A Content Analysis of Iranians Scientific and Academic Health Journals

This paper highlights the increasing importance of "Women's Health" issues and aims to examine and analyze the published scientific papers in this field in five Iranian academic health journals during the last decade, by using content analysis method and gender analysis and feminist theory approach. According to the result, journals have produced an overall of 1069 papers in 102 journal issues. Among them 177 papers (16/5%) are about women's health and 160 papers (14/9%) are about women's health priority issues in Iran according to a women’s health national survey conducted by Women's Cultural and Social Council. The published papers are related to only 15 subjects out of 23 priority issues of women's health. It also shows that 51% of these 15 subjects are about the first 3 items (i.e. pregnancy and after pregnancy cares, malnutrition, and women's cancers). However, it seems that analyzed journals and their academic organizations as well as state research institutes should pay further attention to women's health problems and priorities and also try to publish and use the knowledge produced.