ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Ghanaian radio and the Akan language: Unplanned language planning and development

This paper focuses on the sociolinguistic role of Ghanaian languages, especially Akan on the radio, with particular reference to linguistics, social issues, and the media. The study is based on Akan programmes on the radio, especially in Accra and Kumasi. It considers radio broadcasters and their audiences as agents of the development and modernisation of the Akan language. The paper provides a brief historical account of language use in education and the emergence of radio in Ghana. It argues that the media, especially radio, have chalked up success in their major role of educating, informing, and entertaining, through the use of Ghanaian languages. It points out that the Akan language has played a major role in bringing Ghanaian language into the media. We will emphasise that radio stations have developed language policies on two levels by determining what language(s) they use, and deciding on the content matter (style and register). These two policies have led to new usages and the propagation of new linguistic terminologies.

Source: UG
Ghanaian radiographers experience and commitment to the mandatory reporting law regarding suspected child physical abuse

Introduction: The best interests of the child shall be paramount in any matter concerning a child and it should be the primary consideration by any court, person, institution, or other body in any matter concerned with a child. This study sought to explore the influence of legislation on and professional commitment of radiographers towards suspected child physical abuse. Method: A semi-structured interview was conducted with 20 radiographers selected across all the regions in Ghana. The interviews were conducted exclusively by the first author with radiographers who reporting having experience of handling suspected child physical abuse cases. There were 14 male respondents with an age range of 30e54 years and six females aged from 25 to 57 years. Upon attaining data saturation, the thematically analysed data was managed using NVivo10 software. Results: Findings from the study showed that the legal framework for mandatory reporting of suspected child physical abuse was not known by radiographers. A lack of professional commitment to report cases of suspected child physical abuse was also identified. Themes that emerged from the study formed the basis of the discussion. Conclusion: This study revealed that radiographers interviewed were not well acquainted with national legislation requiring mandatory reporting. There is the urgent need to train radiographers on the laws protecting children to enhance their commitment to the reporting of suspected child physical abuse. Implication for practice: The understanding of the legal framework under which radiographers operate is imperative when considering obligations to report suspicious injuries among children.

Source: UG
Ghanaian Screendance Perspectives: The Nuance of ‘Sankofaism’ as Emerging Aesthetics and Rejection of Orthodoxy

Screendance is a hybrid art in which choreographic and film techniques are necessary for creating texts where the body dialogues with camera. Ghanaian dance film is best understood within the context of postmodern discourse. This article argues that indigenous and foreign cultural practices are convoluted by morality and hegemonic influence of western culture. Moving from orthodoxy, the Ghanaian dance film re-contextualizes dance practice and film techniques into a composite construct with a tinge of Afrocentrism. Framed by *critical sankofaism*, screendances in Ghana are discussed as being influenced by individual musician's ideas with western biases. Dances for television are shaped by institutional guidelines gleaned from Ghanaian culture. Using *Heyba* and screendance at TV3 Network and GTV, this article discusses dance films as an emerging aesthetic that re-interprets the function of bodies, their relationships with the camera, and concludes that more than being a hybrid site, screendance in Ghana is a 'polybrid'.

Source: UG
The Ghanaian Sphinx : Reflections on the Contemporary History of Ghana, 1972-1987.

Now, as I reflect on the present state of our dear country, I cannot help recalling this ancient Greek myth, for Ghana does pose a riddle: the riddle being why it is that a country which is so well endowed by Nature has failed so dismally to develop and progress? Or, as the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) put it in its policy guidelines issued in May 1982, "how a nation so endowed with such resources could be entangled in an ever deepening crisis". And Ghana is indeed endowed. Her material resources are second to none; her soil and climate are ideal for the production of every conceivable tropical and savanna crop; her mineral resources of gold, diamond, bauxite, manganese and possibly oil are the envy of many countries. Her human resources are unparalleled in Africa.

Source: UG
Ghanaian Students in TIMSS 2011: Relationship between Contextual Factors and Mathematics Performance

Educational effectiveness research has witnessed some growth in the last three decades because the current era of global competitiveness compels each country to train and equip its citizens with knowledge and skills that would make them successful. Researchers from different countries are investigating factors across various levels within the school system that affect students’ learning outcomes and social development. This study applies a multilevel modelling technique (Hierarchical Linear Modeling) on the TIMSS 2011 mathematics data of the Ghanaian Grade 8 students to examine which student-, classroom/teacher- and school-level variables contributed significantly to the performance of Ghanaian students in mathematics. The results indicated that the education system in Ghana is similar to other education systems where the students’ academic achievement is correlated with a set of students, classroom/teacher and school characteristics. However, unlike other educational systems, the findings of the current study suggested that the difference in students’ achievement in mathematics is mainly due to school factors. It was concluded that the poor performance of Ghanaian students in mathematics is at least partially attributable to inadequate preparation of teachers, emphasis on lower rather than higher thinking skills, inconsistent use of homework, failure to engage students in their learning, lack of progress of girls, lack of students’ interest and confidence in mathematics and students’ lower educational aspiration.

Source: UG
The Ghanaian surgical nurse and postoperative pain management: A clinical ethnographic insight

Nurses form an indispensable part of the clinical team that manages postoperative pain (POP). Within a particular clinical context, nurses perceive and respond to pain based on specific factors. This study aimed at illuminating the perceptions and responses of Ghanaian surgical nurses regarding their patients' POP. It also identified the factors that influenced nurses' pain responses. A focused ethnography was used, and data were collected through individual interviews. Sampling was performed purposively to include junior, senior, day, and night nurses who cared for surgical patients. Concurrent data analysis was performed and data were saturated with 12 individual interviews. The findings indicated that nurses perceived POP as an individual phenomenon, and nurses responded to patients' pain by administering analgesics and by using nonpharmacologic measures. Factors that influenced the nurses' response were individual factors, such as commitment, discretion, fear of addiction, and organizational factors, such as organizational laxity and challenges of teamwork. The study recommended that nurses should be educated, supported, and encouraged to ensure pain relief after surgery and that they should see pain relief as a priority postoperative care to avert the negative repercussions of poorly managed POP. © 2014 American Society for Pain Management Nursing.

Source: UG
Ghanaian undergraduate biomedical engineering students' perceptions of their discipline and career opportunities

Biomedical and clinical engineers are critical to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in order to facilitate the local design, development and production of health technologies. Undergraduate biomedical engineering programmes are growing in LMICs, but few studies have sought to understand student perceptions of their discipline. Two open-ended survey instruments were used to measure perceptions of biomedical engineering students at a large Ghanaian university. Upper and lower classmen revealed similar conceptions of what it means to be a biomedical engineer, however, they perceived limited job opportunities (almost exclusively in the sales, maintenance or procurement of hospital equipment). Furthermore, upper classmen noted the desire to pursue further education to obtain better employment, whereas lower classmen did not consider it a likely path after graduation. © WIETE 2015.

Source: UG
Ghanaian values in motion: A content analysis of slogans on commercial vehicles in Accra

Slogans on commercial vehicles are a common sight in Ghana. These material artefacts can provide insight into beliefs and values about the sociocultural, spiritual, and political experiences of life in the contemporary Ghanaian context. In this study, we collected and analysed a total of 438 commercial vehicles’ slogans from 5 main transportation terminals in the Accra metropolitan area. Our the matic analysis of these slogans shows a major emphasis on religious and spiritual values to the extent that most of the recorded slogans serve as positive affirmations of religious values and sources of spiritual encouragement. The dominance of religious references in such slogans highlights the importance of religiosity as a cultural value in everyday life in Ghana.

Source: UG
Ghanaian views of short-term medical missions: The pros, the cons, and the possibilities for improvement

Background: Various governments in Ghana have tried to improve healthcare in the country. Despite these efforts, meeting health care needs is a growing concern to government and their citizens. Short term medical missions from other countries are one of the responses to meet the challenges of healthcare delivery in Ghana. This research aimed to understand Ghanaian perceptions of short-term missions from the narratives of host country staff involved. The study from which this paper is developed used a qualitative design, which combined a case study approach and political economy analysis involving in-depth interviews with 28 participants. Result: Findings show short term medical mission programs in Ghana were largely undertaken in rural communities to address shortfalls in healthcare provision to these areas. The programs were often delivered free and were highly appreciated by communities and host institutions. While the contributions of STMM to health service provision have been noted, there were challenges associated with how they operated. The study found concerns over language and how volunteers effectively interacted with communities. Other identified challenges were the extent to which volunteers undermined local expertise, using fraudulent qualifications by some volunteers, and poor skills and lack of experience leading to wrong diagnoses sometimes. The study found a lack of awareness of rules requiring the registration of practitioners with national professional regulatory bodies, suggesting non enforcement of volunteers’ need for local certification. Conclusion: Short Term Medical Missions appear to contribute to addressing some of the critical gaps in healthcare delivery. However, there is an urgent need to address the challenges of ineffective utilisation and lack of oversight of these programs to maximise their benefits.

Source: UG
The Ghanaian Woman’s Experience and Perception of Ultrasound Use in Antenatal Care

Objective: To evaluate how Ghanaian women perceive the use, and their assessment of the experience, of antenatal ultrasound scanning. Design: Cross-sectional study, using intervieweradministered questionnaire, from 25th February to 16th April, 2011 Setting: Obstetrics Units of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, University of Ghana Hospital, Legon and Ga South District Hospital, Weija. Methods: A total of 337 clients were randomly selected after delivery and interviewed. Issues addressed included why women went for antenatal ultrasound, their knowledge of the uses of ultrasound in pregnancy, information provided by health care providers, clients’ eagerness to know the sex of their fetuses, and their overall assessment of the ultrasound scanning experience. Results: The mean number of scans was 2.2(1.1). Most were performed on the request of a doctor or midwife; 154(45.7%) were not told the reasons for the request and 185(54.9%) did not have the results explained to them. For 239(70.9%) women the sonographer did not explain the procedure before the examination; 89(26.4%) were allowed to ask questions and 61(18.1%) were allowed to see their fetuses on the monitor. One hundred and sixty respondents (47.5%) asked for and were told the sex of their fetuses, with accuracy at delivery of 86.5%. Conclusion: Most respondents perceived antenatal ultrasound as a useful tool. There is lack of information flow from health care providers to clients concerning the indications for the ultrasound, the processes involved and the results of the procedure. Improvements in these areas are needed to enhance the experience of antenatal ultrasound among Ghanaian women.

Source: UG
Ghanaian women beliefs on the causes, prevention and treatment of cervical cancer: A qualitative Study

Objective: The choice of the sick to access health care services in Ghana or consult a health care provider depends on the individuals’ beliefs about the disease and available services. This paper seeks to explore the health beliefs of cervical cancer survivors in Ghana. Methods: We employed an exploratory qualitative approach in this study. We interviewed 12 participants to gain an in-depth understanding regarding the beliefs, causes, prevention and treatment of cervical cancer in Ghana. Data collection and analysis were done concurrently, and themes and subthemes were generated through content analysis. Verbatim quotes were used to support the findings. Results: Three themes emerged. 1. Beliefs about the causes of cervical cancer, which include the choices of cloths and criminal abortions. 2. Beliefs on cervical cancer prevention; early education of the girl child on vagina hygiene and avoidance of highly processed food products. 3. Beliefs on cervical cancer treatment; participants believed that cervical cancer is one of the diseases not well managed in hospitals in Ghana. Conclusions: Mistrusts for orthodox cancer treatment is the leading rationale patients report late to the hospital in Ghana. Much is desired for public education on contemporary treatment and cure for cervical cancer disease.

Source: UG
Ghanaian Women's Perceptions of the Quality of Ready-to-Wear Garments

Women can choose among many options with regard to ready-to-wear (RTW) clothing; for example, they can purchase imported or domestically produced garments, or they can select custom-made or second-hand garments. In Ghana, women have traditionally preferred imported RTW garments to RTW garments produced within the country. In this study, descriptive and analytical methods were used to investigate female university employees' (n = 150) perceptions of the quality of Ghanaian RTW garments based on garment attributes. Generally, respondents rated these garments' quality as good, with "style" the highest rated attribute. Implications for labeling of garments and the teaching of textiles and clothing are discussed, along with the need for further study.

Source: UG
Ghanaianisms: Towards a semantic and a formal classification

A list of vocabulary items peculiar to English in Ghana has been compiled over the last ten years. Included are items that have appeared in print at least three times within eight years. Most items were tested on Ghanaians of varying ages, ethnic backgrounds and levels of education to ascertain familiarity and usage. The paper is based on the above data. It classifies the entries according to (1) origin: English, local, hybrid; and (2) semantic and formal subcategorisations, i.e. (i) which semantic and formal processes the English items have undergone, (ii) from which semantic domains the local items are drawn and (iii) by which processes the hybrids were created. © 2001 John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Source: UG
Ghanaians Might Be at Risk of Excess Dietary Intake of Potassium Based on Food Supply Data

The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the beneficial role of adequate intake of potassium (K) in combating the global burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), mainly hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Diets are the main source of K supply to humans and can contribute to both K deficiency (hypokalemia) and excess (hyperkalemia). While global attention is currently devoted to K deficiency, K excess can be even more dangerous and deserves equal attention. The objectives of this paper were to (i) estimate the K intake of Ghanaian population using food supply and food composition data and (ii) compare this estimate with the WHO-recommended requirement for K in order to assess if there is a risk of inadequate or excess K intake. Food supply data (1961–2011) were obtained from the Food Balance Sheet (FBS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to derive trends in food and K supply. The average food supply in the FBS for 2010 and 2011 was used in assessing the risk of inadequate or excess dietary intake of K. The K content of the food items was obtained from food composition databases. Based on 2010-2011 average data, the K supply per capita per day was approximately 9,086 mg, about 2.6-fold larger than the WHO-recommended level (3,510 mg). The assessment suggests a potentially large risk of excess dietary K supply at both individual and population levels. The results suggest the need for assessing options for managing K excess as part of food security and public health strategies. The results further underscore a need for assessment of the K status of staple food crops and mixed diets, as well as K management in food crop production systems in Ghana.

Source: UG
Ghanaians Might Be at Risk of Inadequate Dietary Intake of Potassium

Adequate dietary intake of potassium (K) helps fight noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), mainly hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. This paper (i) estimated the K intake of Ghanaian population using food supply and food composition data and (ii) compared this estimate with the WHO recommended requirement for K in order to assess if there is a risk of inadequate K intake. Food supply data (1961-2011) was obtained from the FAO Food Balance Sheet (FBS) to derive trends in food and K supply. The average food supply in the FBS for 2010 and 2011 was used in assessing the risk of inadequate dietary intake of K. The K contents of the food items were obtained from food composition databases. The mean K supply per capita per day was approximately 856 mg. The assessment suggests a potentially large risk of inadequate dietary K supply at both individual and population levels. The results suggest the need for assessing options for managing K deficiency, including assessment of K supplying power of soils and K fertilizer management in food crop production systems, as well as empirical estimates of K content of food items (including those underreported in the FBS) and mixed diets in Ghana. © 2016 David Oscar Yawson et al.

Source: UG
Giant bladder diverticulum : A rare cause of bladder outlet obstruction in children

Giant bladder diverticula are rare causes of bladder outlet obstruction in children and have rarely been reported. In this paper, we present three children with giant bladder diverticula who presented with bladder outlet obstruction within a year. Micturating cystourethrogram is important for investigating bladder outlet obstruction in children and was used to confirm the diagnosis in all the patients. The relationship between the diverticula and ureters varied, with the ureters running either through the wall of the diverticulum and opening directly into the bladder, or opening into the diverticulum. In one patient, there was a recurrence, which was excised successfully. Excision is important to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Source: UG
Giant cell arteritis of the breast

Objective: To report a rare case of giant cell arteritis of the breast in a 56-year-old woman. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: The patient presented with tenderness in the upper outer quadrant of the left breast, in the absence of any constitutional symptoms. A diagnosis of giant cell arteritis was made only after surgical wedge excision of the affected breast quadrant. She returned 6 weeks later with tenderness in the upper inner medial quadrant of the same breast, with a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate. She has since been referred to the rheumatologist for further management. Conclusion: The diagnosis of giant cell arteritis of the breast was made only after pathological examination of the excised breast tissue. This study focused attention on the need to be aware of systemic conditions that may present as localised lesions of the breast and to maintain a high index of clinical suspicion in order to adequately investigate them and perhaps avoid unnecessary radical surgical intervention such as mastectomy.

Source: UG
Gibberellic acid and naphthalene acetic acid affect fruit retention, yield and quality of keitt mangoes in the coastal Savanna ecological zone of Ghana

Mango production in Ghana is highly reduced by low fruit set. This research was undertaken to apply plant growth regulators to increase fruit set and yield. The present investigation was carried out during two successive years of 2008 and 2009 on Keitt mango trees in order to study the effect of gibberellic acid (GA3) and Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA) sprays of different concentration on fruit retention, fruit quality and yield. Trees were sprayed at full bloom stage. The three hormone levels and two location effects were factorially combined and replicated three times in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). In order to obtain season or year effect, data were analysed as a split-split plot design with season as the main plot, location as sub-plot and cultivar as sub-sub plot. All sprayed chemicals significantly increased fruit retention and tree yield in both seasons. GA3 (25 ppm) and NAA (25 ppm) gave the best results in terms of increasing fruit set, fruit retention, number of fruits per cluster and per plant, fruit weight and yield. No significant differences were observed between the quality of fruits harvested from treated and control trees. 25 ppm of GA3 and 25 ppm NAA can be employed for spraying mango flowers at full bloom to increase mango fruit set, retention and yield of growers. © 2012 Academic Journals Inc.

Source: UG