Female Voices on Health Issues in a Northeast Province of Afghanistan

The purpose of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of the health issues facing adolescent females (ages 18- 21) in rural, northeastern Afghanistan. Incorporating participant observations, interviews, and narrative inquiries, this study seeks to illustrate adolescent females' perspectives on health issues. To achieve this goal, ten adolescent females were interviewed in rural, northeastern Afghanistan during 2010. The participants were asked to discuss their perceptions of life, health, body image, illness, and related topics. The participants struggled to articulate answers to these questions, but their personal narratives and body language vividly illustrated the issues they struggled to express. Their narrative responses are reduced in this study to produce a dynamic perspective on adolescent females' perceptions of health issues in northeastern Afghanistan. There is still much more to learn about adolescent health in rural Afghanistan for this study's findings provide the groundwork for future research and discussion-and, ultimately, a deeper understanding of adolescent females' perceptions of health in rural Afghanistan.