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Papers by Mridula Bandyopadhyay

Routledge eBooks, May 29, 2019

Maternal and child health - certain critical issues perspectives on health in India social contex... more Maternal and child health - certain critical issues perspectives on health in India social context of women's health in rural India utilization of health care services and family planning pregnancy and childbirth cultural practices and postnatal care health status of children cultural dimensions of women's health.

Journal of Sociology, Mar 1, 2004

The article explores the experiences of patients undergoing day surgery in an Australian public h... more The article explores the experiences of patients undergoing day surgery in an Australian public hospital for women. We draw primarily on interviews with these patients to identify the factors arising from the specific context which compromised their well-being.

Ethnicity & Health, 2018

All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you... more All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately.

Women and Health: Tradition and Culture in Rural India, 2019

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

OBJECTIVE To measure the accessibility of Australian web-based health information for midlife wom... more OBJECTIVE To measure the accessibility of Australian web-based health information for midlife women including those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds or with low health literacy. METHODS Search terms relating to midlife health were entered into Google Australia to identify health information websites. The content of the first two results pages was assessed using the European Commission's quality criteria for health websites. Readability was assessed using the Flesch Readability Ease Score with Grade 8 accepted as the average Australian reading level. RESULTS Sixteen websites were evaluated. Accessibility scores ranged between 0 and 8. The Victorian Government's health website Better Health Channel and the Jean Hailes for Women's Health website contained the most accessible information, each scoring 8, but were both 'difficult to read' on the readability test. Four websites included written resources in languages other than English and two had information in audio-visual format in languages other than English. CONCLUSIONS There is a gap in accessible online health information for Australian women from CALD backgrounds or those with low health literacy. Implications for public health: Healthy behaviour changes in midlife may lead to better health in older age. More accessible health information resources are needed for women in midlife from CALD backgrounds and those with low health literacy.

Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2007

To investigate the incidence of pain following discharge from reproductive day surgery. Cross-sec... more To investigate the incidence of pain following discharge from reproductive day surgery. Cross-sectional descriptive study. A public hospital for women in Melbourne. 315 women participated in phone interviews and 10 in face-to-face interviews. Self-reports of pain were assessed in relation to age, English and non-English speaking background, prior experience of day surgery, type of surgery, time in recovery, information provision prior to surgery, and access to significant others at home. Older women were less likely to report having pain immediately following discharge (regression coefficient = -0.72, 95% CI, 0.58 to 0.88, p < or = 0.01), or within 48 hours following discharge (regression coefficient = - 0.71, 95% CI, 0.57 to 0.88, p < or = 0.05). Women with a prior experience of day surgery were 1.9 times more likely to be in pain within 48 hours following surgery (regression co-efficient 1.88, 95% CI, 1.134 to 3.10, p < or = 0.05). Women who understood information were le...

Australian Family Physician, 2003

Background: Breastfeeding in India is universal and prolonged. Several cultural practices are ass... more Background: Breastfeeding in India is universal and prolonged. Several cultural practices are associated with lactation and breastfeeding in India, mainly revolving around the concept of ritual purity and 'hot and cold ' foods, food avoidance, restricted diet after childbirth, and remaining in seclusion for a certain time period because of the polluting effects of childbirth. This study on breastfeeding practices explored how the concept of ritual pollution influenced practices after delivery, including during lactation and breastfeeding. Methods: The study was conducted in four villages of West Bengal State in India, representing different levels of socioeconomic development, religion, and caste/tribe from September 1993 to April 1994. One hundred households with one woman respondent from each household were selected from each village. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed for data collection. A survey questionnaire was administered to 402 respondents an...

Women and Health: Tradition and Culture in Rural India, 2019

Women and Health: Tradition and Culture in Rural India, 2019

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2021

Background South Asian women are at a high risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus than ... more Background South Asian women are at a high risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus than other women in Australia. Gestational diabetes affects up to 14–19% of all pregnancies among South Asian, South East Asian, and Arabic populations placing women at risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although, gestational diabetes resolves after childbirth, women with gestational diabetes are up to seven times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes within five to ten years of the index pregnancy. Increasingly, South Asian women are being diagnosed with gestational diabetes in Australia. Therefore, we aimed to gain a better understanding of the lived experiences of South Asian women and their experiences of self-management and their health care providers’ perspectives of treatment strategies. Methods Using an ethnographic qualitative research methodology, semi-structured one-on-one, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 21 health care providers involved in gestational diabetes manag...

Routledge eBooks, May 29, 2019

Maternal and child health - certain critical issues perspectives on health in India social contex... more Maternal and child health - certain critical issues perspectives on health in India social context of women's health in rural India utilization of health care services and family planning pregnancy and childbirth cultural practices and postnatal care health status of children cultural dimensions of women's health.

Journal of Sociology, Mar 1, 2004

The article explores the experiences of patients undergoing day surgery in an Australian public h... more The article explores the experiences of patients undergoing day surgery in an Australian public hospital for women. We draw primarily on interviews with these patients to identify the factors arising from the specific context which compromised their well-being.

Ethnicity & Health, 2018

All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you... more All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately.

Women and Health: Tradition and Culture in Rural India, 2019

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

OBJECTIVE To measure the accessibility of Australian web-based health information for midlife wom... more OBJECTIVE To measure the accessibility of Australian web-based health information for midlife women including those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds or with low health literacy. METHODS Search terms relating to midlife health were entered into Google Australia to identify health information websites. The content of the first two results pages was assessed using the European Commission's quality criteria for health websites. Readability was assessed using the Flesch Readability Ease Score with Grade 8 accepted as the average Australian reading level. RESULTS Sixteen websites were evaluated. Accessibility scores ranged between 0 and 8. The Victorian Government's health website Better Health Channel and the Jean Hailes for Women's Health website contained the most accessible information, each scoring 8, but were both 'difficult to read' on the readability test. Four websites included written resources in languages other than English and two had information in audio-visual format in languages other than English. CONCLUSIONS There is a gap in accessible online health information for Australian women from CALD backgrounds or those with low health literacy. Implications for public health: Healthy behaviour changes in midlife may lead to better health in older age. More accessible health information resources are needed for women in midlife from CALD backgrounds and those with low health literacy.

Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2007

To investigate the incidence of pain following discharge from reproductive day surgery. Cross-sec... more To investigate the incidence of pain following discharge from reproductive day surgery. Cross-sectional descriptive study. A public hospital for women in Melbourne. 315 women participated in phone interviews and 10 in face-to-face interviews. Self-reports of pain were assessed in relation to age, English and non-English speaking background, prior experience of day surgery, type of surgery, time in recovery, information provision prior to surgery, and access to significant others at home. Older women were less likely to report having pain immediately following discharge (regression coefficient = -0.72, 95% CI, 0.58 to 0.88, p < or = 0.01), or within 48 hours following discharge (regression coefficient = - 0.71, 95% CI, 0.57 to 0.88, p < or = 0.05). Women with a prior experience of day surgery were 1.9 times more likely to be in pain within 48 hours following surgery (regression co-efficient 1.88, 95% CI, 1.134 to 3.10, p < or = 0.05). Women who understood information were le...

Australian Family Physician, 2003

Background: Breastfeeding in India is universal and prolonged. Several cultural practices are ass... more Background: Breastfeeding in India is universal and prolonged. Several cultural practices are associated with lactation and breastfeeding in India, mainly revolving around the concept of ritual purity and 'hot and cold ' foods, food avoidance, restricted diet after childbirth, and remaining in seclusion for a certain time period because of the polluting effects of childbirth. This study on breastfeeding practices explored how the concept of ritual pollution influenced practices after delivery, including during lactation and breastfeeding. Methods: The study was conducted in four villages of West Bengal State in India, representing different levels of socioeconomic development, religion, and caste/tribe from September 1993 to April 1994. One hundred households with one woman respondent from each household were selected from each village. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed for data collection. A survey questionnaire was administered to 402 respondents an...

Women and Health: Tradition and Culture in Rural India, 2019

Women and Health: Tradition and Culture in Rural India, 2019

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2021

Background South Asian women are at a high risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus than ... more Background South Asian women are at a high risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus than other women in Australia. Gestational diabetes affects up to 14–19% of all pregnancies among South Asian, South East Asian, and Arabic populations placing women at risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although, gestational diabetes resolves after childbirth, women with gestational diabetes are up to seven times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes within five to ten years of the index pregnancy. Increasingly, South Asian women are being diagnosed with gestational diabetes in Australia. Therefore, we aimed to gain a better understanding of the lived experiences of South Asian women and their experiences of self-management and their health care providers’ perspectives of treatment strategies. Methods Using an ethnographic qualitative research methodology, semi-structured one-on-one, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 21 health care providers involved in gestational diabetes manag...