ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Determining factors of housing price in Ghana, the case of Kumasi

The study examines the determinants of housing prices in Ghana, with a specific case study of housing prices in Kumasi. Specifically, the study analyzes the characteristics of various housing types, their relations with housing prices, and the effect of housing characteristics on demand and supply of occupied dwelling units in Kumasi Metropolis. In addition, it identifies the extent to which inadequate housing attributes or characteristics results in social, health, and economic issues. The Hedonic model is used to identify which characteristics of housing is the most significant at each point in time and strongly determines housing price. The study establishes with a graph how inadequate housing attributes pose a challenge to households’ health and social behaviour, and in addition financially puts a burden on both households and the public at large. The study recommends among others that policy makers and housing developers should gear their attention to building low cost housing with the adequate and necessary housing attributes. The main construction material is cement and concrete which increases the price of housing as developers increase the characteristics of housing; it is recommended that other quality construction materials are used. It further recommends that policy makers on housing should focus on pursuing various affordable housing programmes and place more importance on housing characteristics or attributes to raise utility for certain attributes. It is recommended that the hedonic model be used by housing policy makers to access household willingness for some characteristics of housing which will reflect the real price they pay.

Source: KNUST
Determining measures to improve quality at the design stage of public construction projects

The design stage of the construction industry is the source of documents which serves as quality control during the construction stage. The main purpose of the study is to identify factors affecting quality at the design stage, the effects of poor quality at the design stage on construction project delivery and also the measures to improve quality at the design stage. The questionnaires were distributed to 120 respondents made up of 40 public clients, 40 consultants, and 40 D1K1 contractors. The response rate for the distributed questionnaires was 83.33% with 36 of the public clients responding, 34 of the consultants responding and 30 of the contractors responding back. The data was analyzed using (RII). The conclusion drawn from the data analysis for the most severe causes of deficiencies in quality at the design stage was poor scope definition, lack of effective communication, selection of consultants based on lowest cost, leadership problems and delay payments of consultants. The most frequent factors which affect quality at the design stage lack of effective communication, Poor Scope definition, delay in payment of consultants, Last minute changes by clients and Unrealistic demands from the project cost. The highest ranked effects of poor quality designs produced at the design stage during construction process led to projects being abandoned, loss of financial resources, contract disputes, and lack of satisfaction by the end user and failure of structures. The highest ranked measure to improve quality at the design stage was efficient communication between project team members, the next was the increased level of commitment by project team members, Increased Level of Planning at the design stage, selection of consultants based on merit and not only on cost for works which are not routine and efficient use of design software. Recommendation to the client and the consultants is to pay consultants on time, the selection of consultants should not be based on least cost only but also on merit for works which are not standard or routine and the adoption of design quality indicators during the design stage to help with the communication process

Source: KNUST
Determining risk factors of cardiovascular diseases using multiple logistic regression analysis case study: Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (2011-2012)

Cardiovascular disease is one of the top two cause of death after diarrhoea disease. WHO(2011). The study analysed the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases us-ing descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression model. Multiple logistic regression was applied to assess the risk factors for the development of cardiovas-cular diseases in Ghana. Secondary data was obtained from the department of medicine of the komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, in 2011 and 2012. The folders of 109 suspected cardiovascular patients made up of 78 males (71.6 %) and 31 females (28.4%) were available for the nal analysis. The results showed that, risk factors such as family history, overweight, cholesterol level and hypertension were important predictors of cardiovascular diseases. However, it was found that the risk factors; gender, diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption and age were not good predictors of cardiovascular diseases. Finally, there was su cient ev-idence to show that hypertension poses the greatest risk to the development of cardiovascular diseases. More so, hypertensive female patients were more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases than hypertensive male patients.

Source: KNUST
Determining the causes and impact of loans default on the operations of credit unions; A Case Study of St Joseph the worker cooperative credit union.

Credit Unions in Ghana currently provide significant financial services including microcredit facilities particularly to the rural and semi-urban areas across the country. Granting of microcredit facility (Loan) is a major activity of St Joseph the Worker Co-Op Credit Union and the loan portfolio constitute a significant proportion of the assets of the union. Undoubtedly, the union derive most of its interest incomes from loans, however, not all loans granted to beneficiaries perform well and earn the expected returns and this tend to have adverse effect on the quality of the loan portfolio. The study therefore analyses the socio-economic characteristics of clients, the factors accounting for loan default assess the rate of growth and impact of loan default on the general operations of St Joseph the Worker Co-operative Credit Union. Stratified and Purposive sampling techniques were used to select hundred loan clients and two Loan Officers respectively for the study. Questionnaire and interview guide were used to collect data for the study. Business failure, lack of monitoring of loans, Low level of income, inadequate marketing avenues were identified as the principal causes of the default loans in the organization. Measures to control default were found to include the provision of collateral to cover loan amount especially to those in the informal sector, need for training on how to use the loans, effective and regular monitoring of the loan from the time of disbursement till the final repayment, loan officers should be resourced sufficiently at all times in terms of vehicle and other logistics to support the monitoring activities. It was concluded that the government and hence Bank of Ghana should regularly monitor and supervise the credit unions and also try and formalize most of the informal sector.

Source: KNUST
Determining social challenges of children with cleft lip and or palate as perceived by parents or caretakers at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi Metropolis in Ashanti region, Ghana

Introduction Cleft lip and or palate is a congenital malformation in which there is failure of the lip or roof of the mouth to close leaving a gap in the lip or roof of the mouth. Most people affected with this malformation suffer discrimination, stigmatization and ostracism from non-affected people. Also, they do not receive enough attention from policy makers. As a result they have social challenges in education, finding employment and a life partner. This study aimed at finding out the proportion of children with cleft lip and or palate in KATH and the social challenges they could face as perceived by their parents or caretakers. Methods A descriptive cross- sectional study was used to conduct the study and the study population included parents or caretakers of children with cleft lip and or cleft palate and children with the condition. Data was gathered using standard information extraction sheet and structured questionnaire. The extraction sheet was used to gather data from 272 folders of children with CLP and the structured questionnaires were administered to 224 caretakers/parents of children with CLP. Data was entered into Microsoft word 2007 and was transported to Stata version 12.0 for analysis. Statistical significant was set as 0.05. Results The results indicated that cleft lip was the most occurring cleft type; 43.8% for 2013 and 46.9% for 2014 and 0.4% of parents of cleft children had cleft themselves.

Source: KNUST
Determining the Causes and Impact of Non Performing Loans on the Operations of Microfinance Institutions : A Case of Sinapi Aba Trust.

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Ghana currently provide significant financial services including microcredit facilities particularly to the rural and semi-urban areas across the country. Granting of microcredit facility(Loan) is a major activity of the MFIs and the loan portfolio constitute a significant proportion of the assets of the MFIs. Undoubtedly, the MFIs derive most of their interest incomes from loans, however, not all loans granted to beneficiaries perform well and earn the expected returns and this tend to have adverse effect on the quality of the loan portfolio. In the light of key role that the MFIs have assumed in the national economy, the study was conducted to establish the causes, trend and impact of NPLs on the operations of MFIs with particular focus on Sinapi Aba Trust(SAT). The study specifically focused on the impact of NPLs on operating profits, interest incomes and loanable funds of SAT. In terms of data, primary and secondary data were used for the study. The study found out that SAT recorded substantial amounts as non performing loans in the five-year period reviewed and this adversely affected the financial performance of the organization by way of reducing its operating profits, loanable funds and undermining the liquidity position among others. Business failure, lack of monitoring of loans, inadequate marketing avenues were identified as the principal causes of the non performing loans in the organization. The study also found that trade and service sectors have the highest incidence of NPLs. In order to address the menace of NPLs in the MFIs, the following measures are recommended to the management of (SAT). These measures include effective monitoring of loans, credit training programs, tight security requirements and seeking the services of credit reference bureaus and private debt collectors.

Source: KNUST
Determining the factors that influence utilization of family planning services in the Kwaso Sub District, Ejisu-Juaben District, (Ashanti) Ghana

Family planning (FP) is a cost effective health intervention that has immediate benefits for women, children and families. However, in the Kwaso sub district for the past five years, 1998-2002, the family planning acceptor rate has never exceeded 13%. The objective of this study was therefore to determine the factors responsible for this low acceptor rate. A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out over a three-month period. A total number of 150 persons, all women in their reproductive age of 15-49 were interviewed using structured questionnaires to assess their practices, beliefs and attitudes towards family planning. The findings of the study revealed that 22% of the respondents were currently using a family planning method. Education was found to be positively related to contraceptive use. The major reason for non-use of contraceptives was lack of intensive education on family planning followed by the fear of side effects. Thirty percent of the respondents discussed the use of family planning with health workers. Child spacing is greatly valued but fertility regulation to some extent was seen as a woman’s responsibility. It is therefore being recommended that Information, Education and Communication activities on family planning should be intensified through community durbars and identified male and female groups to dispel misconceptions, such as contraceptives use resulting in infertility and deformed babies, and allay fears about side effects. Awareness on the importance of spousal communication and male involvement in reproductive health issues should also be promoted.

Source: KNUST
Determining The Number Of Senior High Schools Needed To Optimize The Intake Of Junior High School Graduates In A Municipality Using Queuing Theory

Optimizing the intake of Junior High School graduates into Senior High Schools has been a thorn in the flesh of authorities and parents nowadays. The number of students coming from the Junior High schools is always far greater than the vacancies available to absorb these numbers. As the vacancies are increased, expanded and improved, there will be greater access which will eventually result in higher intake. The study will help us understand the relationship between resources and waiting times, find better solutions to the existing challenge, for a better understanding and to help alleviate the problem. To optimize pupils’ intake into the senior high schools system for effective and efficient education or academic work, a solution-oriented modeling approach can help to devise efficient automatic planning and optimization schemes for Sunyani municipal directorate of the Ghana Education Service. This thesis discusses how good mathematical models can be obtained for real-world problems solution using the queuing model. The model helps identify the service rate available to absorb the arrival rate in the municipality. This will at long round increase the number of senior high schools or expand the existing ones in order to optimize the flow of junior high graduates into the senior high schools in the municipality. The queuing model employed was able to increase the total intake of students into the senior high school system to about 30% of the previous year. After having briefly explained the main aspect of queuing theory such as single source single server, multi-source multi server and so on, it became prudent to use the multi-source multi server queuing model.

Source: KNUST
Determining the efficiency of malaria rapid diagnostic test to diagnose post transfusion malaria in children under five years old at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital

Malaria associated with blood transfusion in malaria-endemic countries has until recently been a neglected area. Malaria prophylaxis has however been consistently used for the management of transfusion transmitted malaria (TTM). Current recommendations from World Health Organization (WHO) state that, the diagnosis of malaria must be confirmed before initiation of therapy. It is therefore important to establish which of the current routine test methods, is most appropriate for use. Malaria RDTs are now supplementing microscopy in the diagnosis of malaria in many endemic countries. However their efficiency as a screening tool for the detection of malaria in donors or in transfusion recipients has not been well evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the efficiency of malaria RDT in the detection of post transfusion malaria in children under five years old at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi. The study took place between November 2014 and April 2015. Blood samples from 179 patients and their corresponding donors were tested for Plasmodium parasitaemia using RDT and microscopy. The recipients’ blood samples were obtained within 48hours after transfusion for malaria diagnosis. To determine the incidence of post transfusion malaria, 32 patients were purposefully selected. Their pre-transfusion, post transfusion and donor blood samples were tested for malaria using PCR. Majority (52%) of the study population was between the ages of 0 - < 1 year. Prevalence of malaria in blood donors was 27% by RDT and 7% by microscopy. Prevalence at pre transfusion, was 34% by RDT and 13% by microscopy. Prevalence at post transfusion was 59% by RDT and 4% by microscopy. Incidence of post transfusion malaria by PCR was 57%. The sensitivity of RDT in detecting malaria at post transfusion was 100%. Efficiency of malaria RDT as a tool for malaria diagnosis at post transfusion, among children under five years old is good. Clinicians should consider implementing the use of malaria RDT at post transfusion.

Source: KNUST
Determining the optimal trading strategy of a second tier fund manager under different covariance structures

The 2nd-tier fund managers have limited investment capital, making it impossible to invest in all securities on the stock market. However investing in fewer stocks may not present the needed financial base that could withstand the possible financial shocks and guarantee high returns. On the other hand, actuaries can employ actuarial tools such as covariance structure to forecast the prospects of a selected stocks which could complement each other to reduce the probable risk and improve investment output. Fund managers are therefore required to make an informed investment decisions adopting reliable actuarial tools that could minimize the risk that can be associated with investing in fewer stocks. The decision they make on their investments affect returns, and that of their clientèle eventually. The study looked at three different covariance structures: Toeplitz, Autoregressive(1) and Unstructured and the amount to optimally invest in each security under these structures. Correlated and uncorrelated stocks under the different covariance structures on simulation study were studied. Monthly data was taken from companies that deal in AAPL, TNET and BAX from 1st January, 2008 to 31st December, 2012. Kolmogorov - Smirnov and Anderson Darling tests were used to check the distributions of the market data. After a hypothesis testing,the observation was that AAPL, BAX and TNET were from the Normal, Weibull and Weibull distributions respectively with a negative correlation between BAX and TNET. Inferring from the results obtained in this study, investing more than half of the investment capital in the TNET security was considered optimal. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that fund managers can rake in high returns if more than half of the amount available for investment was put in the TNET security. Additionally, the Toeplitz covariance structure proved efficient in predicting the suitable stocks to invest the 2 tier fund.

Source: KNUST
Determining the potential of mobilephone-based health interventions in Kumasi, Ghana

Background: Numerous reviews have reported generally positive outcomes of mobile phone-based health (mHealth) interventions in the sub-Saharan African countries, especially for people with non-communicable diseases. At the same time, the mHealth landscape is burdened by a lack of sustainability. A recently published review has identified several context factors that influence the successful implementation of mHealth. Therefore, the aim is to use these contextual factors to assess the potential for mHealth in a particular clinical setting. Design: The study used a cross-sectional, descriptive design. Setting: The clinical setting of the study was the ‘Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital’ in Kumasi, Ghana. Participants: 150 patients attending the diabetes clinic were surveyed. Main outcome measures: Context factors that influence the perceived usefulness and ease of use of mHealth. Results: The survey revealed that patients at the diabetes centre had a positive attitude towards mobile phones, but also a low familiarity. Whereas patients faced several access barriers to care, most enabling resources for the success ful and sustainable implementation of mHealth interventions such as access to mobile phones and electricity were available. Conclusions: There is a high potential for mHealth in the setting of the diabetes clinic in Kumasi, Ghana.

Source: KNUST
Deterministic SIR Model of Hepatitis B Virus Infection and the Impact of Vaccination (The Case of Sunyani Municipality)

Deterministic SIR Models with essential factors such as Susceptible, Infective and Removal was formulated. This is to understand the Mechanisms of Hepatitis B Virus Infections in the Sunyani Municipality. Deterministic SIR Model without and with Demographic turn-over were respectively used to understand HBV Epidemic and Endemic situation of the population. An SIR Vaccination Model was included to assess the impart of Vaccination. In the first Model, the Reproductive Number was estimated as R0 = 1:957 > 1 which shows epidemic population. The Model indicated that, modeling with 10 susceptible with an infective, about 90% of the population would be infected during the period of epidemic. The Reproductive Number for the second Model was estimated as R0 = 1:022 which shows an endemic population. This Model has two equilibrium states; the disease-free equilibrium state and the endemic equilibrium state. The two equilibrium states were found to be Asymptotically Stable. The Vaccination Model shows a decrease in the Infective whiles the group to which Vaccination was given increased. The Reproductive Number (R ) was estimated as R = 0:511<1.The study shows that Infectious Rate and Reproductive Number play important roles in prevalence of disease in the population. Our findings show that an increase in Infectious rate produces R0 > 1 whiles a decrease in Infectious rate produces R0 < 1. Per the data from Sunyani Municipal Hospital, an Infectious rate of at most 1% and Vaccination rate of at least 60% can curb the situation and eventually eradicate HBV Infection in the Municipality. This thesis was written using LaTex Platform whiles MATLAB Code was used for the programming.

Source: KNUST
Deterministic Sirb cholera model with logistic approach in Dormaa-Ahenkro, Ghana

In this work, a deterministic differential equation model that incorporates an environmental reservoir of Vibrio cholerae was developed for the propagation of cholera using some parameter values from Dormaa-Ahenkro, Ghana. The model was formulated from some modifications of previous cholera models. It looked at Vibrio cholerae - the causative agent of cholera -using a logistic approach for its growth in its expected habitat. Analysis was performed on the Jacobian matrix assuming zero Vibrio cholerae environments.

Source: KNUST