COVID-19 Pandemisinde Gün Yüzüne Çıkan Bir Sorun: Regl Yoksulluğu ve Halk Sağlığı Hemşiresinin Sorumlulukları

Menstrüasyon, bireyler için bedensel, ruhsal ve toplumsal uyum gerektiren bir konudur. Regl olan bireylerin büyük çoğunluğu, aylık menstrual döngülerini sağlıklı ve saygın bir şekilde yönetme konusunda ciddi sorunlar yaşamaktadır. Menstrüel ürünlere erişimin olmaması durumu olarak tanımlanan regl yoksulluğu, dünyanın birçok ülkesinde bireylerin eğitim, iş ve sosyal yaşamları gibi pek çok alanda dezavantaj yaratan önemli bir halk sağlığı sorunudur. Bu konuda tüm dünyada toplum farkındalığını artıran sosyal medya kampanyaları ve vergilerin kaldırılması veya azaltılmasına yönelik bir takım girişimler yapılmaktadır. Regl yoksulluğu, COVID-19 pandemisi ile günümüzde daha görünür hale gelmiştir. Regl yoksulluğu kaynaklı ortaya çıkan eşitsizliklerin yönetiminde, toplum sağlığının korunması ve geliştirilmesinin birincil sorumlusu olan halk sağlığı hemşirelerinin eğitim, rehberlik, danışmanlık, savunuculuk ve işbirlikçi rollerini etkin kullanması bir gerekliliktir. Bu derleme çalışmasında ihmal edilmiş ve COVID-19 pandemi sürecinde bireysel ve toplumsal etkileri daha da görünür boyuta ulaşan bir halk sağlığı sorunu olan regl yoksulluğu kavramının, halk sağlığı hemşiresinin rol ve sorumlulukları özelinde proaktif pencereden ele alınması amaçlanmıştır.

A Problem Coming Forth in The Covid-19 Pandemic: Period Poverty and Responsibilities of the Public Health Nurse

Menstruation is an issue which requires physical, mental and social adaptation for individuals. Most menstruating individuals face with serious problems in managing their monthly menstrual cycles in a healthy and respectable way. Period poverty, defined as the lack of access to menstrual products, is a noteworthy public health problem in the world which creates disadvantages in education, work and social life of individuals. In this regard, social media campaigns which increase public awareness and some attempts to repeal or reduce taxes are carried out across the globe. Period poverty has become more evident by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the management of inequalities arising from period poverty, it is a necessity for public health nurses, who are primarily responsible for the protection and promotion of public health, to use their education, guidance, counselling, advocacy and collaborative roles effectively. In this review, it was aimed to deal with the concept of period poverty, a neglected public health problem and whose individual and social effects have become more perceptible during the COVID-19 pandemic, from a proactive perspective in terms of the roles and responsibilities of the public health nurse.

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