ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Self-reported adverse reactions associated with topical ophthalmic medication use: a cross-sectional survey

The aim of this study was to investigate self- reported adverse reactions associated with the use of topical ophthalmic medications. A cross- sectional survey, involving 500 ophthalmic patients recruited from three eye care facilities in the Central Region of Ghana was conducted. A structured questionnaire was administered to participants to collect data on demographics, name of drug, dosage form, and dosing frequen- cy of ophthalmic medications used, as well as adverse reactions experienced. The pHs of fre- quently prescribed ophthalmic medications to the patients were measured. The prevalence of reported adverse drug reaction [predominantly burning sensation (55%), blurry vision (22%) and itching (13%)] was 44.8%. More Females reported adverse drug reactions than males (χ2=26.24, P<0.001). The aged reported more adverse reaction than others (P<0.01). Patients using cream ophthalmic medications reported more adverse drug reactions than those using other dosage forms (χ2=8.80, P=0.024). The pHs of the commonly prescribed ophthalmic medications measured ranged between 4.44- 7.37 (desired: 6.6-7.8). There is a high preva- lence of reported symptoms of adverse drug reactions among this clinical population attrib- utable to the acid/base status of the drug agent.

Source: UCC
Self-reported experiences of climate change in Nigeria : The role of personal and socio-environmental factors

In this study, we examined the individual and socio-environmental factors that Mediate differential self-reported experiences of climate change in coastal communities in Lagos, Nigeria. Binary complementary log-log multivariate regression was used to model Residents’ experiences of changing rainfall patterns, ocean surges, and flood events. An analysis of both compositional and contextual factors showed that there were urban communities Where vulnerability to flooding tends to be clustered, and that this was not fully explained by the characteristics of the people of whom the community was composed. This study, thus, Underscores the importance and complex nature of the interaction between personal and Socio-environmental determinants in shaping climate change experiences and vulnerability of individuals across coastal neighborhoods. Key findings suggest certain sub-populations as well as geographic clusters in Lagos require special attention from disaster mitigation experts and policy makers

Source: UCC
Self-reported health status of fish smokers at abuesi, a fishing community in the western region of Ghana

The aim of the study was to assess the reported health problems associated with the burning of biomass fuel for fish smoking. A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2016 to May 2017 among fish smokers at Abuesi in the Western Region of Ghana. A total of 434 fish smokers were selected to assess their level of knowledge of health effects associated with fish smoking as well as disease symptoms they have encountered as a result of smoking fish. Additionally, 60 smoke houses were monitored for particulate matter (PM2.5) and volatile organic compound concentrations. Measurements were taken at indoor, outdoor and control locations. The highest concentration of (PM2.5) was recorded in the indoor environment. The mean concentration of (PM2.5) between the indoor and control environment was significantly different unlike between the outdoor and control environments. The concentration of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) systematically varied across three locations. The most reported disease symptoms were eye infection and cough. There was a strong positive association between the number of years spent smoking fish and frequency of eye problems reported by the fish smokers. Educational attainment was a significant predictor of the level of knowledge of fish smokers on the health effects associated with fish smoking. There is therefore the need for further studies to explore other energy sources which may have lesser negative effect on human health.

Source: UCC
Self-reported pedestrian knowledge of safety by school children in cape coast metropolis, Ghana

The incidence of a pedestrian crash is a leading cause of death among Ghanaian schoolchildren due to various factors including the lack of pedestrian walkways and zebra crossings. This study was a cross-sectional self-reported survey to investigate the means of transport by school children, the incidence of pedestrian crashes among school children and knowledge of pedestrian safety. The survey focused on three basic schools in the High and Medium Income Residential Areas in the Metropolis and was administered to 230 school children with observations. Descriptive and pair sampled t-test analyses were conducted to assess the differences in pedestrian safety knowledge by gender, age, education and the incidence of pedestrian crashes. The results revealed that transporting/dropping off by vehicles and walking were the major forms of travel for school children with the majority of those walking unaccompanied. Female, younger and lower primary school children were largely victims of pedestrian crashes because of low pedestrian safety knowledge. The findings have emphasized the need for evidence-based safety promotion and injury prevention in the high and medium-income areas of the Cape Coast Metropolis

Source: UCC
'Self-Serving': A Musical Fable

Storytelling, particularly fables, plays a foremost role in shaping the moral fibre of society. It gives the society a sense of identity and cultural belonging. Fables have been used extensively to provide entertainment, develop the imagination, and teach essential lessons about ev~ryday life. In this technological era, fables are no longer given any required meaningful recognition. Consequently, the alt of stOlyteIling has drastically declined if not extinct fr0111 our modernist society. In an attempt to capture storytelling or stories through art music, this snldy seeks to set a fable to music as a contribution towards the documentation, sustenance and promotion of oral traditions as enshrined in the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO 2003) convention on the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. The work presents an original music composition based on a known fable 'Viqe Adeke Mele Dokuit;ydidi Me 0 '. This fable, my data of interest, is situated in art-based research. The composition', created and scored, using music software finale version 2014, seeks to set a fable to sung music employing solos, duets, trios and choruses (SA TB). The creative method begins with the scripting of the fable, assigning voice parts to each character, setting the scripted fable to music, and finally writing a definitive analysis based on the outcome of the composition. The performative aspect follows with rehearsals and performance. It is recommended that Ghanaian scholar-composers should refocus their attention to explore more of African and Ghanaian oral traditions in their future compositions.

Source: UCC
Self‐Management Recommendations for Sickle Cell Disease: A Ghanaian Health Professionals' Perspective

To describe self‐management recommendations for sickle cell disease (SCD) care among health professionals who manage SCD in Ghana. Method: Nine health care professionals (nurses, doctors, and physician assistants) who work in SCD were interviewed. The semistructured interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using the qualitative content analysis method. Self‐management recommendations were conceptualised as preventive health, self‐monitoring, self‐diagnosis, self‐treatment, and self‐evaluation. Results: Preventive health recommendations were the commonest, where the pro fessionals described similar topics including avoidance of cold temperature, frequent oral hydration, and healthy nutrition. Self‐monitoring recommendations included regular checks for pallor, urine colour, and splenic enlargement. Self‐diagnosis recom mendations were captured as warning signs and included pain, fever, unusual feelings, and enlarged spleen. Pain and fever management were the focus of most self‐treat ment advice, and there were some self‐treatment recommendations for dactylitis, anaemia, and priapism. There was considerable variation in the strategies recom mended for the management of individual SCD‐related problems. Conclusion: Ghanaian health professionals involved in SCD care provide limited and inconsistent self‐management recommendations. There is a need for the development of SCD standards and guidelines that support effective self‐management. Health professionals working in SCD require continuing education in self‐management.

Source: UCC
Self‐management recommendations for sickle cell disease: A Ghanaian health professionals' perspective

Objective: To describe self‐management recommendations for sickle cell disease (SCD) care among health professionals who manage SCD in Ghana. Method: Nine health care professionals (nurses, doctors, and physician assistants) who work in SCD were interviewed. The semistructured interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using the qualitative content analysis method. Self‐management recommendations were conceptualised as preventive health, self‐monitoring, self‐diagnosis, self‐treatment, and self‐evaluation. Results: Preventive health recommendations were the commonest, where the professionals described similar topics including avoidance of cold temperature, frequent oral hydration, and healthy nutrition. Self‐monitoring recommendations included regular checks for pallor, urine colour, and splenic enlargement. Self‐diagnosis recommendations were captured as warning signs and included pain, fever, unusual feelings, and enlarged spleen. Pain and fever management were the focus of most self‐treatment advice, and there were some self‐treatment recommendations for dactylitis, anaemia, and priapism. There was considerable variation in the strategies recommended for the management of individual SCD‐related problems. Conclusion: Ghanaian health professionals involved in SCD care provide limited and inconsistent self‐management recommendations. There is a need for the development of SCD standards and guidelines that support effective self‐management. Health professionals working in SCD require continuing education in self‐management.

Source: UCC
Self–reported eye disorders and visual hazards among Ghanaian mine workers

Because mining is an important industrial sector in many parts of the world, substantial progress has been made in the control of occupational health hazards associated with it. However, there are possibilities for further risk reduction. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Goldfields (Gh.) Ltd., Tarkwa to find out the prevalence of self reported eye diseases among the miners and visual hazards in the mine using standardized questionnaires. Four hundred and six (406) workers en- gaged in mining activity were conveniently sampled for the study. They all answered a question- naire that solicited information on their socio-demographic data, health history, vital eye safety information and eye screening. Tests performed included visual acuity and pinhole examination. Overall, 117 (28.8%) confirmed previous diagnosis of an eye disease with presbyopia as the most reported eye condition in 5.2% of the subjects. While visual impairment was found in 28.1% of the study population only 1.4% reported previous history of refractive errors. Flying dust was named as the potential eye hazard in the mine by 39.7% of the workers. Only 10% of the workers had had some form of eye injuries. Chemical usage was 41.1% among the respondents while 7.9 % com- plained about intensity of light at the workplace. Eye diseases and visual impairments were report- ed among miners. Visual hazards were also found in the mine. Eye protection controls should be strengthened and an occupational eye safety and health programmes integrated into the general safety programme of the mine.

Source: UCC
Semiconductor fluorinated carbon nanotube as a low voltage current amplifier acoustic device

Acoustoelectric effect (AE) in a non-degenerate fluorinated single walled carbon nanotube (FSWCNT) semiconductor was carried out using a tractable analytical approach in the hypersound regime q 1 , where q is the acoustic wavenumber and  is the electron mean-free path. In the presence of an external electric field, a strong nonlinear dependence of the normalized AE current density AE o , on 1 d ( d is the electron drift velocity and s v is the speed of sound in the medium) was observed and depends on the acoustic wave frequency, ωq , wavenumber q, temperature T and the electron-phonon interactions parameter, ∆ . When 1 d ,AE z o decreases to a resonance minimum and increases again, where the FSWCNT is said to be amplifying the current. Conversely, when 1 d , AE o rises to a maximum and starts to decrease, similar to the observed behaviour in negative differential conductivity which is a consequence of Bragg’s reflection at the band edges at T = 300 K . However, FSWCNT will offer the potential for room temperature application as an acoustic switch or transistor and also as a material for ultrasound current source density imaging (UCSDI) and AE hydrophone devices in biomedical engineering. Moreover, our results prove the feasibility of implementing chip-scale non-reciprocal acoustic devices in an FSWCNT platform through acoustoelectric amplification

Source: UCC
Senior high school administrators’ perception of the impact of management functions on students’ academic performance

The study sought to examine the perceptions of school administrators on the impact of management functions on the academic performance of students. Descriptive survey was used for the study. Twenty schools from seven districts in the Central Region were involved in the study. School administrators were selected because they were at the helm of affairs when it comes to management of schools. The main instrument used for the study was questionnaire. The return rate for the questionnaires distributed was 75%. Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) was used to obtain frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviation and independent sample test for the analysis of the data. The most outstanding finding of the study was that school administrators perceived the management functions operating in the school to have a positive impact on the academic performance of students. No significant differences were found between the perceptions of male and female administrators on the impact of the majority of the components of the management functions on the academic performance of students. However, for a few of the components and their impact on the academic performance of students, significant differences were recorded between the perceptions of male and female administrators. It is recommended that students should be involved in the general management of the school, especially through dialogues, consultations and views seeking.

Source: UCC
Senior high school chemistry students' understanding of IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds

The WAEC Chief Examiners’ Reports in Ghana have repeatedly lamented the weakness exhibited by most Chemistry students in IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds in the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination. This study was a step to determine the knowledge level of some Chemistry students in IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds. A cross-sectional survey was adopted to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. In all, 245 SHS4 Chemistry students selected fromfour out of 18 schools, which offer elective science for 2010/2011 academic year in the Kumasi Metropolis, were involved in the study. An achievementtest and interview were the main instruments for the data collection. The results show that the students’ performance on IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds was generally low. The Chemistry students’ difficulties in IUPAC naming of organic compounds included their inability to identify the correct number of carbon atoms in the parent chain, and to identify a substituent or functional group. The Chemistry students also had difficulties in writing structural formulae of organic compounds chiefly their inability to identify from the IUPAC name the correct number of carbon atoms in the parent chain, the chemical symbol or formula of any substituent or functional group, the correct position of and number of multiple bonds, functional, or substituent group. These difficulties having been recognised could help Chemistry teachers to effectively deploy their pedagogical content knowledge in teaching organic Chemistry at the SHS level.

Source: UCC
Senior High School Chemistry Students’ Performance in IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Compounds

This paper reports on a study that investigated the performance of Chemistry students in IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds from two school types. The study focused on senior high school (SHS) students’ p erformance in IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds. A cross-sectional survey provided the study with quantitative data. Stratified random sampling procedure was used to select 245 students from four out of 18 schools who offer elective science for 2010/2011 academic year in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. An achievement test of 30 items was used for collection of the quantitative data. The results from the study showed that the SHS Chemistry students had showed low performance in IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds. The independent-samples t-test analyses of the results show that there were no statistical significant differences between the scores of students from well - endowed and less-endowed schools on both naming and writing structural formulae of organic compounds using the IUPAC nomenclature system. It is therefore recommended that any assistant provided by the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to help students to improve on their performance in IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds should be independent of the school - type.

Source: UCC
Senior High School Chemistry Students’ Understanding of Iupac Nomenclature of Organic Compounds

The WAEC Chief Examiners’ Reports in Ghana have repeatedly lamented the weakness exhibited by most Chemistry students in IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds in the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination. This study was a step to determine the knowledge level of some Chemistry students in IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds. A cross-sectional survey was adopted to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. In all, 245 SHS4 Chemistry students selected from four out of 18 schools, which offer elective science for 2010/2011 academic year in the Kumasi Metropolis, were involved in the study. An achievement test and interview were the main instruments for the data collection. The results show that the students’ performance on IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds was generally low. The Chemistry students’ difficulties in IUPAC naming of organic compounds included their inability to identify the correct number of carbon atoms in the parent chain, and to identify a substituent or functional group. The Chemistry students also had difficulties in writing structural formulae of organic compounds chiefly their inability to identify from the IUPAC name the correct number of carbon atoms in the parent chain, the chemical symbol or formula of any substituent or functional group, the correct position of and number of multiple bonds, functional, or substituent group. These difficulties having been recognised could help Chemistry teachers to effectively deploy their pedagogical content knowledge in teaching organic Chemistry at the SHS level.

Source: UCC
Senior High School Chemistry Teachers' Feedback Practices And How Students Perceive And Use Them

The study investigated senior high school Chemistry teachers' feedback practices and how their students perceive and use them. SHS in the Greater Accra Region were categorised into three groups based on their percentage passes (A 1 - C6) in Chemistry in the 2017 WASSCE. Stratified purposive sampling were used to select one school from each group for the study. A total of 118 Form 2 students and 3 teachers from the 3 schools participated in the study. The study involved class observation of Chemistry teachers and their students using a case study approach. Other data collection methods included the use of questionnaires and focus group discussions. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis. The study revealed that majority of the students found their Chemistry teachers' feedback useful. All four levels of feedback were found among Chemistry teachers' feedback practices. However, the prominent level of feedback was task level feedback. Majority of the students preferred process level feedback. It was recommended that Chemistry teachers should take time to progress feedback from task level to self-regulatory level via process level rather than over emphasising task level feedback. They should also plan assignments, tests and practical work well to ensure that students are engaged in self-regulatory feedback. Teachers should be macle aware of and trained on all the four major ways students use teacher feedback to enhance students' experiences of these approaches to leaming. This will help improve Chemistry teachers' pedagogy and their students learning outcomes.

Source: UCC
Senior High School Elective Mathematics Students’ Readiness to Pursue Advanced Mathematics at the University Level

This study primarily focused on senior high school students’ readiness to pursue advanced mathematics at the university level. Data for the study was obtained from 317 senior high school students from three public senior high schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana. The 317 students were final year elective mathematics students made up of 196 females and 121 males. Data for the study was collected through the use of questionnaires. The study adopted the descriptive survey as the main design and data collected was analyzed using simple graphs, percentages, descriptive and inferential statistics. Analysis of data revealed that students were ready to pursue advanced mathematics at the university level. Findings also revealed that there was no statistically significant difference based on gender. Also, no statistically significant difference was observed between single-sex female school students and that of mixed school students as well as that of single-sex male school and coeducational school students. However, a statistically significant difference was realized between single-sex female and single-sex male school students. Findings indicated that majority of the students reported to have come from a very good socio-economic backgrounds, which seems to have influenced their readiness to pursue advanced mathematics. The findings affirmed students’ perceived positive readiness towards their interest in doing mathematics, competence in doing mathematics, school environment/culture, relevance of mathematics, and nature of mathematics. The implication of these findings is that senior high school students are well prepared and ever ready to pursue advanced mathematics. It also presupposes that much more students are willing to go into the sciences which would end up raising the productivity of the country.

Source: UCC