ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Pre- and Post-Harvest Practices of Urban Leafy Green Vegetable Farmers in Accra, Ghana and Their Association with Microbial Quality of Vegetables Produced

Vegetable farming is the most practiced urban agriculture in Ghana. A previous study of our laboratory revealed poor microbial quality of, and presence of Salmonella on, leafy green vegetables grown or sold in Accra, Ghana. The aims of this study were to determine agricultural practices of urban vegetable farmers and the association between agricultural practices and microbial safety of vegetables produced. A survey was conducted among 102 farmers from 12 farming areas who produced exotic and indigenous leafy greens in Accra, Ghana to identify their farming practices. It was observed that water from waste drains pumped into shallow wells was used for irrigation by 70% of the farmers. Incompletely composted manure was commonly used (99%) in farming. Vegetables were usually harvested using bare hands (96%) and knives (73%) and transported mainly in sacks (94%) to market centers under non-refrigerated conditions. Over 60% of the farmers disagreed that the use of polluted irrigation water can contaminate vegetables or make consumers sick. According to the seemingly unrelated regression model, farmers with no formal education and less food safety knowledge and had been planting on their current farmlands for several years were likely to produced vegetables with higher fecal coliform and Enterococcus sp. counts compared to other farmers. Vegetables cultivated by farmers who disagreed that the use of contaminated water can make consumers sick were associated with the production of vegetables with high fecal coliform and Enterococcus sp. counts. Education and improved agricultural and post-harvest handling practices should be encouraged among vegetable producers in the area to improve food safety.

Source: UG
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention: Safety Concerns

Available evidence supports the efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in decreasing the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among high-risk individuals, especially when used in combination with other behavioural preventive methods. Safety concerns about PrEP present challenges in the implementation and use of PrEP. The aim of this review is to discuss safety concerns observed in completed clinical trials on the use of PrEP. We performed a literature search on PrEP in PubMed, global advocacy for HIV prevention (Aids Vaccine Advocacy Coalition) database, clinical trials registry “http://www.clinicaltrials.gov” and scholar.google, using combination search terms ‘pre-exposure prophylaxis’, ‘safety concerns in the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis’, ‘truvada use as PrEP’, ‘guidelines for PrEP use’, ‘HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis’ and ‘tenofovir’ to identify clinical trials and literature on PrEP. We present findings associated with safety issues on the use of PrEP based on a review of 11 clinical trials on PrEP with results on safety and efficacy as at April 2016. We also reviewed findings from routine real-life practice reports. The pharmacological intervention for PrEP was tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine in a combined form as Truvada® or tenofovir as a single entity. Both products are efficacious for PrEP and seem to have a good safety profile. Regular monitoring is recommended to prevent long-term toxic effects. The main adverse effects observed with PrEP are gastrointestinal related; basically mild to moderate nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Other adverse drug effects worth monitoring are liver enzymes, renal function and bone mineral density. PrEP as an intervention to reduce HIV transmission appears to have a safe benefit-risk profile in clinical trials. It is recommended for widespread use but adherence monitoring and real-world safety surveillance are critical in the post-marketing phase to ensure that the benefits observed in clinical trials are maintained in real-world use. © 2017, The Author(s).

Source: UG
Pre-Hospital Management of Diarrhoea Among Caregivers with Children Under Five at Princess Marie Louise Children Hospital, Accra

The study sought to assess pre-hospital management of diarrhoea and factors affecting it among caregivers with children under five at the PML Children Hospital in the Greater Accra Region. Diarrhoea remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children under five at PML Children Hospital despite the undeniable success of interventions such as ORT, appropriate drug therapy, optimal breastfeeding practices over the years. Proper home management can reduce morbidity and mortality due to diarrhoea. The study design was cross- sectional adopting quantitative approach. The study population comprised all caregivers with children under five reporting to PML Hospital with diarrhoea. A total of 120 participants were enrolled into the study. Permission was sought from PML Children Hospital Management where the study was conducted by providing permission letters and ethical clearance. A structured questionnaire was used as a data collection tool for the study. Data collected was analysed using SPSS version16.0. The findings of the study show poor home management of diarrhoea including dietary restrictions during the diarrhoea episode, low use of both RHFs and ORS but high use of other remedies such as antibiotics and anti-diarrhoea to treat diarrhoea. The study also reveals that caregivers’ educational level had no relationship with knowledge about danger signs of diarrhoea, correct use of ORS as well as level of awareness and use of RHFs and ORS. However, a convincing evidence of relationship was established between caregivers’ education and knowledge about causes of diarrhoea as well as health insurance cover and duration of diarrhoea illness before hospital visit. The study recommended a step up in health education programmes on pre-hospital management of diarrhoea nationwide. A major limitation of the study is that it was limited only to PML Children Hospital and therefore the outcome cannot be generalized to the entire country.

Source: UG
Pre-Marital Counselling and Sustainability of Marriages in Contemporary Ghanaian Society

Marriages in Ghana are usually preceded by counseling. It is believed that premarital counseling helps to sustain marriages because it gives couples the initial skills needed to enable them to start their marriage and solve minor problems that may be encountered in the relationship. This study was aimed at assessing the significance of premarital counseling to the sustenance of marriage. The study adopted a mixed methodological approach in gathering the data. Data was gathered from 112 individuals from three different suburbs of the capital city of Ghana. The results showed that although pre-marital counseling was observed to be important for would-be couples, it does not help sustain all marriages. Married couples that were given pre-marital counseling were getting separated as well as those who never had pre-marital counseling. It is therefore recommended that although premarital counseling may be necessary, it is not sufficient to sustain marriages. Therefore, counseling should continue even after marriage.

Source: UG
Pre-Service Competence of Nursing Students in The Management Of TBHIV Co-Infection

Task shifting models use in the integrated management of TB/HIV co-infection is a step towards bridging the gap created by the syndemic. Nursing students as the future workforce ought to have the competence in managing TB/HIV co-infection. Blooms' Taxonomy of learning was used as a theoretical framework to assess the pre-service competence of final year diploma and undergraduate nursing students in the management of TB/HIV co-infection within the Ghanaian context. A cross-sectional survey design and total population sampling technique was employed. Data was collected from 348 nursing students in four (4) nursing training institutions in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, chi square, correlation, and regression analysis were employed to summarise data. The results revealed high knowledge of TB/HIV co-infection and its complications (M = 15.5, SD = 2.4). Majority (n = 280, 82.6%) were unaware of the World Health Organization task shifting guideline for HIV management. Respondents were moderately skilled in the management of TB/HIV co-infection within the context of WHO task shifting guidelines for HIV management (M = 25.39, SD = 5.72). Skill competence in health assessment (M = 1.87, SD =.63), anti-retroviral medication administration (M = 2.08, SD =.69) and conduct of Voluntary Counselling Test (M = 1.81, SD =.72) was poor. Respondents exhibited moderate levels of avoidance (M = 3.3, SD = .699) moderate to high levels of empathy (M = 4.62, SD = .85) and mildly positive attitude (M = 1.32, SD = 1.06) towards TB/HIV co-infection. Competency was influenced by empathy (p = .001), previous experience in managing TB/HIV co-infections (p = .001), level of education (p = .018), nursing speciality (p = .013) and knowledge of WHO task shifting guidelines (p < .001). Further training is required to enhance the pre-service competence of nursing students in the management of TB/HIV coinfection

Source: UG
Pre-Stroke Depression in Ghana and Nigeria: Prevalence, Predictors and Association With Poststroke Depression

Objectives: Depression is a risk factor for stroke. There is a knowledge gap on the predictors of prestroke depression in stroke survivors living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We estimated prevalence and predictors of prestroke depression, as well as its association with poststroke depression (PSD) in the largest study of stroke in Africa. Methods: We evaluated information collected as part of the Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network (SIREN) study, a multicentre, case-control study conducted at 15 sites in Ghana and Nigeria. Prestroke depression status was ascertained in stroke survivors using a validated self-report tool, while PSD was assessed using a stroke specific screening tool for depression (“HRQOLISP-E”). Independent associations were investigated using complementary log-log regression and binary logit models. Results: Among 1,977 participants, prestroke depression was found in 141 (7.1%). In multivariate analyses, prestroke depression was significantly associated with tachycardia (OR ¼ 2.22, 95% CI ¼ 1.37-3.56) and low consumption of green leafy vegetables (OR ¼ 1.91, 95% CI ¼ 1.12-3.24). Forty-one (29.1%) of the prestroke depression sub-sample developed PSD. However, prestroke depression was not significantly associated with PSD. Conclusion: The findings should energize before-the-stroke identification and prioritization of limited treatment resources in LMICs to persons with depression who have multiple, additional, risks of stroke.

Source: UG
Precipitants of substance abuse relapse in Ghana: A qualitative exploration

Relapse to substance abuse is a global problem and is conceptualized as an integral component of the recovery process. Global statistics on rates of relapse after substance abuse treatment are disturbingly high, averaging about 75% within a 3- to 6-month duration after treatment. This study sought to gain full understanding of the factors that precipitate relapse among substance abusers in Ghana. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 15 relapsed substance abusers who were previously treated for substance abuse, and three mental health professionals at a psychiatric rehabilitation unit in Ghana. Findings showed that seven factors, including positive/negative emotional reinforcements, sense of loss, interpersonal conflicts, peer influence, familial, religio-cultural, and treatment-based issues complot to instigate and maintain the relapse cycle. The findings provide valuable insights into the relapse phenomenon in Ghana. Clinicians should actively engage family members in the relapse prevention process, and provide insight into religio-cultural relapse precipitants.

Source: UG
Predication in Editorial Language: The Example of the Daily Graphic

This paper explores the language of Ghanaian newspaper editorials with a focus on the structure of predication within the sentence. Taking the predicate as the part of the sentence (beginning from the verb) which states, affirms or asserts something about the subject, this paper proposes to investigate, therefore, what syntactic structures occur after the Predicator in a typical sentence in an editorial. The interest in this area of study has been inspired by Frimpong’s Mellon-funded project on the nominal group. In one of his seminars, he has argued for the NG to be studied closely for its pervasive nature in the syntagm of the sentence. In his presentation, an important issue emerged which has served as the motivation for this study - that NGs in subject position are, strikingly, structurally simple, involving single pronouns or nouns and two or three-worded premodifying structures. Therefore, if, as has been pointed out in other studies, editorial language is complex, then the source of its complexity does not lie in the Subject but elsewhere in the sentence. For the purpose of this study, January 2016 editorials of the Daily Graphic will be analysed using the combined methods of quantitative and qualitative principles. This is a stylistic investigation of the grammar of newspaper editorials which, we hope, will provide insights about the use of English in specific domains of second language multilingual contexts

Source: UG
Predicted impacts of global climate change on the geographic distribution of an invaluable African medicinal plant resource, Alstonia boonei De Wild

The likely effects of climate change on geographic distributions of African medicinal plants have not seen detailed analysis. We investigated likely effects of future climate change processes on suitable geographic areas for an important medicinal plant resource, Alstonia boonei De Wild. We characterized the potential geographic distribution of the species by means of ecological niche models based on primary biodiversity data and interpolated climate data from the WorldClim archive. Results indicated that suitability for the species was lower at the northern and southern extremes of the species’ known geographic distribution, whereas broader areas in the eastern half of the species’ distribution were identified as suitable. Future potential geographic distributions were similar to present-day distributional patterns, with modest increases in suitability, which translated into only subtle likely range shifts, with slight expansions of suitability for the species in all directions. As such, in the face of changing climate, the geographic distribution of Alstonia boonei is likely to remain largely stable under present and future climates. This study serves as an example of how ecological niche modeling can be used to evaluate probable effects of future climate change on invaluable natural medicinal resources, implications for healthcare, livelihoods, and conservation practice.

Source: UG
Predicting delinquency by self-reported impulsivity in adolescents in Ghana

Background: Impulsivity is one of several variables associated with delinquent and criminal acts, but its utility depends on the psychometric properties of the measure used. Aim: To investigate the latent structure of the abbreviated Barratt Impulsivity Scale (ABIS) and its convergent validity with measures of aggression and psychopathy in a Ghanaian sample. Methods: In a cross-sectional survey, high school students were recruited from two randomly selected schools in Ghana and asked to respond to the ABIS and measures of delinquency, aggression and psychopathy. Results: Three hundred and sixty-three young people, aged 15–19 were recruited, 149 (41%) boys. Findings supported a three-factor (attention, motor and non-planning) structure of impulsivity, which did not differ by sex. Motor and attentional impulsivity were associated with both violent and general delinquent behaviours. Impulsivity scores also correlated with aggression and psychopathy scores, thus providing evidence of convergent validity. Conclusion: The ABIS was shown to have sound psychometrics in a standard Ghanaian secondary school sample. Even in this group, where delinquency and antisocial behaviours were of low frequency, its motor and attention impulsivity scores were shown to have some relationship with violent and general delinquent behaviours, suggesting that the ABIS could be a useful tool across cultures for identifying adolescents at high risk of such problems and intervening early to limit damage. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Source: UG
Predicting risk and protective factors of generalized anxiety disorder: a comparative study among adolescents in Ghana

In this study, we investigated psychosocial factors associated with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) among adolescents in two socioeconomically and ethnically different communities in Ghana. We examined two objectives; to test the predictors of GAD and to examine differences between the two groups on the predictors of GAD. We studied 300 adolescents aged between 13 and 19 years who responded to a sixscale questionnaire that measured GAD, parental perception, adolescent coping, adolescent religiosity, peer pressure, and self-esteem. We found a higher prevalence of GAD in Obuasi and consistent patterns of risks and protection in both communities. Non-productive coping and low parental involvement were found to be risk factors while self-esteem was found to be a protective factor against GAD. We discuss these findings in the context of socioeconomic and psychological differences among the adolescent population in Ghana

Source: UG
Predicting the course of Alzheimer’s progression

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease and is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-beta peptides leading to the formation of plaques and tau protein tangles in brain. These neuropathological features precede cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s dementia by many years. To better understand and predict the course of disease from early-stage asymptomatic to late-stage dementia, it is critical to study the patterns of progression of multiple markers. In particular, we aim to predict the likely future course of progression for individuals given only a single observation of their markers. Improved individual-level prediction may lead to improved clinical care and clinical trials. We propose a two-stage approach to modeling and predicting measures of cognition, function, brain imaging, fluid biomarkers, and diagnosis of individuals using multiple domains simultaneously. In the first stage, joint (or multivariate) mixed-effects models are used to simultaneously model multiple markers over time. In the second stage, random forests are used to predict categorical diagnoses (cognitively normal, mild cognitive impairment, or dementia) from predictions of continuous markers based on the first-stage model. The combination of the two models allows one to leverage their key strengths in order to obtain improved accuracy. We characterize the predictive accuracy of this two-stage approach using data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. The two-stage approach using a single joint mixed-effects model for all continuous outcomes yields better diagnostic classification accuracy compared to using separate univariate mixed-effects models for each of the continuous outcomes. Overall prediction accuracy above 80% was achieved over a period of 2.5 years. The results further indicate that overall accuracy is improved when markers from multiple assessment domains, such as cognition, function, and brain imaging, are used in the prediction algorithm as compared to the use of markers from a single domain only.

Source: UG
Predicting the direction of dynamic price adjustment in the Hong Kong hotel industry

This study analysed dynamic pricing data of Hong Kong hotels within the last-minute 1-week booking window to determine patterns and direction of room rate changes and their association with hotel characteristics regarding tangible attributes, reputational variables and contextual factors. Findings show that room rates are more likely to increase than decrease or stay constant, and that, holding demand and market conditions constant, the likelihood of price increases (decreases), based on standard binomial probit regression, is positively (negatively) associated with size (tangible attribute), chain affiliation and star rating (reputational attributes), and seller density and location accessibility (contextual factors). These results confirm the importance of differentiation in pricing hotel rooms and indicate how hotel customers and revenue managers can combine these characteristics with predicted demand to anticipate the direction of room rate change in the last-minute booking window as the booking horizon approaches check-in

Source: UG
Predicting the efect of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine uptake by pregnant women on birth weight using a generalized ordered partial proportional odds model

Background: Low birth weight is a public health problem in Africa with the cause attributable to malaria in pregnancy. World Health Organization recommends the use of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine to prevent malaria during pregnancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and trajectories of birth weight and the direct impact and relationship between sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and birth weight in Ghana since 2003. Method: This study used secondary data obtained from the Demographic and Health Survey conducted in Ghana since 2003. Low birth weight was defined as weight<2500 g irrespective of the gestational age of the foetus, while normal birth weight was between 2500 g to<4000 g and macrosomia was= >4000 g. In all the analysis, we adjusted for clustering, stratifcation and weighting to reduce bias and improve precision of the estimates. Analysis was performed on each survey year as well as the pooled dataset. The generalized ordered partial proportional odds model was used due to violations of the parallel regression model assumptions. Efforts were made to identify all confounding variables and these were adjusted for. Predictive analysis was also executed. Results: The overall prevalence of low birth weight was 9% while that of macrosomia was 13%. The low birth weight for 2003 was 12% while in 2008 it was 21% and then 68% in 2014. The mean birth weight of the children in 2014 was 3.16 (3.14, 3.19), 2008 was 3.37 (3.28, 3.45) and 2003 was 3.59 (3.49, 3.69) while that of the pooled data was 3.28 (3.25, 3.30). The adjusted model (taking into consideration all confounding variables) showed that non-uptake of SP could result in 51% odds of giving birth to a low-birth-weight compared with normal birth weight child. An insignifcant result was observed between macrosomia and low birth weight. Conclusion: There is higher probability that low birth weight could increase over the next couple of years if measures are not taking to reverse the current trajectories. The uptake of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine should continue to be encouraged and recommended because it has a direct beneficial effect on the weight of the child.

Source: UG