ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION AS DETERMINANTS OF OBESITY IN PERI-URBAN AND URBAN DISTRICTS OF GHANA

Objective: To investigate the relationship between knowledge and perception of overweight/obesity, on obesity development. Method: This was a cross-sectional analytical study conducted in some peri-urban and urban communities in Ghana. Open-ended questionnaires were used to assess the knowledge and perception of 512 men and women about overweight/obesity. Anthropometric and percent body fat measurements were performed on all respondents. Data were analyzed using chi-square and logistic regression. Results: Out of 87% peri-urban participants who considered they had a healthy body weight, 31% were overweight/obese (p<0.001), while 40.1% of 79.5% urban respondents who considered their body weight as normal were overweight/obese (p<0.001). Perception of nutritional status was a predictor of overweight/obesity in both urban (p<0.001) and peri- urban areas (p<0.008) but highest in the urban district. Conclusion: Perception of obesity affects risk for obesity development. In both urban and peri-urban communities respondents had wrong perceptions about their body weight and this may have negative implications on their health. The findings suggest a need for public education on body weight and related health risk to help reduce overweight/obesity prevalence and associated co-morbidities.

Source: UCC
Knowledge and perception of Nurses on the use of restraints at Accra Psychiatric Hospital.

The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge and perception of mental health nurses on the use of restraint methods among mentally ill. Although there are different restraints used in other areas of health, the primary focus was on the use of seclusion, mechanical restraints, and involuntary medication. A non- experimental descriptive cross-sectional research design was used. Stratified random sampling and then simple random sampling were used to select 108 participants from 8 wards. A researcher-developed pretested instrument was used in the data collection. Approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Cape Coast and informed consent were sought from the participants before the commencement of the study. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22, descriptive statistics cross-tabulation a chi-square test was also used. Chi square test indicated that there were no significant difference in knowledge and use of restraint between nurses on the acute wards and chronic wards. In conclusion majority (65%) of participants indicated to often rely on restraints method to reduce aggression on the wards. 69.4% commonly used seclusion as compared to other forms of restraints. Some reasons for application of restraints as indicated by participants were restraints is used for the safety of the patients staff and significant others. It was also identified that there were no significant difference in the knowledge and use of restraints between nurses on the acute and chronic wards.

Source: UCC
Knowledge and practice of behaviour modification techniques among pre-service teachers of colleges of education in Ashanti Region, Ghana

The study aimed at investigating knowledge and practice of behaviour modification techniques among pre-service teachers of Colleges of Education in Ashanti Region, Ghana. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Purposive, proportionate and simple random sampling techniques were used to select 370 students who responded to a set of questionnaires. Two research questions were formulated to keep the study in focus. Five similar hypotheses were also tested. Behaviour Modification Questionnaire (BMQ) developed by the researcher served as the instrument for data collection. The study revealed that pre-service teachers demonstrated low level knowledge and practice of behaviour modification techniques in managing disruptive behaviour in classroom. There was mild significant positive relationship between the pre-service teachers’ knowledge and practice of behaviour modification techniques in managing disruptive behaviour in the classrooms. It was recommended that counsellors and tutors in Colleges of Education should create the awareness of the importance of the use of proactive behaviour modification techniques instead of the use of punitive methods to correct behaviours. Additionally, pre-service teachers should be provided with meaningful field experiences where they can observe strategies for successfully instructing, engaging, and managing students’ disruptive behaviours.

Source: UCC
Knowledge and practice of cervical cancer screening among teacher trainees in colleges of education in Ashanti Region, Ghana

The study's objective was to evaluate the teacher training colleges for education in Ghana's Ashanti Region regarding their knowledge, attitudes, and practices on screening for cervical cancer. A descriptive survey design was used to carry out the survey. A stratified and practical sampling methods were used to choose 582 study participants from a variety of units who completed a series of questionaires. To keep the study on track, five research questions were developed. The researcher designed a questionnaire to be used as a data collection tool. The bulk of survey participants had extensive knowledge of cervical cancer. It was evident that most of the respondents responded negatively when asked whether they had ever had cervical cancer screening. The only item on which respondents were incorrect was their understanding of the availability of cervical cancer vaccinations centers in Ghana. The study discovered that access to screening programmes, fear of positive results, financial cost, and trouble finding a doctor were the biggest barriers to cervical cancer screening. Some other significant barriers were the need for reminders and a male doctor conducting the screening. Since cervical cancer screening was low, it was recommended that the Ministry of Health and authorities of Colleges of Education encourage female teacher trainees to perform cervical cancer screening. The health unit in Colleges of Education should organise intermittent seminars, workshops, and cervical cancer screening outreaches where specific days can be set aside for teacher trainees to go for screening.

Source: UCC
Knowledge and practice of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers in the tamale metropolis of Ghana

Background: The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months of life has remained low worldwide and in Ghana, despite strong evidence in support of its practice. This study was aimed at assessing the knowledge and practice of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers in the Tamale metropolis of Ghana. Methods: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, 393 mother-infant pairs attending child welfare clinics from three health facilities in the Tamale Metropolis were surveyed. A structured item questionnaire was used to collect data on the socio-demographic Characteristics of the participants, their knowledge regarding breastfeeding and level of practice of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). The results were presented in frequency counts, percentages and inferences were made using a contingency table and chi-square values were computed to check for the relationship between participants demographic characteristics, the Knowledge and the practice of EBF and P value was set at 0.05. Results: The Analysis of the data was done with SPSS version 20. The study surveyed a total of 393 mothers from Tamale metropolis, of whom 27.7% reported having exclusively breastfed their infant for the first 6 months of life. The socio-demographic of the participants showed that they all had some level of education. The study revealed that 39. 4% initiated breastfeeding within one hour after birth. Majority of participants had heard of EBF 277 (70.5%), about 344 (87.5%) of participants believed that EBF should be practised for 5 months in their locality. Pearson Chi-square test of the association between sociodemographic characteristics associated and EBF showed a significant association between EBF and the sex of the child, X2 = 4.177, P = .041. Whiles, EBF and the Knowledge on child spacing was X2 = 17.769, P < .001 and EBF and knowledge on Breast cancer reduction was also significant X2 = 4.384, P = .036. Conclusions: Although all the participants had some level of education background, a majority did not have adequate knowledge on EBF and EBF practice was low in the study community. Thus, we suggest improved education at the child welfare clinics and the media should be used as a platform to educate women adequately about importance of EBF.

Source: UCC
Knowledge and Practice of Exclusive Breastfeeding among Mothers in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana

The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months of life has remained low worldwide and in Ghana, despite strong evidence in support of its practice. This study was aimed at assessing the knowledge and practice of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers in the Tamale metropolis of Ghana. Methods: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, 393 mother-infant pairs attending child welfare clinics from three health facilities in the Tamale Metropolis were surveyed. A structured item questionnaire was used to collect data on the socio-demographic Characteristics of the participants, their knowledge regarding breastfeeding and level of practice of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). The results were presented in frequency counts, percentages and inferences were made using a contingency table and chi-square values were computed to check for the relationship between participants demographic characteristics, the Knowledge and the practice of EBF and P value was set at 0.05. Results: The Analysis of the data was done with SPSS version 20. The study surveyed a total of 393 mothers from Tamale metropolis, of whom 27.7% reported having exclusively breastfed their infant for the first 6 months of life. The socio-demographic of the participants showed that they all had some level of education. The study revealed that 39. 4% initiated breastfeeding within one hour after birth. Majority of participants had heard of EBF 277 (70.5%), about 344 (87.5%) of participants believed that EBF should be practised for 5 months in their locality. Pearson Chi-square test of the association between sociodemographic characteristics associated and EBF showed a significant association between EBF and the sex of the child, X2 = 4.177, P = .041. Whiles, EBF and the Knowledge on child spacing was X2 = 17.769, P < .001 and EBF and knowledge on Breast cancer reduction was also significant X2 = 4.384, P = .036. Conclusions: Although all the participants had some level of education background, a majority did not have adequate knowledge on EBF and EBF practice was low in the study community. Thus, we suggest improved education at the child welfare clinics and the media should be used as a platform to educate women adequately about importance of EBF.

Source: UCC
Knowledge and Practice of Iodized Salt and Iodine Deficiency Disorders among Men in Nungua, Ghana

Background: Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDDs) continues to be a problem in Ghana after several years of salt fortification with iodine. Sustainable IDDs prevention requires a well-informed population and their willingness to use iodized salt. This study determined the levels of knowledge of men on iodized salt, IDDs iodized salt usage. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 400 men (18 years and above) sampled conveniently at Nungua in the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Data on socio-demographics, knowledge, use of iodized salt and IDDs were collected. We computed descriptive statistics for socio-demographic data, knowledge of iodized salt, usage of iodized salt and knowledge on IDDs. We grouped scores for knowledge on iodized salt into poor and good. Scores for knowledge on IDDs were split into tertiles and labeled as low, moderate, and high. Chi-Square (χ2) test and multinomial logistic regression were performed to determine the association between socio-demographic characteristics, good knowledge on iodized salt and high knowledge about IDDs. Results: Majority of respondents (37.5%) were aged between 26 and 41 years. About 97.8% have heard about iodized salt and 69.3% first heard about iodized salt through the media. About 70.5% used iodized salt in cooking and 76.8 % of the respondents would encourage women to use salt in cooking. When knowledge level was split into two groups, the higher proportion (266 out of 400) had poor knowledge on iodized salt and in tertiles, the majority (184 of 400) had low knowledge on IDDs. There were statistically significant differences between age, marital status and educational level and knowledge on IDDs all at P< 0.001. Those with Junior High School education had 54% less chance, OR= 0.465; 95% CI: (0.244, 0.884) of obtaining good knowledge on iodized salt compared with those who had University education. Conclusions: Knowledge on iodized salt was low, and knowledge on IDDs was low among the men. There is a difference in the level of knowledge of IDDs among the socio-economic groups but not knowledge on iodized salt and its use. The more educated the men are, the more likely they are to use iodized salt.

Source: UCC
Knowledge and Practice of School-Based Assessment of Pre-Service Teachers in Central Region

The purpose of the study was to explore the knowledge and practice of schoolbased assessment of pre-service teachers at Komenda and Foso Colleges of Education in the Central Region. The study was guided by the following research objectives; examine the level of knowledge of pre-service teachers on SBA, investigate the attitudes on the implementation of SBA principles, examine the impact of SBA on instructional methods of pre-service teachers and identify the challenges of pre-service teachers in the implementation of SBA. The respondents were chosen from two colleges in the Central Region using the multi-stage sampling procedure because the study involved a very large population. The cluster of population was divided into smaller clusters in several stages which made primary data collection more manageable. The sample size for the study was 381. A quantitative descriptive research design was used for the study and the study was guided by two hypotheses and five research questions. A questionnaire was employed to acquire data for the study. The questionnaire's Cronbach's coefficient alpha was 0.876. The study revealed that pre-service teachers had knowledge about SBA. It was also observed that pre-service teachers had positive attitude towards the application of SBA in schools. Pre-service teachers had adequate time for SBA implementation. SBA was further seen to have impact on pre-service teachers‘ methods of instruction. Pre-service teachers used SBA to identify the learning needs of students. Teachers further indicated that they faced challenges such as non-availability of SBA guidelines, truancy, irregular pupil attendance and shortage of materials when implementing SBA in schools. It was discovered that there was no significant difference in pre-service teachers' attitudes toward SBA based on their gender. It is recommended that public school teachers and pre-service teachers undergo timely in-service training on SBA-related topics and tasks in order to remain current. Even if teachers have a positive attitude about using SBA principles, regular in-service training and seminars must still be provided to them. Additionally, the Ghana Education Service and other stakeholders should budget money for workshops and seminars for teachers and pre-service teachers on the difficulties with SBA.

Source: UCC
Knowledge and practice of skills for physical assessment of patients by nurses in the Greater Accra Regional (Ridge) Hospital

Physical assessment is fundamental to the nursing process which forms an integral part of nursing practice and a standard of professional practice. This research aimed at determining level of knowledge and practice of physical assessment skills among nurses at the Greater Accra Regional (Ridge) Hospital. A descriptive cross- sectional survey was employed. A sample size of 262 nurses/midwives was used for the study. The study employed census as the sampling method. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used for data collection on level of knowledge, practice and barriers of physical assessment. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22. The findings revealed that nurses at Ridge Hospital have good knowledge on physical assessment, however their knowledge does not translate into practice. Physical assessment skills was good for observation, satisfactory for palpation and percussion but poor for auscultation. Lack of confidence, inadequate time and interruptions, specialty area, lack of resources, and lack of ward culture were perceived as barriers whiles reliance on others/technology, and lack of nursing role model were not perceived as barriers. There was an association between educational qualification and level of knowledge, p< 0.001. However, there was no significant difference between ranks and practices, [F = 1.655, P > .05]. Despite having high knowledge on physical assessment, practice was poor among the nurses. It was recommended that the Ministry of Health and the training institutions should emphasize on physical assessment in the curriculum. Ghana Health Service and health service institutions should organize in-service training for their staff to enhance their physical assessment practices for quality care.

Source: UCC
Knowledge and Practice of Skills for Physical Assessment of Patients by Nurses in the Greater Accra Regional (Ridge) Hospital

Physical assessment is fundamental to the nursing process which forms an integral part of nursing practice and a standard of professional practice. This research aimed at determining level of knowledge and practice of physical assessment skills among nurses at the Greater Accra Regional (Ridge) Hospital. A descriptive cross- sectional survey was employed. A sample size of 262 nurses/midwives was used for the study. The study employed census as the sampling method. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used for data collection on level of knowledge, practice and barriers of physical assessment. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22. The findings revealed that nurses at Ridge Hospital have good knowledge on physical assessment, however their knowledge does not translate into practice. Physical assessment skills were good for observation, satisfactory for palpation and percussion but poor for auscultation. Lack of confidence, inadequate time and interruptions, specialty area, lack of resources, and lack of ward culture were perceived as barriers whiles reliance on others/technology, and lack of nursing role model were not perceived as barriers. There was an association between educational qualification and level of knowledge, p< 0.001. However, there was no significant difference between ranks and practices, [F = 1.655, P > .05]. Despite having high knowledge on physical assessment, practice was poor among the nurses. It was recommended that the Ministry of Health and the training institutions should emphasize on physical assessment in the curriculum. Ghana Health Service and health service institutions should organize in-service training for their staff to enhance their physical assessment practices for quality care.

Source: UCC
Knowledge and Practices of Hand Hygiene Among Selected Junior High Schools in the Jomoro Municipality

The purpose of the study was to assess knowledge and practice of hand hygiene among Junior High School students in the Jomoro Municipality. The study was conducted in the Jomoro District among three selected schools in the district. An exploratory cross-sectional survey was used in the study. Quota sampling method was used to select 295 students to participate in the study. A self- administered questionnaire was used for the data collection. The data gathered was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The study found that 100.0% of the respondents have heard of hand hygiene before from their parents, teachers and from television. Majority (86.4%) of the respondents washed their hands before meal and some 48.1% washed their hands after meal. However, closed to half 69.8% sometimes washed their hand when they returned from school. Most of the students (83.7%) had hand sanitizer; two schools had plastic containers with a tap for clean running water made available to the school children for rinsing their hands. It was observed that all the schools had alcohol-based hand rub or sanitizers. The study concluded that majority of the students from the three schools had fair knowledge on hand hygiene and practiced good hand hygiene at critical times. The study recommended that adequate potable water, hand hygiene information and provision of sanitary aids for both students and teacher usage in the schools should be provided by administrators and government to support and sustain the acquired knowledge and practices relating to hand hygiene.

Source: UCC
Knowledge and practices of infection prevention among teachers in early childhood education centres in the Suhum Municipality

Teachers in early childhood education centres are the epitome of care concerning infection prevention for young children in educational programmes. A comparative descriptive quantitative survey was used to assess the knowledge level, practice and resources availability for infection prevention in early childhood education centres in the Suhum Municipality. One hundred and sixty (160) teachers from 52 randomly selected early childhood centres; cretches, nurseries, day cares and kindergartens were \recruited for the study. The findings of the study revealed that both public and private school teachers in early childhood education centres have a good knowledge about infection prevention measures and control. Knowledge level on infection prevention is comparable between the two categories of teachers. However, this did not translate into practice. It was observed that most of the learning centres visited were overcrowded (exceeded GES recommended 28 children per a teacher ratio). There were also inadequate and inappropriate sanitary facilities in the studied early childhood education centres. Notwithstanding lack of resources, private schools had more resource than the public schools (p=0.001). It is recommended caregivers in childhood education centres receive adequate training on infection prevention before and during employment. The Ministry of Education and Ghana Health Service must ensure there are adequate sanitary facilities before approval is given for the running of the programme and regular monitoring to ensure their sustainability.

Source: UCC