ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Parasite as Potential Biological Tags for Stock Identification of Sardinella Maderensis along the Coast of West Africa

The use of parasites as bioindicators of marine fish stocks was explored worldwide. However, such a study is limited along the West African coast. The current study was intended to apply this method to the stock identification of Sardinella maderensis, one of the most valuable small pelagic fish species along the coast of West Africa. Between February and June 2021, a total of 200 specimens of S. maderensis were randomly sampled from the fishing port of Cotonou along the coast of Benin and the Elmina landing site along the coast of Ghana for morphological and parasitological analyses. The total length of the fish specimens from Benin ranged from 14.5 to 32.2 cm with a mean length of 17.70±2.97 cm; whereas those from Elmina ranged from 16.00 to 32.00 cm with a mean length of 16.00±3.98 cm. The body weights of the Benin samples varied from 28.00 to 287 g with a mean body weight of 144.95 ±47.25 g; and 38.46 to 258.92 g with a mean weight of 120.53±57.41 g in the Ghana samples. A total of four (4) parasitic groups were recorded, including Digenea (Parahemiurus merus), Nematoda (Anisakis sp(p). and Hysterothylacium fortalezae), Cestoda (Tentacularia coryphaenae), and Monogenea (Mazocraeoides sp.). Digenea (Parahemiurus merus) was the most prevalent parasite (41%). Moreover, Anisakis sp(p). and T. coryphaenae, recorded only along the coast of Benin, were found to have the potential for stock identification of S. maderensis along the coast of Benin. They were recorded only along the coast of Benin with a low prevalence. As a result, examination of more S. maderensis from each locality for Anisakis sp(p). and T. coryphaenae may improve their application in stock studies.

Source: UCC
Parasitic Profile of Fresh Vegetables Sold in Selected Markets of the Cape Coast Metropolis in Ghana

Background: Vegetable consumption is a major source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre for the body. While fresh vegetables play a key role in the prevention of some chronic diseases, cancers, and alleviation of micronutrient deficiencies, some have been associated with foodborne parasitic infections. Objectives: We investigated the parasitic contamination of fresh vegetables sold in three market places in the Cape Coast Metropolis in Ghana. Materials and Methods: In this study conducted over a period of three (3) months, a total of one hundred and twenty-six (126) vegetable samples were obtained from three (3) selected markets in the Metropolis. Six (6) different species of vegetables namely tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var capitata), carrot (Daucus carota), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), spring onion (Allium fistulosum) and green pepper (Capsicum annuum) were subjected to parasitological examination for the detection of parasite forms such as larvae, ova and cysts. Results: The overall prevalence of parasitic contamination of vegetables in this study was 52.4%. Five different parasites were detected namely Strongyloides spp, Hookworm, Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides and Entamoeba coli. The prevalence of parasitic contamination was higher in leafy vegetables such as spring onions (90.5%), lettuce (76.2%) and cabbage (66.7%). Multiple parasitic contaminations were a common feature of leafy vegetables than smoothly surfaced ones such as green pepper and tomatoes. Conclusion: The study revealed that most vegetables purchased from the markets in the metropolis were highly contaminated with intestinal parasites. It is therefore recommended that vegetables should be subjected to thorough disinfection processes before being served for food to reduce the transmission of intestinal parasites.

Source: UCC
Parent- adolescent relationship and peer pressure as predictors of academic self - concept: The mediating role of delinquent behaviour

Academic self-concept has positive impact on an individuals‟ educational and behavioural outcome. This study therefore aimed at examining if parent-adolescent relationship and peer pressure were influencers of academic self – concept at the adolescent stage. It sought to ascertain the family structure with adolescents that exhibit more delinquent behaviour and the role that delinquent behaviour plays as a mediator between the relationship between parent - adolescent relationship and academic self-concept as well as peer pressure on academic self-concept. To achieve this, the correlational research design was used. The multistage sampling which included the simple random sampling, proportionate stratified sampling and convenience sampling were employed. Three hundred and thirty-one respondents took part in the study. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire. One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), simple and multiple linear regressions were used for the analysis of data as well as process for mediation. The study revealed that parent-adolescent relationship and peer pressure were contributors of adolescent‟s academic self-concept but on a rather lower level. Difference in the exhibition of delinquent behaviour among adolescents in the three family structures was not evident and delinquent behaviour did not influence the relationship between parent-adolescent relationship and peer pressure on academic self – concept. It was recommended that parents and guardians should continue to monitor, guide and correct their children at the adolescent stage. Educational psychologist in collaboration with curriculum developers should incorporate peer reviews and peer activities in lessons. Guidance and counselling

Source: UCC
Parental attitude towards girls' education and its influence on community action: The case of selected communities in the Central Region

Girls lag behind boys at all levels of formal education in Ghana. Enrolment, retention, and transition and achievement rates for girls are always lower than that of boys. This means that even many of the girls who are enrolled in school do not complete Junior Secondary School. There is the strong belief that negative parental attitude must be blamed for the low level education of girls. The purpose of the study was, therefore, to examine current parental attitude towards the education of girls as well as to find out what actions communities of the Central Region might undertake to promote girls' education at the basic level. Through interviews of parents, community opinion leaders, head-teachers and Directors of education in both rural and urban areas in selected communities in the Twifo-Hemang-Lower Denhyira and Awutu-Efutu-Senya Districts, the perception of people towards girls' education was examined. Also examined was the basis on which parents decide the sex of child to send to school and parental aspirations for their children especially girls. Finally the study explored the preparedness of communities to take actions that would increase the participation of girls in basic education. The study revealed that generally parents would want to educate both boys and girls, however when there are other demands on the family's resources that the education of the girl child is considered a secondary issue. It was also established in the study that parents in urban and rural areas had different aspirations for their girl children. Communities on the whole were willing to institute some measures to promote girls' education. Some of the measures suggested were that communities could form committees to oversee girls' education and educate parents and girls on the importance of girls' education. Communities were also willing to institute awards and scholarships for girls. Finally, suggestions were made which, if implemented, might improve the current Ghanaian situation. The strategies suggested in the research to be used in promoting girls' education include the establishment of girls' education committees in communities with low female enrolment, the use of social/community mobilization campaigns, institution of scholarship schemes, community participation in education, the use of role models and enacting bye-laws to ensure that girls are not discriminated against. The need for further research was also recommended.

Source: UCC
Parental HIV/AIDS Status and Death, and Children's Psychological Wellbeing

Ghana has an estimated one million orphans, 250,000 are due to AIDS parental deaths. This is the first study that examined the impact of parental HIV/AIDS status and death on the mental health of children in Ghana. Methods: In a cross-sectional survey, 4 groups of 200 children (children whose parents died of AIDS, children whose parents died of causes other than AIDS, children living with parents infected with HIV/AIDS, and non-orphaned children whose parents are not known to be infected with HIV/ AIDS) aged between 10 and 19 were interviewed on their hyperactivity, emotional, conduct, and peer problems using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results: Children whose parents died of AIDS showed very high levels of peer problems [F (3,196) = 7.34, p < .001] whilst both orphaned groups scored similarly high on conduct problems [F (3, 196) = 14.85, p < .001]. Hyperactivity showed no difference and was very low in the entire sample. Emotional problems were very high in all the groups except among the non-orphaned children [F (3, 196) = 5.10, p < .001]. Conclusion: Orphans and children living with parents infected with HIV/AIDS are at heightened risks for emotional and behavioural disorders and that efforts to address problems in children affected by HIV/AIDS must focus on both groups of children. Parallel to this, researchers should see these findings as generated hypotheses (rather than conclusions) calling for further exploration of specific causal linkages between HIV/AIDS and children's mental health, using more rigorous research tools and designs.

Source: UCC
Parental HIV/AIDS status and death, and children's psychological wellbeing

Background: Ghana has an estimated one million orphans, 250,000 are due to AIDS parental deaths. This is the first study that examined the impact of parental HIV/AIDS status and death on the mental health of children in Ghana. Methods: In a cross-sectional survey, 4 groups of 200 children (children whose parents died of AIDS, children whose parents died of causes other than AIDS, children living with parents infected with HIV/AIDS, and non-orphaned children whose parents are not known to be infected with HIV/ AIDS) aged between 10 and 19 were interviewed on their hyperactivity, emotional, conduct, and peer problems using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results: Children whose parents died of AIDS showed very high levels of peer problems [F (3,196) = 7.34, p < .001] whilst both orphaned groups scored similarly high on conduct problems [F (3, 196) = 14.85, p < .001]. Hyperactivity showed no difference and was very low in the entire sample. Emotional problems were very high in all the groups except among the non-orphaned children [F (3, 196) = 5.10, p < .001]. Conclusion: Orphans and children living with parents infected with HIV/AIDS are at heightened risks for emotional and behavioural disorders and that efforts to address problems in children affected by HIV/AIDS must focus on both groups of children. Parallel to this, researchers should see these findings as generated hypotheses (rather than conclusions) calling for further exploration of specific causal linkages between HIV/AIDS and children's mental health, using more rigorous research tools and designs.

Source: UCC
Parental motivation and the enrolment of their children into kindergarten

The study, which was conducted in the Kwahu Afram Plains North District, investigated factors that motivate parents to enrol their children in Kindergarten. The motivation of the study was to identify why parents voluntarily enrolled children in Kindergarten even when the State was unable to enforce compulsory universal enrolment or address Early Childhood Education sectoral challenges. The study employed a mixed-method approach and used question guides to collect information from 653 parents in the interviews. Focus group discussions provided additional information to validate the findings. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed while descriptive statistics such as percentages, pie charts, bar graphs and chi-square estimations were used to present or support the findings. Major findings of the study were that parents were motivated to enrol children in KG by factors like their notion of responsibility for their children’s development, their aspirations for their children, their awareness of ECE policies and initiatives, and their perception of the importance of KG. Other motivators included preparing children for school, need for places to keep children during working hours, government’s pro-poor policies, and availability of KG. Factors like parents’ place of residence, educational background, sex and age, also influenced. The study concluded that parental motivation is key in school enrolment decisions. The study recommended that the State adopt measures that will improve communication with parents, strengthen collaboration between school authorities and parents, involve parents in decision making in schools, and strengthen school-community relationship in order to improve parental motivation and involvement in children’s education.

Source: UCC
Parental support for female education in the Tamale metropolis

In Ghana, several governments have introduced measures to get more children enrolled and retained in school. Some of the measures introduced included the Accelerated Development Plan in 1951 which involved the community in supporting the education of their children; Free, Compulsory, Universal, Basic Education policy introduced in 1995 and the establishment of the Girls Education Unit to ensure that more girls have access to education. The purpose of this study was to find out the extent to which the Tamale community supports female education. Tamale was chosen for study because the Northern Region is one area where female education is low. Tamale Metropolis was divided into 11communities. Five of the 11 communities were randomly selected to represent the Metropolis. The sample used for the study was also selected through the lottery method to get 300 households and 300 respondents for the study. A questionnaire and an interview schedule were used to collect data from respondents. The responses were edited, coded and organised into tables according to the requirements of the research questions. The study revealed that nearly half of the respondents did not send their daughters to school. Also, most of those who did (11.0%) could not provide the girls with learning materials and the necessary financial support. It is therefore recommended that financial assistance be given to girls in school by District Assemblies and other stakeholders in education.

Source: UCC
Parents’ expectations and investment in child education: Evidence from rural Ghana

It was until the early 1990’s that economists began to place greater emphasis on the role of human capital development as the basic rock for development. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, the researcher interviewed a sample of 868 households in rural Ghana. The study adopted unitary model of intra household decision model to examine parents’ expectation and investment in children’s education in rural Ghana. The study revealed that the probability that children getting the desired jobs in the future, the benefits of the education to the parents, the average cost of education, the discount rate of the parents, the number of children in the household and the income level of the heads of households were the major factors that influenced the proportion of children enrolled in school. On the issue of resource allocation in the household, expected remittance from children, job market discrimination and a number of parent-specific socioeconomic had a major role to play on educational resources allocation. The study further revealed that there was gender bias when it came to resource allocation. The study recommends that government should create more jobs to employ graduates and also eliminate liquidity constraint. The study further recommends the enforcement of the labour law against discrimination. Finally, educational cost like Parent Teacher Association (PTA) dues, extra classes’ fees should be stopped in schools.

Source: UCC
Parents’ perceptions and intentions on provision of condom education for adolescents in the Cape Coast Metropolis

This study focused on parents’ perceptions and intentions to provide condom education for adolescents. A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was employed using self-administered questionnaire. A total of 398 parents from rural and urban communities in Cape Coast Metropolis completed the questionnaire. The study discovered that though some adolescents have knowledge on condom use, parental contribution to such knowledge was very minimal because they do not feel comfortable discussing such topics with their adolescent children, and cited media advertisement (billboards & radio) and friends as major sources of adolescents’ condom education. Parents perceive that condom education must take place in the school setting at the JHS level with female teachers handling such education. The study also found that the perception that condom education for the adolescent will have an effect such as initiating them into sexual experimentation influences their readiness or intention to provide their adolescent children with condom education. In view of this, it is recommended that public health education programs should target parents to sensitize them on the essence to communicate and educate their adolescent children on condom use in order to curb misinformation and misuse about condom usage by adolescents to help improve their sexual health now and in adulthood

Source: UCC
Parents’ Socio-Economic Status And Parental Academic Support For Students: The Moderating Role Of Religiosity

This study examined the relationship between parents’ socio-economic status and parental academic support for students and the moderating role of parents’ religiosity. A descriptive cross-sectional design approach was used for the study. With a sample size of 400 junior high school students, 346 participants responded to structured questionnaires. Frequencies and percentages, multivariate analysis of variance, and moderation analysis with Hayes’ PROCESS were the primary statistical methods used in this study. The study found that most parents having children in JHS at the Binduri District were within the middle-level socio-economic status. Autonomy support was the major form of academic support that JHS students in the Binduri Districts had from their parents. Again, parents’ socio-economic status did not significantly predict parental academic support for JHS students in the Binduri District, while parents’ religiosity significantly predicted parental academic support for JHS students in the Binduri District. However, parents’ religiosity did not moderate the relationship between parents’ socio-economic status and parental academic support. There was no gender difference in the academic support JHS students received from their parents. Based on the findings, it is recommended that parents should make an effort to raise their socio-economic status levels so that they would be able to support and provide for the needs of their kids in Junior High School. Parents should also give their kids the form of academic support that helps the students to be more relaxed and expressive. Parents are recommended not to take their religiosity for granted as it goes a long way to influence the academic support, they have for their kids in JHS.

Source: UCC
Participant relationship and code choice in communication: A Case of the University Community of Cape Coast, Ghana

The current study focused on the effect of interpersonal relationship on code choice in discourse situations in the university community of Cape Coast. The study also looked at the nature of the linguistic situation and the kinds of code choice in the university. It revealed that the university community of Cape Coast is multilingual and the kinds of code choice are: unmixed codes, code mixing and code switching. The research target population comprised: students, lecturers and the non-academic staff. The present study employed a sociolinguistic approach and it was conducted within the framework of ethnography of speaking and sociology of language. The study also adopted the ethnographic research design and the instruments used for data collection were: observation, questionnaire and interview. The findings of the research revealed that the interpersonal relationship between participants in discourse defined by age, sex, rank, level of education and ethnicity affected code choice

Source: UCC
Participant relationship in discourse and its effect on code choice: A case study of the University community of Cape Coast

The present study focuses on the effect of inter-personal relationship on code choice in discourse situations in the university community of Cape Coast. The study looks at the nature of the linguistic situation and the kinds of code choice in the university. The present work employs a sociolinguistic approach and it is conducted within the framework of ethnography of speaking and sociology of language. The target population of the research is the university community of Cape Coast and the sample frame comprises students. lecture~ and the non-academic staff. The study adopts the ethnographic research design and the instruments employed for data collection were: observation. questionnaire and interview . The results of the study show that the inter-personal relationship between interlocutors defined by age. sex. rank, status. religious affiliation. marital status. level of education and ethnicity affected code choice in discourse situations. The university community of Cape Coast is multilingual and the kinds of code choice available to subjects are: unmixed codes. code mixing and code switching.

Source: UCC
Participation in Agro-Processing and its Effects on Household Welfare in the Sissala East Municipality of Ghana

Low participation in agro-processing deny the Ghanaian economy the full contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This study sought to investigate the effects of agro-processing adoption on household welfare in the Sissala East Municipality. A descriptive cross-sectional design involving a multistage random sampling technique was employed. In a chi-square test of independence, respondents’ involvement in agro-processing showed significant association with the sex of respondent, educational level, and occupation. Also, respondents’ involvement in agro-processing showed significant association with average monthly income, savings, ability to pay school fees, ownership of the house, building material, ability to pay electricity bills and household cooking fuel. It is therefore concluded that participation in agro-processing has a significant association with several household welfare parameters. It is recommended Government and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) may have to institute training programmes on agro-processing, put in place credit schemes to support agro-processing activities, make accessible the needed farm inputs to boost yields.

Source: UCC