ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Determinants of the utilisation of skilled delivery services by pregnant women in the central region of Ghana

The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of utilisation of skilled delivery service (SDS) by pregnant women at health facilities in the Central Region of Ghana. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to conduct the study. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to sample 1100 pregnant women. Questionnaire was used to collect the data after pretesting was done and the collected data were analysed using frequencies, percentages and binary logistic regression were used to analyse the data. SPSS version 21was used to analysed the data. The results showed that majority of the pregnant women had the intention to use SDS during labour. The factors that were found to determine the use of SDS were religion, person who takes decision at delivery place, number of antenatal care (ANC) visits for the index child, place of last delivery, having experienced miscarriage in life and level of satisfaction with last delivery services. Attitude of staff, privacy, demand for items from pregnant women, mothers who needed closer attention from relatives and road network were the factors that correlate with SDS use. To improve maternal mortality, it is imperative to address the determinants of SDS use. It is recommended that future studies focus more on investigating why the Muslim minority in the Central Region are unlikely to use SDS. The Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Ministry of Health (MOH) should put measures in place to prevent midwives from illegally extorting items from pregnant women. Health care providers should adopt incessant health education and behaviour change communication strategies to increase the propensity for SDS use. Health service providers should ensure client and family-centered care to make the health facilities user friendly.

Source: UCC
Determinants of time of start of prenatal care and number of prenatal care visits during pregnancy among Nepalese Women

This study is aimed at investigating the factors determining the timing of first prenatal care (PNC) visit and the number of PNC visits among a national representative sample of Nepali women. Data was drawn from the 2006 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey on women age 15–49 years old who had delivery within three years prior to the survey (N = 4,136). Multinomial logistic regression was used to study the association between socio-demographic variables and two outcome variables—the timing of first PNC and number of PNC visits. Most of the women (45%) started prenatal care after 3 months of pregnancy while 28% had no care. About 43% of women had 1–3 PNC visits, 29% had more than 3 visits. Age, education, parity and wealth were associated with both the timing of PNC and the number of PNC visits such that older women and those socioeconomically disadvantaged had late and fewer PNC visits compared to the younger ones and those with socioeconomic advantage, respectively. Women with higher parity and those in rural residencies were more likely to delay PNC, have fewer PNC or have no care at all. Majority of Nepali women do not attend prenatal care during the first trimester of pregnancy contrary to the WHO recommendation for women in developing countries. Programmes aimed at improving maternal health in general and participation in PNC in particular should target all Nepali women, especially those: in rural residencies, with no education, with high parity; older women and those from poor households

Source: UCC
Determinants of under-five mortality in Ghana: Evidence from the Ghana demographic and Health Survey

Background and Objectives: This study aims to investigate the strength of the association between socio-economic, maternal and environmental determinants and under-five mortality in Ghana. Methods: We utilized data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, a population-based cross-sectional study, which included 4151 children born alive to women aged 15-49 years. The primary outcome variable was under-five mortality. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were applied to assess the relationship and relative association of the independent variables with the outcome variable. Results: Children of women with secondary education and above and women within the middle wealth status were 0.593 and 0.886 less likely to experience under five deaths compared to women with no education and women of low wealth status (OR=0.593; 95% CI 1.690 to 2.063; p< 0.01) (OR =0.886; 95% CI 1.48 to 1.63; p<0.01). Women who had their first birth at age 20-29 years were 0.764 less likely to experience under-five deaths compared to those aged 15-19 years (OR= 0.764; 95% CI 0.994 to 1.191; p<0.01). Children born in households with pit toilets were more likely (OR= 1.51; 95% CI 1.20 to 2.30; p<0.01) to die before age five compared to children born in households with flushed toilet. Women who used bore hole /well water were more likely (OR= 1.686; 95% CI 2.94 to 3.01; p< 0.05) to experience under-five deaths compared to women who used piped water. Conclusion and Implications for Translation: This study identified the determinants that significantly predicted under-five deaths and the magnitude of the influence on under-five deaths in Ghana. It accentuates the need for increased maternal education, delayed child bearing, provision of improved drinking water and toilet facilities to reduce under-five deaths in Ghana

Source: UCC
Determinants of unintended pregnancies in rural Ghana

Background: Unintended pregnancies may carry serious consequences for women and their families, including the possibility of unsafe abortion, delayed prenatal care, poor maternal mental health and poor child health outcomes. Although between 1993 and 2008, unintended births decreased from 42% to 37% in Ghana, the rate of decline is low, whilst levels are still very high. his raises the need to understand factors associated with unintended pregnancies, especially among women in rural settings where the rates and risks are highest to help improve maternal health. Method: We collected data from 1,914 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic between January 2012 and April 2012 in four health facilities in the Mfantseman Municipal of the Central Region of Ghana. We used bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to explore how socio-demographic characteristics, past reproductive health experiences, partner characteristics and relations, awareness and past experience with contraceptives, influenced the status of women’s current pregnancy (whether intended or unintended). Results: The mean age of the 1,914 respondents in this study was 25.6 ± 6.5 years. Seventy percent (70%) said the pregnancies they were carrying were unintended. he odds of carrying unintended pregnancy among women with five or more children were higher than those with one to two children [AOR 6.06, 95% CI (3.24-11.38) versus AOR 1.48, 95% CI (1.14-1.93)]. Women with other marital arrangements showed significantly higher odds of carrying unintended pregnancy compared to those married by ordinance (Muslim or Christian wedding). Women not living with their partners exhibited increased odds of having unintended pregnancies compared to women who lived with their partners (AOR 1.72, 95% CI: 1.28 - 2.30). Awareness of traditional methods of family planning (withdrawal and rhythm) was associated with lower odds of having unintended pregnancy compared to non-awareness (AOR 0.66, 95% CI (0.49-0.89). Conclusions: In this study, important risk factors associated with unintended pregnancies were: parity, living arrangements with partner, marriage by ordinance and awareness of traditional, non-pharmacological contraceptive methods. Family planning interventions targeting different groups of women, especially during the postpartum period, would be essential to reduce rates of unintended pregnancies and promote positive health outcomes

Source: UCC
Determinants of University Working-Students’ Financial Literacy at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana

This paper explores the determinants of university working-students’ financial literacy. It further seeks to establish the relationship between financial literacy and certain demographic characteristics. This study adopted a correlational research design as the framework to examine the relationship between variables without determining cause and effect. Data were randomly collected from 250 undergraduate and postgraduate students of a public university in Ghana. The paper found that age and work experience were positively related to financial literacy. Also, mother’s education was positively correlated with respondents’ financial literacy. However, level of study, work location, father’s education, access to media and the source of education on money were all not significantly correlated with financial literacy. A key recommendation is that given the positive correlation between mother’s education and financial literacy, parents should be actively involved in designing educational programs on financial issues at the basic and high school levels for their kids. It is believed that such a step forward will help parents to guard and guide their children’s financial behaviours.

Source: UCC
Determinants of unprotected casual heterosexual sex in Ghana

Casual heterosexual sex remains a significant contributor to HIV transmissions in Ghana. The study used data from the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) to assess the socio-demographic, economic and spatial factors influencing unprotected casual heterosexual sex among men and women. The results of the binary logistic regression models revealed that women aged 35–44 had significantly higher odds of engaging in unprotected casual heterosexual sex than those aged 15–24, unlike the men. There were significantly lower odds of unprotected casual heterosexual sex for women and men with exposure to print media compared with those without exposure. Compared with men residing in the Western Region, unprotected casual heterosexual sex was significantly less likely among those in the Upper East Region. There is the need for behavioural change campaigns in Ghana that take into consideration the multiplicity of factors that determine unprotected casual heterosexual sex

Source: UCC
Determinants of visual impairment caused by uncorrected refractive error among 5–15-year-old children attending schools in coastal areas of Cape Coast, Ghana.

Epidemiological study of determinants of vision problems is important in developing strategies for the prevention of visual impairment. This study set out to assess the determinants of visual impairment caused by uncorrected refractive error among children aged between 5-15 years attending primary schools in the coastal areas of Cape Coast. Random selection of public and private schools in geographically defined clusters was used to identify a cross sectional sample of 3,088 eligible school children (M = 9.44, SD = 2.17) for visual acuity measurement and in-school ophthalmic examination. Potential determinants of visual impairment including age, gender, type of schooling, body mass index, socio-economic status (SES), school academic achievement, parental refractive status, and amount of near work were examined in multivariate logistic regression models. Prevalence of uncorrected, presenting, and best visual acuity was 10.3, 9.9 and 2.1% respectively. Prevalence of visual impairment due to uncorrected refractive error was 2.7% (n=83). Older age, attending private school, belonging to middle and high SES, and being overweight were the predictive factors. Being of older age was the strongest determinant of visual impairment due to uncorrected refractive error in children attending schools around the coastal areas of Cape Coast, Ghana. School health programs should be augmented to incorporate regular in-school eye screening services.

Source: UCC
Determinants of Women’s Choice of Delivery Site in Apam

Majority of the maternal deaths that occur, especially in developing countries are avoidable or preventable. The study assessed the major factors responsible for determining the choice of delivery place in Apam. Using a descriptive cross sectional research design, the study involved 128 mothers who attended post natal clinic within Apam and delivered between December 2010 and May 2011, irrespective of site of delivery. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in the study. Structured interview and focus group discussion guide were used for data collection. Data was analysed using the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) Version 16 software. Out of the 128 mothers that reported at the health facility, it was found that majority (78%) of the respondents who delivered at the hospital were married. There are significant relationships between marital status, level of education and the choice of delivery location. This is also consistent with decision making in relation to the choice of delivery place. The study concludes that even though most pregnant women attend antenatal care before their most recent births, about one-third did not deliver in a health care facility. It is recommended that level of health education within Apam should be intensified to enable women know the hazards of not delivering under a supervised setting.

Source: UCC
Determinants of Working Capital Management Practices in Senior High Schools in an Era of Free Senior High School Policy in the Central Region of Ghana

ABSTRACT Free senior high school policy has been one of the educational interventions in Ghana which has been of great benefits to parents, students and other educational stakeholders. However, senior high schools in Ghana have been faced with issues related to working capital management. This study was conducted to assess the determinants of working capital management practices in senior high schools in an era of free senior high school policy in the Central Region of Ghana.The study employed the explanatory design. In all, 162 administrative staff directly involved in working capital management from 41 senior high schools in 8 districts were selected using the proportionate random sampling techniques. Questionnaire was used for data collection. The data collected were analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, correlation, regression techniques, and independent sample t-test. Findings revealed that competency levels had a significant positive effect on working capital management. Experience of practitioners was reported to have a significant positive effect on working capital management practices. Competency levels were also shown to have a positive moderation effect on the relationship between experience of practitioners and working capital management practices. It was recommended that the Free Senior High School Secretariat institute programmes to build administrative staff’s capacities to enable them manage working capital effectively.

Source: UCC
Determinants of working capital requirement and policies of banks in Ghana

Efficient management of working capital guarantees not only the future cash flow of a firm but also its profitability. This study attempts to find out the determinants of working capital requirements and working capital management policies in the Ghanaian Banking Industry. The study used bank level data (1999-2008) from the Bank of Ghana. Using panel methodology within the random or fixed effects framework, the study concluded that while Cash Conversion Cycle, Size and Age of a bank have significantly positive impact on bank working capital requirement, leverage, cash position and deposit herfindahl index have a significantly negative effect on bank working capital requirement. Profitability, cash position, growth size and deposit herfindahl index are found to be the key determinants of working capital policies of banks in Ghana. Consequently, the study finds support for the pecking order and agency theories even though no support was found for the lifecycle theory. Thus to ensure efficient working capital management, banks in Ghana would be better off pursuing growth strategies geared towards obtaining greater proportion of the banking market and issue more short term debt instruments.

Source: UCC
Determination of calorific values of coconut shells and coconut husks

The coconut palm has a lot of uses including its use as composites and as fuels. In this work, we explored the use of a bomb calorimeter to determine the calorific values of coconut shells and coconut husks. A fixed sample mass of 0.05 kg has been used for both the shells and husks and burned in a bomb calorimeter for a duration of 5 minutes. Different masses got burnt and the amount of heat transferred to the water in which the calorimeter has been immersed determined. The mean calorific value obtained for the shells, 17.40 MJ/kg, was comparable to certain wood species and that for the husks was 10.01 MJ/Kg. Such high calorific values mean that these materials, which are normally considered as waste in Ghana, have the potential of being used as energy sources. This will go a long way to ease pressure on traditional energy sources like wood, thereby preventing deforestation

Source: UCC
Determination of crop and soil evaporation coefficients for estimating evapotranspiration in a paddy field

Accurate estimation of evapotranspiration is important in efficient water management for improving water use efficiency. In order to obtain evapotranspiration and evaporation beneath the canopy using the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) method, pan evaporation was used instead of reference evapotranspiration calculated by the Penman-Monteith equation with detailed meteorological data. The total crop coefficient and soil evaporation coefficient were determined using actual measured daytime evapotranspiration and evaporation by the Bowen ratio energy balance and lysimeter, respectively, in a rice paddy field in Japan. The average evapotranspiration was 5.3 mm/d, 4.4 mm/d, 7.4 mm/d and 6.3 mm/d and crop coefficient was 0.79, 1.18, 1.01 and 0.86 for the initial stage, development stage, middle-season stage and late-season stage, respectively. The evaporation was low and almost constant with an average value around 0.77 mm/d when the leaf area index (LAI) reached 3. The proposed average crop coefficients for different growing stages were applied to estimate daytime evapotranspiration and found suitable. A simple soil water evaporation coefficient model was developed using leaf area index for practical use and it was found that it could accurately estimate evaporation

Source: UCC
Determination of dose delivery accuracy and image quality in full - Field digital mammography

Accuracy of dose delivered, image quality and some technical parameters of the Fujifilm e Amuletf full field digital mammography X-ray equipment has been undertaken. The study was conducted to review the overall condition of the first full e field digital mammography equipment in Ghana with the aim of optimizing mammography practice. Quality control assessment and Mean glandular dose estimation was performed using the International Atomic Energy Agency Human Health Series 2 and 17 protocol and the European guidelines for quality assurance in breast cancer screening and diagnosis. Quantitative image analysis was performed with Image software using the “Rose Model”. The results from the quality control test performed indicate that the system is functioning well. Signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise values determined from images shows that the images are of standard quality. With the exception of 9.00 mm breast thickness which recorded a displayed Mean Glandular Dose (MGD) of 7.17 mGy, all other MGD calculated or displayed were well within the acceptable level. The percentage difference between the calculated and console displayed MGD was within the acceptable difference level of 50%. The phantom dose values obtained can be used as baseline data for future studies which can assist in setting optimization activities. The mammography X-ray equipment at the Korle-Bu teaching Hospital, Accra-Ghana is functioning under optimized conditions. It is therefore recommended for further usage

Source: UCC
Determination of flood risk zones in Accra and Tema Metropolis

Accra has been experiencing periodic flooding that affects properties and lives. For instance on 4th and 5th June 1994, 8 persons lost their lives and 80 million cedis worth of properties belonging to Paloma Company were destroyed due the floods that occurred at that time. The government seeing the dangers involved, commissioned institutions such as Ministry of Works and Housing, Town and Country Planning and City Engineers to identify such areas and adopt measures that will help reduce the effect of this unexpected extreme event. The measures used by these institutions in order to identify and prevent the occurrence of such extreme event have been woefully inadequate and inefficient. Hence this thesis examines new methods of identification of potential flood risk zones stressing the possible combination of hydrological models with remote sensing and geographic information system models. The main objective of the study is to determine flood risk zones in Accra and its environs using a hydrological model and a geographical information system model. Specifically, the study aims at assessing how the urban watershed has been modified in-terms of drainage networking, soil texture, runoff and their influences on flooding. A flood risk zones map and the paleogeomorphology of the study area were also constructed. Data for the study were from secondary and primary sources. The secondary sources included rainfall, discharge, and topography data, which were collected through literature search from institutions such as Hydro Division of Ministry of Works and Housing, Survey Department, Meteorological Service and Water Research Institute. The primary data collected included drainage cross sectional measurement and soil characteristics. These data were collected using field measurements, field observations, satellite image interpretation and laboratory analyses. The analyses of the data were based on the integration of the hydrological model into the Geographic Information System model using an overlay operation. The result of the research showed that potential areas likely to experience periodic floods with a given input of rainfall (140.2 mmlhour) are mostly below the 350-meter contour and about 45 percent of the study areas fall within flood risk zone. It was also noted that the flood experienced by an area is mostly dependant on rainfall intensity no matter the catchment area. However other factors such as, landuse, storage and runoff coefficient were identified as contributory factors to flooding in the study area . In search for a method to determine flood risk zones, the use of a hydrological model within a geographic information system model is very effective if only the appropriate decision rule is defined. The studies will enable the supervisory agencies such as Ministry of Works and Housing, Town and Country Planning and City Engineers enforce landuse policies to prevent people from developing areas prone to floods.

Source: UCC
Determination of free cyanide and total cyanide concentrations in surface and underground waters in Bogoso and its surrounding areas in Ghana

Concentrations of free cyanide and total cyanide in water samples in Bogoso and its surrounding areas in Ghana have been measured in this study. Concentrations of free cyanide and total cyanide were found to be above the maximum permissible discharge limit of effluent from mining companies into natural waters set by Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana (GEPA). A comparison of the results obtained in this study with permissible levels set by US Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization reveals that surface waters in the study areas are highly polluted with cyanide and it’s not safe for human consumptions. This means that, the resident in and around Bogoso are at risk

Source: UCC