For the third stage of data collection (1-year post-educational
intervention), the questionnaire was given to the
women in order to assess quantitatively whether the women
had retained their knowledge. In addition, group interviews
were held to assess qualitatively how they had experienced
their effectiveness in implementing oral health initiatives.
These interviews were used to examine the experiences of
the women so far and to examine if the programme needed
to be adapted. During the 1-year post-educational interviews,
not all women who had attended the course were present, as
some of them were from remote areas and could not travel
to Kathmandu. This was a limitation in this study. However,
we were able to interview four groups of women (who
participated in 2006 and 2008) using an open interview
approach (until saturation). During these follow-up sessions
(in 2007 and 2009), 59 women were present. Non-computerized
analysis was used to analyse the result of the interviews;
responses were interpreted by looking at patterns and recurrent
themes were grouped. The results of the interviews
were used to adapt the programme to specific recommendations,
needs and expectations of the rural women. Accommodating
any of their concerns and providing them with a
sense of involvement in the ongoing development of the
training and the programme.
Participants and study area
The women who were trained for this project from 2006 to
2009 (four cohorts), came from 30 mostly rural districts in
Nepal (see Fig. 1 and Table 1). The average life expectancy
of women in Nepal is 60.75 years at birth (compared to
61.12 years for men) (12). The average age of the 141 women
participating in the courses from 2006 to 2009 was 23.4 years,
ranging from 16 to 33 years. In this group, 43% were unmarried.
Results of the questionnaire and participants’
observation
Results from the questionnaire showed that 57% of the participating
women were not satisfied with the appearance of their
teeth (Fig. 2). Appearance is important for women as illustrated
by the remark of one of the women: