathic, holy
water blow and oil.
 During pregnancy, the use of ‘holy blow’
and ‘sanctified water’ increases
significantly.
 Cultural limitations on movement for forty
days imposed on women in rural area
blocks to seek medical center for any
health issue.
Dr. Rishad C Robin 14

15. Nutrition
 Nearly one-third of women are
undernourished with body mass index.
 Among the pregnant mother it is high
due to some food taboo which prohibited
the pregnant female to have food like
fish or meat as they belief that this food
are unhealthy for the unborn child.
 During any eclipse, they prohibited
themself to eat any meal till the eclipse
over.
 Sometime the teenage mothers want to
hide their pregnancy and eat less to
avoid obesity causing malnutrition
among them. Dr. Rishad C Robin 15

16. Infertility
 In the rural area it is assumed that
infertility is only due to female.
 The female have to tolerate mental
and physical abuse.
 Similarly the female have the fear that
often under pressure from family, their
husband get another wife.
 This cause a serious mental health
trauma mostly depression and
sometimes it may claim lives.
Dr. Rishad C Robin 16

17. Family Influence
 Mother in law played a vital role in a
family of rural Bangladesh.
 They are often the main person to
take decision of the daughter in law’s
health issue that sometime block her
way to seek modern medicine.
 Even the female will listen more to
their relatives and will intake such
foods which are being warned or
prohibited by doctor during pregency.
Dr. Rishad C Robin 17

18. Antenatal Care (ANC)
 Female’s education is key determinant
of receiving antenatal care services.
 Adolescent female from urban area
are likely to receive twice ANC
compare to female residing in rural
area.
 Religion has an impact on choice of
delivery of child at health facility.
 52% more Hindu and Christian
adolescent female are likely to deliver
in health institute than Muslim female.
Dr. Rishad C Robin 18

19. Physical Exercise
 Behavior of women of South Asian origin
before and during pregnancy would be
shaped by physiological, practical, and
cultural influences that would tend to
compromise their own metabolic health
and that of their offspring.
 They prioritize the family life over their
health and domestic duties are busy,
demanding and tiring.
 Women don’t get time for themselves to
do any physical activities.
Dr. Rishad C Robin 19

20. Physical Exercise (Cont.)
 Some female also have misconception
regarding gestational diabetes.
 They think exercise will make them ill
and will destabilize their condition
causing breathlessness, swollen feet,
muscle pain, sweating, dizziness,
faintness or profound tiredness, even
miscarriage.
 Some even belief that, if they cannot
continue exercise they will gain more
weight which might worsen diabetic
condition.
Dr. Rishad C Robin 20

21. Use of Table Salt
 Villagers in the coastal area usually take
table salt with their meals to enhance the
taste of food. Moreover, People spoke
about acquiring this habit from their
parents.
 It was seen pregnant female legs and
feet swelled up in this area. This put the
pregnant ladies at vulnerable risk of
developing pre-eclampsia and
eclampsia.
 In contrast the, elderly people advice
lactating mothers not to take table salt
since they believe, salt intake reduces
breast milk production of lactatingDr. Rishad C Robin 21

22. CONCLUSION
Dr. Rishad C Robin 22

23. Conclusion
 In Bangladesh, cultural and religion’s impact are
tremendous almost all sectors.
 However female are more vulnerable and main
victim to this effect.
 The people have generally low awareness of the
risk of cultural and religious beliefs and their
impact on female health.
 In a socio-cultural vacuum , behavioral change
related interventions will not be effective to
improve women health unless individual
education and community level interventions
must be supplemented to identify the cultural
frames and religious constraints within which
behavioral 'choices' are made.
Dr. Rishad C Robin 23

24. References
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25. References (Cont.)
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26. References (Cont.)
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Health,14(1),
Dr. Rishad C Robin 26

27. Thank You
rishadc59@nu.ac.th
+66636711656