Prepared By Jenny Jeehan Nasr, Ph.D. Faculty of Pharmacy Mansoura University

Do cultural behaviors differ from country to country?

Do we have common cultural behaviors in different Arab countries?

Can cultural behaviors affect women’s health?

Let’s discuss some of common cultural behaviors affecting women’s health in Arab countries

1. Eating Unhealthy Food The Arab food dishes are full of calories. Fast foods are a part of the daily life. Women don’t eat much fruits and vegetables. This led to the obesity of most of them which is considered a predisposing factor to many diseases.

2. Lack of Physical Exercises Most Arab women don’t include physical exercises in their daily routine. Many Arab women don’t do their household activities by themselves. This also causes obesity and many adverse health outcomes.

3. Smoking Smoking -or using any tobacco products- has particular health implications for women. The exposure to passive smoking may even be more dangerous. Smoking during pregnancy has many risks to the woman and the infant.

4. Limited Exposure to Sunlight Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin as it is produced by the body in response to sunlight. Vitamin D is essential for strong bones because it helps the body use calcium from the diet. Housebound women are at a risk of vitamin D deficiency.

5. Air Pollution It results from emission of pollutants from vehicles and power industrial plants. Exposure to air pollution counts for most asthma attacks and other respiratory disorders. Complications of air pollution lead to cancer. Children are highly susceptible to risks of pollution.

6. Excessive Cosmetic Surgeries Many Arab women undergo excessive plastic surgeries and Botox injections. They aim to add beauty measures to their bodies, imitate star figures or to fight aging signals like wrinkles. This may lead to allergic reactions, dissatisfactory results, loss or change of sensation.

7. Occupational hazards Many women use hundreds of toxic, carcinogenic, abortive chemicals without knowing safety precautions of their use either inside or outside their homes. They also use several instruments while they know nothing about their impacts on their health.

8. Non-Ethical Practices Women are subject to non-ethical practices in many ways during their daily routine. This may happen during transport, work,….

To Do Actions Providing awareness-raising campaigns through different media, internet and journals in the Arab countries. Activating the role of universities and institutions in establishing centers to protect women’s health in the Arab World. Initiation of establishing one common code of ethics in the Arab countries.