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Name of the activity: Women’s Pelvic Health as You Grow Old
Country/NMO: IFMSA-Brazil
Program: Healthy Lifestyles & Non-Communicable Diseases
Contact information: contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Activity Coordinator
Type of the activity: First-time Activity
Category: Education
Focus area: Prevention of NCDs and Health Promotion, Pelvic Health
Sustainable Development Goals addressed: SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being)
General description:
The event “Women’s Pelvic Health as You Grow Old” took place on 11/24/2022, starting at 1:00 pm and ending at 3:00 pm. The lecture was held at the Centro de Convivência de Idosos Oeste. The participants were instructed about pelvic health, and essential aspects of the health of elderly women, such as urinary incontinence, pain and low libido, learned exercises that strengthen the pelvic muscles, and expanded their understanding about their conditions
Problem statement:
The health of the female pelvic muscles of the elderly population interferes with quality of life. The incidence of problems is high due to lack of knowledge, prejudiced view of menopause, aging, and the taboo of sexuality. Urinary incontinence affects 50% of older women, and pain and lack of libido are common complaints. However, recent researchs say that physical activities are important for prevention and treatment, and can restore or improve the function and control of the pelvic muscles.
Target groups:
- Medical students
- Women
- Elderly people
Beneficiaries:
- Medical students
- Women
- Elderly people
Objectives:
1- To bring the issue of female pelvic health closer to medical students.
2- To educate about which health conditions are related to the weakening of the muscles of the pelvic floor and how they can be treated and prevented;
3- To stimulate the practice of appropriate physical activities for strengthening the pelvic floor musculature.
Indicators of Success:
1- At least 3 academics participate in the training, point out understanding of the theme in the post activity form and carry out the activity with the elderly..
2- At least 70% of the participants will rate their knowledge about sexual and reproductive health after attending the lecture as a 05 (on a scale of 0 to 5)
3- At least 20 elderly women will be instructed about a series of physical exercises that help strengthen the pelvic muscles.
Methodology:
For the lecture to take place, 05 medical students members of IFMSA Brazil UEL were in the organization and divided the necessary tasks. Then, they contacted the person responsible for events at Centro de Convivência de Idoso Oeste, a community center for elderly people in the city of Londrina, who made a room available for November 24, 2022 for the event to take place. A pelvic physiotherapist was also invited to assist in the activity. The event was publicized on social media, Whatsapp groups, message boards and oral invitations. It was idealized that the lecture will be done through slide projection by the academics, active discussion and sharing of participants’ experiences on the subject, and teaching of a series of physical exercises that help strengthen the pelvic muscles.
Plans for evaluation:
The impact assessment was made through a printed questionnaire, that will classify the following informations about the participants on a scale from 0 to 5: prior knowledge of the subject; importance of approaching the theme; importance of the discussion about understanding sexual health and reproductive health; and knowledge about sexual and reproductive health after attending the lecture. And academics gave oral feedback on how much they learned in the activity.
External collaborations:
A partnership was established with Centro de Convivência de Idosos Oeste, a community center for elderly people, which provided the location where the event took place and helped publicize the event.
