ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Focal epithelial hyperplasia: report of six cases from Ghana, West Africa.

Focal epithelial hyperplasia is a proliferative growth of the oral mucosa with distinct clinical and histopathological features. Although focal epithelial hyperplasia is frequently reported in children of American Indian and Eskimo descent, it is rarely seen in Africans. This report presents six new cases of focal epithelial hyperplasia observed in African children. The age of the patients ranged from 4 to 12 years, and all except one were females. Clinical variants, the papillary and the papular types were noted in the same patient. There was spontaneous regression of focal epithelial hyperplasia in four patients during the study period. However, the lesions still persist in two patients three years after the initial presentation.

Source: UG
Focus Group Research: Towards an Applicable Model for Africa

Over the last two decades, African communication scholars, educationists and researchers have realised there exist “certain limitations of the western social research methods when used in the rural areas of Africa” (Obeng-Quaidoo, 1985, p. 109). It has been observed that many of the concepts and models learnt during postgraduate study in developed countries are sometimes not workable in developing countries due to problems of illiteracy, poverty and complex social structures. Limitations manifest when Western notions of social science research are used in much of Africa and other parts of the developing world, especially in rural areas, due to their peculiarities, which distinguish them from developed environments (Obeng-Quaidoo, 1983;1 Maynard-Tucker, 2000; Vissandjée, Abdool, & Dupéré, 2002; Winslow, Honein, & Elzubeir, 2002; Laverack & Brown, 2003;). Obeng-Quaidoo (1985) observes that even though “science is universal and transferable, the methodologies and technologies for obtaining scientific knowledge are not universal” (p. 110). He argues that discussions of “methodological innovations” should be situated within specific “cultural imperatives” (p. 110). Halloran (2002)2 argues in support of situating media studies in local environments because news processes (gathering, processing and dissemination or sharing) are impinged upon by many factors, some of which are political, sociological, cultural and economic. Similarly, social science research is impinged upon by the environment in which it is conducted. The “choice of research problems and of what methodological approach is used to study these problems,” is usually influenced by social and political factors (Priest, 1996, p. 5)

Source: UG
Focus in Logba

This paper describes focusing strategies in Logba, a Na-Togo Kwa language. Logba, like other Kwa languages fronts a constituent that is to be focused. In addition, the constituent is morphologically marked. In the variety spoken in Alakpeti, the commercial centre of Logba, the morphological marker for the term focus constituents is ká. There is an equivalent construction in the Tota dialect for argument focus in which an independent pronoun comes after the fronted NP. Moreover, the position in the clause where the focused constituent occurs varies depending on the category of the constituent that is focused. Term constituents (NPs and AdvPs) have a pre-subject focus position while for predicate focus; the bare form of the verb is placed at the VP initial position, after the subject constituent. This is unlike the situation that has been reported for other languages that use verb focus. I will describe the types of constituents that can be focused and explore any consequences for clause structure that may be associated with ex-situ focus constructions

Source: UG
Focus Marking in Kusaal

In this paper, we highlight the strategies that are used to mark focus or place emphasis on elements in the Kusaal clausal construct. Following Dakubu (2005:18-21), we make a distinction between "broad" and "narrow" focus. As a result, we also make a formal distinction between Foc (initial cap only) and FOC (all caps) and relate the former form to broad focus and the latter to narrow focus. We thus differentiate between nɛ/-nɛ Foc and the -i clitic focus marker as opposed to the narrow focus marker, ka, and show that these are used almost always in exclusion of the other.

Source: UG
The focused ethnographic study 'assessing the behavioral and local market environment for improving the diets of infants and young children 6 to 23 months old' and its use in three countries

The overall goal of the department is to conduct research and provide solutions to nutritional problems in Ghana. In pursuance of this goal, the Nutrition Department since its inception has focused its research in the areas of maternal, infant and young child nutrition, food consumption and food security and micronutrient deficiency and interventions. These are priority food and nutrition problems in Ghana.

Source: UG
Folate status of Ghanaian populations in London and Accra.

Migration to the UK is associated with higher incidence of stroke in African populations. A low folate status has been associated with increased risk of stroke, likely to be mediated through raised plasma homocysteine concentrations. We conducted a cross-sectional study to compare blood folate and homocysteine concentrations in eighty healthy Ghanaian migrants living in London matched by sex, age and occupation to 160 individuals from an urban population in Accra, Ghana. Folate intake was determined using three 24h recalls. Fasting blood samples were collected for the determination of serum and erythrocyte folate and plasma homocysteine concentrations and the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677C-T polymorphism. Reported mean folate intake was 20% lower in London compared with Accra (P<0001). However, serum folate was 44% higher, erythrocyte folate 30% higher and plasma homocysteine was 26% lower in subjects from London compared with those from Accra (P<0001). These differences persisted after adjusting for confounders including the MTHFR 677CT mutation, which was rare in both populations. Although there were no associations between dietary folate intake and blood folates (P>005), folic acid supplement use, which was more prevalent in London than Accra (25 and 10%, respectively, P=0004) was associated with erythrocyte folate in both populations (P<001). The main predictors of plasma homocysteine concentrations were erythrocyte folate and male sex (P<0001). Findings from the present study suggest that migration from Ghana to the UK results in improvement of biomarkers of folate status despite the fact that reported dietary intake of folate was apparently lower in subjects from London.

Source: UG
Folk opera and the cultural politics of post-independence Ghana: Saka acquaye’s the lost fishermen

Ghanaian folk opera, which was created by Saka Acquaye in the early 1960s, is fundamentally a work of art; but it was also a political tool. The art form emerged in response to the Nkrumah-led administration’s post-colonial cultural re-engineering agenda. As Daniel Herwitz writes of the South African post-apartheid heritage creation experience (Chapter 2, this volume), that agenda was to recover, valorise, and re-contextualise Ghana’s authentic cultural heritage. The intent was twofold: first, to wean the citizenry off a colonial cultural mentality caused by many years of colonial political and cultural hegemony; and, second, to nurture a more homogeneous ‘national culture’ from the diverse array of ethnic-based sectarian cultural forms and interests as a boost to national integration and identity. This chapter examines how folk opera, created in the nationalistic spirit of the immediate post-independence era, became an integral part of the political and cultural re-engineering efforts of the period, particularly those of the Nkrumah-led Convention People’s Party (CPP) Administration and its protégé government – the Acheampong-led Supreme Military Council I. Folk Opera The term folk opera was introduced into the Ghanaian music and theatre lexicon by Saka Acquaye, who was also the genre’s architect and most prolific composer. Acquaye defines folk opera as a ‘musical form of drama composed of airs, recitatives, and pieces performed by choruses with orchestra, and which makes use of scenery, acting and a blend of poetry and dance’. © Derek R. Peterson, Kodzo Gavua, and Ciraj Rassool 2015.

Source: UG
The folktale and its extensions

Review books or articles provide a critical and constructive analysis of existing published literature in a field, through summary, analysis, and comparison, often identifying specific gaps or problems and providing recommendations for future research. These are considered as secondary literature since they generally do not present new data from the author's experimental work. Review articles can be of three types, broadly speaking: literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. It also the researcher to stay abreast of new literature in the field.

Source: UG
Followership or Followersheep? Searching for Transformational Leaders for Accelerated National Development in Ghana

The recent interest in transformational leaders is based on the fact that this type of leadership is change-oriented and focuses on followership development. In Ghana, a long history of failed development strategies and different political leadership styles has left the citizens disappointed in their leaders. This paper argues that Ghana needs transformational leaders who will be able to raise the quality of life of its citizens. Political leaders need to structurally transform the economic base, deal with corruption, and accelerate the pace of empowerment of ordinary Ghanaians through an effective decentralization programme.

Source: UG
Food access and subjective welfare in a developing country

Understanding the relationship between food access and welfare is critical in the design of social welfare policies, but the literature on this relationship is scarce. Employing the framework by Van Praag (1968) to a household survey data on Ghana, we investigate the monetary income required by households with inadequate food access to reach a given level of welfare. We observed that households with inadequate food access and those not receiving any support require a higher monetary income to reach the same level of verbal qualification of welfare as their counterparts with adequate food access and receiving support, respectively.

Source: UG
Food Allergens

The management of allergens along the food value chain and the diagnosis of food allergic diseases continue to pose serious challenges to the food industry as well as health care professionals. Of the over 170 foods known to provoke allergic reactions, nine foods (and their derived products) are today considered to be major allergens accounting for over 90% of all food allergic reactions. These priority allergens include milk, eggs, soya beans, peanuts, tree nuts (e.g. almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazel nuts, pistachios, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, chestnuts and hickory nuts), seafood such as fish (i.e. both saltwater and freshwater finfish), crustaceans (e.g. shrimp, prawns, crab, lobster and crayfish) and molluscs (e.g. snails, oysters, clams, squid, octopus and cuttle-fish), gluten-containing cereals (i.e. wheat, rye, barley and their hybridised strains and products), sesame and mustard. Symptoms of food allergic reactions and the threshold dose required to provoke allergic reaction markedly vary among sensitised individuals. Food production practices, processing conditions and matrix effects can also modify the molecular structure of food allergens and their potential immunogenic properties which can make allergens diffi-cult to detect even when present in foods. This chapter provides an overview of the different types of food hypersensitivities including a distinction between food allergies and food intolerance, the properties of the nine priority food allergens, current approaches for the management of food allergens and a summary of some of the current methods used in food allergen detection. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc..

Source: UG
Food allergy in Ghanaian schoolchildren: Data on sensitization and reported food allergy

The Department of Parasitology conducts research into parasitic diseases of public health importance with the overall goal of reducing their transmission and the heavy disease burden that they impose on affected populations. The Department maintains focus on parasitic diseases in general. These include major diseases such as malaria, and others listed under the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) control initiative such as, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis.

Source: UG
Food and Feeding Habits of the Big-eye Grunt, Brachydeuterus auritus (Valenciennes, 1831) in the Coastal Waters off Tema, Ghana

Examination of 424 stomach contents of Big-eye Grunt and Brachydeuterus auritus from May and September December 2016 showed four major food groups. In decreasing order of abundance, these are: crustacea (64%), fish (35%), molluscs (0.4%), and insects (0.3%). Anchovies were the commonest prey types, with a frequency of occurrence of 53.6%, followed, among the crustaceans, by lobster larvae (34.5%) and shrimp larvae (5.3%). Crab zoe larvae and crab shell had very low frequencies (<1.0% each). Molluscs, represented by squid and juvenile cuttlefish, and insects, represented mainly by chironomid larvae, both had very low frequencies (<1.0). A low feeding intensity was recorded in October and November, a period coinciding with the highest number of fish with empty stomachs. Conversely, a greater feeding activity was recorded in May, September and December, a period coinciding with the highest number of fish with ¼, ½, ¾ and full stomachs. The proportion of crustaceans in stomach contents increased significantly with increasing size of B. auritus, while the proportion of fish significantly decreased with age. It is recommended that stomach content analysis of this fish species should be replicated to cover all seasons and other geographical areas.

Source: UG
Food and feeding habits of the black pomfret, Parastromateus Niger (Carnagidae) in the Kuwaiti waters of the Arabian Gulf

Examination of 1108 stomach contents of black pomfret, parastromateus niger (Bloch, 1795) from October, 2003 to September, 2004 revealed eight major food groups by a decreasing order of abundance: Bacillariophyceae (23%), fish eggs and larvae (21%), crustaneans (20$%), poriferns (15%) aenelids (10%), cnidarians (5%), fish scales (4%) and chaetognaths (2%). Copepods were the commonest prey types, with an annual frequency of occurrence of 77%, followed, among the crustaceans, by brachyuran zones (65%), postlarvae of shrimp (29%) and penacid shrimps (16%). These were followed by cnidarians, with hydroid medasae (67%), the annelids, with polyehaete larvae (63%), then spnger spicules (poriferans) (54%) and fish scales (45%). Coscinodiscus spp. and Rhizosolenia spp. Were the commonest prey types among the phytoplankton diet with frequencies of occurrence of 50% and 40%, respectively. While copepods, brachyuran zones, chaetognaths, polychaete larvae, sponge spicules and hydroid modusae were ingested throughout the year, the remaining prey types exhibited some seasonal fluctuations. A low feeding intensity was recorded as the temperature increased from March to August, a period coinciding with the highest number of fish with empty stomachs. Conversely, a greater feeding activity was recorded s the temperature decreased from September to February, a period coinciding with the highest number of fish with 1.2, 3/4 and fallstomachs. The proportion of fish eggs and larvae in stomach contents increased significantly with increasing size of P. niger, while the proportion of crustaceans significantly decreased with increasing fish size. Although the proportions of poriferans and annelids also decreased with increasing size of P. niger, these decreases were not significant.

Source: UG
Food and its preparation conditions in hotels in Accra, Ghana: a concern for food safety

The Bacteriology Department aims to improve the quality of life first for Ghanaians and the world at large by conducting research into bacterial diseases of public health importance to Ghana and globally. In addition to working on enteric pathogens and sexually transmitted diseases, the department’s current main focus is on the two most important mycobacterial diseases of public health importance to Ghana, namely Buruli ulcer (BU) and tuberculosis (TB).

Source: UG
Food and nutrition assistance to HIV-infected and affected populations in Ghana: A situational analysis and stakeholder views

Poor nutrition is a determinant of death particularly among persons living with HIV (PLHIV). This paper discusses the state of food and nutrition assistance to PLHIV in Ghana. A review of published articles and program reports was done and supported by in-depth interviews with key stakeholders. Data were qualitatively analyzed. A matrix highlighting problems that need to be addressed, possible attributable factors, strengths, and opportunities of existing actions metamorphosed from the analysis. Although stakeholders agree that adequate nutrition is critically important for PLHIV, food and nutrition interventions to PLHIV are inadequate. © 2014 The African Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers.

Source: UG
Food And Nutrition Security Situation in Ghana: Nutrition Implications For National Development

Achieving food and nutrition security is fundamental to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) due to its strong interdependence with economic growth and development. Eradicating hunger and all forms of malnutrition (SDG 2) remain high on the global agenda and is at the forefront of high panel deliberations because poor dietary intake has long term negative consequences on individuals and economic advancement. The goal to end hunger and malnutrition can be achieved when food and nutrition insecurity is properly tackled through investment in agriculture parallel to economic and social protection programmes. In Ghana, about 1.5 million of the population are estimated to be food insecure while undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies persist across the life stages. Challenges to food and nutrition security in Ghana have been identified as: poverty, climate change, rapid urbanization and population growth, gender inequalities and poor infrastructure. Poor economic growth, health, education, hygiene and environmental exploitation are implications of these challenges. Addressing these implications sets long-term foundation for the development of the nation by prioritising policies that are nutrition sensitive which directly address the complexity of malnutrition. The level of food and nutrition insecurity in Ghana can be reduced through a national commitment towards addressing the four pillars of food security coupled with programmes that bring about resilience through sustainable systems. To this end, intervention programmes have been introduced by government to reduce the poverty burden on households. These programmes are in the form of social interventions, governmental flagship projects, and research-driven agricultural interventions to improve yield that withstand the effect of climate change. This review is aimed to present the food and nutrition security situation in Ghana and emphasise the challenges that exacerbate the problem while bringing to light the nutritional implications to national development. It is hoped that the recommendations from this review will help the government in achieving food and nutrition security in Ghana.

Source: UG
Food availability, accessibility and dietary practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multi-country survey

Objective: To investigate the perceived effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown measures on food availability, accessibility, dietary practices and strategies used by participants to cope with these measures. Design: We conducted a cross-sectional multi-country online survey between May and July 2020. We used a study-specific questionnaire mainly based on the adap tation of questions to assess food security and coping strategies from the World Food Programme’s ‘Emergency Food Security Assessment’ and ‘The Coping Strategy Index’. Setting: The questionnaire was hosted online using Google Forms and shared using social media platforms. Participants: A total of 1075 adult participants from eighty-two countries com pleted the questionnaire. Results: As a prelude to COVID-19 lockdowns, 62·7 % of the participants reported to have stockpiled food, mainly cereals (59·5 % of the respondents) and legumes (48·8 %). An increase in the prices of staples, such as cereals and legumes, was widely reported. Price increases have been identified as an obstacle to food acquisition by 32·7 % of participants. Participants reported having lesser variety (50·4 %), quality (30·2 %) and quantity (39·2 %) of foods, with disparities across regions. Vulnerable groups were reported to be facing some struggle to acquire adequate food, especially people with chronic diseases (20·2 %), the elderly (17·3 %) and children (14·5 %). To cope with the situation, participants mostly relied on less preferred foods (49 %), reduced portion sizes (30 %) and/or reduced the number of meals (25·7 %). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted food accessibility and availability, altered dietary practices and worsened the food insecurity situation, particularly in the most fragile regions.

Source: UG
Food Beliefs and Practices During Pregnancy in Ghana: Implications for Maternal Health Interventions

Ghanaian women's food beliefs and practices during pregnancy and the scope for developing more effective maternal health interventions were explored in this study. Thirty-five multiethnic Ghanaian women between the ages of 29 and 75 were interviewed about pregnancy food beliefs and practices. I show that, based on the data analysis, their knowledge about food was drawn from lifeworlds (family and friends), educational settings, health professionals, mass media, and body-self knowledge (unique pregnancy experiences). Core lay ideas converged with expert knowledge on maternal health nutrition. Multiple external factors (e.g., economics, cultural representations of motherhood) and internal factors (e.g., the unpredictable demands of the pregnant body) influenced pregnancy food practices. I suggest and discuss a need for culturally situated multilevel interventions.

Source: UG