ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Rural–urban and socio-demographic diferentials in perceived health state among aging population in Ghana

Background The variations in health between rural and urban population have become an increasingly signifcant public health concern in developing countries including Ghana where urbanization is occurring. Whereas urbanization results in improved access to healthcare services, the concomitant negative consequences of urbanization coupled with unfavorable compositional and contextual attributes can afect the health of populations. The study sought to examine the efect of rural–urban residence and selected socio-demographic factors on perceived health state among aging population by employing a nationally representative data collected by the WHO from 2014 to 2015. Methods The data were derived from the WHO Study on Aging wave 2 released in 2019. A total of 4511 individuals, made up of 1018 adults between 18 and 49 years and 3493 respondents within the ages of 50 years and above, were involved in this study. The study examined the Spearman’s rho correlations between perceived health, rural–urban residence, age, sex, marital status, ever schooled, current work state, religion, and regional location. Subsequently, the study employed a multivariable ordinal logistic regression model to test the efect of the selected biosocial and contextual variables on perceived health state. Results The selected socio-demographic variables signifcantly correlated with health state, except for rural–urban residence. However, the predictive ability of rural–urban residence and the socio-demographic variables on perceived health state were strongly ascertained. It was observed that age, sex, rural–urban residence, and current state of work among aging populations were signifcant predictors of perceived health state as demonstrated by odds ratios and signifcant p values. The contextual factor of regional location was the most signifcant variable that increases the perceived health state of respondents in the study. Conclusions Continues engagement in work-related activities, an individual’s age within the aging continuum and regional location coupled with its environmental and ecological attributes, may signifcantly infuence the development of positive perception toward health state, which forms a vital constituent of an individual health seeking behavior.

Source: UG
Rural-urban differences in health worker motivation and quality care in health facilities in Ghana.

Background: The population of Ghana is increasingly becoming urbanized with 50.9% of the estimated 24 million people currently living in urban areas compared to 43.8% in the year 2000. Nonetheless, eight out of the ten regions in Ghana remain predominantly rural where only 32.1% of the national health sector workforce works. Doctor-patient ratio in a predominantly rural region is 1:18,257 compared to 1:4,099 in an urban region. These rural-urban inequities significantly contribute to Ghana’s slow progress in achieving the millennium development goals 4, 5 and 6. Purpose: To ascertain rural-urban differences in health worker motivation and the implications on quality care in health facilities. Methods: This is a baseline semi-quantitative study conducted among 324 health workers in 64 accredited clinics in 16 rural and urban districts in Ghana. Multivariate multiple regression was conducted to ascertain the relationship between facility geographical location (rural/urban) and staff motivation levels and quality care standards. Results: Quality care and patient safety standards were generally low but relatively better in rural facilities especially in primary healthcare services. Health workers in rural facilities were more de-motivated by extrinsic factors such as poor water and electricity supply and payment of financial incentives (p<0.05). The major source of de-motivation for urban workers was lack of transportation to work (p<0.05). Conclusion: For Ghana to attain, the MDGs 4, 5 and 6, there is the need to address existing rural-urban imbalances in health worker motivation and quality care standards in primary healthcare services. Future researchers should compare motivation levels and quality standards in accredited and non-accredited health facilities since the current study was limited to only NHIS accredited facilities.

Source: UG
Rural–urban drift: labour migration, health-seeking behaviour disparity in the urban slum of Madina, Ghana

Purpose –The health challenges that characterise most of the migrants’ urban slums raises a lot of concern for their well-being. Health-seeking behaviour becomes an important step towards maintaining a healthy life. The importance of contextual issues is necessary to help meet specific community health needs and programmes. Therefore, this study aims to bridge the knowledge gap by investigating health-seeking behaviour disparity among rural–urban labour migrant’s slum dwellers before and after migration to the urban slums of Madina in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – The author used explanatory sequential approach of research investigation. Questionnaire and interview guides were used to collect data from the respondents however, in the absence of an existing reliable sampling frame, the various communities were selected by the use of cluster sampling proportional to size. At the second stage, a simple random sampling was used to select the various household heads. A total of 241 questionnaires were retrieved from the respondents representing a response rate of 100%. The author used purposive sampling technique to conduct eight in-depth interviews and six key informants’ interviews. Findings – The author found various discrepancies in many of the activities that could fulfill substantial health-seeking behaviour in the slum as compared to migrant’s places of origin. The reason for coming to the slum amidst many settlements needs and low education background are the factors that accounted for this. This study, therefore, contradicts the proposition held by the health belief model. It is, therefore, important to note that contextual issues are key, in this case, rural–urban migrant slums present a different dynamic that must be taken into account when designing health programmes for such settings. Originality/value – Many, if not all the, studies on health-seeking behaviour have focused on urban slums without taking into account urban migrants’ slums. Such a failure to take into account the variations of the health needs of migrants’ urban slum settings can eventually lead to a mismatch of health programmes meant to address their challenges. Therefore, this study brings to the fore such variations that must be taken into account when designing health programmes. The study also indicates that even with the same people, there were disparities in terms of health-seeking behaviour in the slum and at places of origin.

Source: UG
Russia-Ukraine war and G7 debt markets: Evidence from public sentiment towards economic sanctions during the conflict

War-related expectations cause changes to investors' risks and returns preferences. In this study, we examine the implications of war and sanctions sentiment for the G7 countries' debt markets during the Russia-Ukraine war. We use behavioural indicators across social media, news media, and internet attention to reflect the public sentiment from January 1, 2022, to April 20, 2023. We apply the quantile-on-quantile regression (QQR) and rolling window wavelet correlation (RWWC) methods. The quantile-on-quantile regression results show a heterogeneous impact on fixed-income securities. Specifically, extreme public sentiment has a negative impact on G7 fixed income securities return. The wavelets correlation result shows dynamic correlation pattern among public sentiment and fixed income securities. There is a negative relationship between public sentiment and G7 fixed-income securities. The correlation is time-varying and highly eventful dependent. Our additional analysis using corporate bond data indicates the robustness of our findings. Furthermore, the contagion analysis shows public sentiment significantly influences G7 fixed income securities spillover. Our findings can be of great significance while framing strategies for asset allocation and portfolio performance and risk hedging.

Source: UG
S.W.O.T Analysis of E-Learning Platform, Sakai: Users’ Perspective

The interest in integrating eLearning platforms in teaching environments are on the increase in higher learning institutions. In view of this, the study focused on assessing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of using the eLearning Platform, SAKAI, in the School of Continuing and Distance Education (SCDE), University of Ghana, Legon. A survey was conducted and two hundred and seventy-four (274) distance learning students from the University of Ghana, Legon were selected by simple random sampling method to collect primary data using questionnaires. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was then used to analyze the completed questionnaire and the statistical tools such as Pearson correlation matrix, mean and standard deviation were used. The results of the findings revealed that the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of SAKAI, have no significant relationship with distance learners’ level of ICT skills. From the results, it was clear that for management to be able to capitalize on the strengths of SAKAI as an eLearning platform, much attention must be paid to the stability of internet connection, user interface for ease of use, accessibility to mobile technology and much user training. The study made a significant recommendation for adoption.

Source: UG
Sachet Drinking Water in Accra: The Potential Threats of Transmission of Enteric Pathogenic Protozoan Organisms

Background: The recent introduction of sachet water to consumers was to provide safe, hygienic and affordable instant drinking water to the public. Although this is a laudable idea current trends seem to suggest that sachet drinking water could be a route of transmission of enteric pathogens. Objective: To assess the safety of sachet drinking water. Materials and Methods: Twenty seven different brands of 500ml sachet water samples randomly selected and purchased from various vendors in Accra were subjected to microscopic examinations to determine the presence of parasitic protozoa. The study was carried out between January and May 2005. Results: Seventy-seven percent of the samples contained infective stages of pathogenic parasitic organisms. Common pathogens identified include, Microsporidia sp 14/27 (51.2%), Cryptosporidium parvum 17/27 (63.0%), Cyclospora cayetenensis 16/27 (59.3%), Sarcocystis sp. 18/27 (66.7%). Rotifers 5/27 (18.5%), and Charcoat Leyden crystals 12/27 (44.4%). Ninety-three percent of the samples contained unidentified impurities/artifacts. 29.6% of the samples contained at least one type of parasite, 14.8% contained at least 2 types of parasites, 25.9% contained at least three types of parasites, while 29.6% contained four types of parasites. Conclusion: The study indicated the presence of contaminants of feacal and zoonotic origin in some of the sachet water examined. This has grim public health implications as the organisms identified can cause water related diseases which have serious complications in children and adults particularly immunocompromised individuals. Sachet water should be constantly monitored for its microbial quality.

Source: UG
Sachet water quality and product registration: A cross-sectional study in Accra, Ghana

Objectives: To assess the extent to which packaged water producers follow product registration procedures and to assess the relationship between product registration and drinking water quality in Accra, Ghana. Methods: Following preliminary analysis of a national water quality survey, 118 packaged sachet water samples were collected by sampling all brands sold by 66 vendors. A sample of vendors were selected from two high income and two low-income areas of Accra, Ghana. Sachet packaging and labelling details were recorded and compared to a regulatory database to assess product registration. All samples were weighed and tested for faecal indicator bacteria and selected physico-chemical parameters. Results: Product registration numbers and brand names could be matched to regulatory records for 77 out of 118 sachets (65.2%). All samples tested were compliant with national water quality standards for faecal indicator bacteria and nitrate. Brand registration was not associated with any of the quality indicators considered Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that whilst a substantial proportion of sachet water is sold without formal product registration, the microbial quality of the unlicensed water is consistently high in Accra, Ghana. Further examination of regulatory enforcement and monitoring will be needed to ensure sustained high water quality over time. <br/

Source: UG
Sacred objects into state symbols: The material culture of chieftaincy in the making of a national political heritage in Ghana

Although chieftaincy has remained a highly contested institution, it is one traditional institution that most Ghanaians identify with: chiefs have been and still are regarded as the custodians of the nation's cultural beliefs and practices. Their position as intermediaries between the ancestral spirits and the people they represent makes them sacred figures and their regalia sacred objects. Chiefs are also very important in facilitating the provision of social infrastructural projects and ensuring law and order in their communities. Such was the power and prestige of chiefs that under colonialism the British administration incorporated them into colonial governance. However, while the nationalist leaders in the immediate postcolonial era did not find it appropriate to incorporate chiefs into national governance, they nonetheless used some cultural materials of chieftaincy to legitimize and Africanize their authority and give the new state of Ghana a unique political identity. By incorporating chieftaincy objects into the newly designed political culture, the state profiled and reified chieftaincy as a national heritage. This article discusses the intricacies of turning sacred objects of chieftaincy into national state symbols. © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2013.

Source: UG
Sacrificing the savannah woodlands for energy and livelihoods? Charcoal production in Ghana

The energy transition in many African countries involves the shift from firewood to charcoal and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as the primary domestic energy source. In Ghana, the demand for charcoal is on the rise, leading to diverse socio-economic and ecological outcomes in the Savannah woodland. Based on data produced through interviews, focus group discussions, observation, and a survey with 200 questionnaires administered, the paper examines the dynamics of charcoal livelihoods for energy and the ecological effects in the Savana woodland of Ghana. The article shows that charcoal production is critical to meeting household energy needs and supports the livelihood of different categories of people along the value chain and transforms local economies with unequal benefit streams to different actors. However, charcoal production results in loss of vegetation and ecological resilience with different levels of culpability on large migrant producers and small survivalist indigenous producers. The paper shows that vegetation loss is highest in areas where indigenous charcoal producers continue to produce after the large-scale producers migrate when they exhaust mature trees. We recommend that stakeholders rethink governance strategies toward regulating the charcoal sector, considering its critical role in meeting domestic energy needs and supporting the livelihoods of many people

Source: UG
Safe and just Earth system boundaries

The stability and resilience of the Earth system and human well-being are inseparably linked1–3 , yet their interdependencies are generally under-recognized; consequently, they are often treated independently4,5 . Here, we use modelling and literature assessment to quantify safe and just Earth system boundaries (ESBs) for climate, the biosphere, water and nutrient cycles, and aerosols at global and subglobal scales. We propose ESBs for maintaining the resilience and stability of the Earth system (safe ESBs) and minimizing exposure to signifcant harm to humans from Earth system change (a necessary but not sufcient condition for justice)4 . The stricter of the safe or just boundaries sets the integrated safe and just ESB. Our fndings show that justice considerations constrain the integrated ESBs more than safety considerations for climate and atmospheric aerosol loading. Seven of eight globally quantifed safe and just ESBs and at least two regional safe and just ESBs in over half of global land area are already exceeded. We propose that our assessment provides a quantitative foundation for safeguarding the global commons for all people now and into the future.

Source: UG
A Safe Haven or a Temporary Alternative Host? - The Displaced Mango Fruit Fly, Ceratitis cosyra in the African Peach Plant

Abstract One of the difficulties in controlling fruit flies in cultivated crops is the use of alternative host plants as refugia when the preferred hosts are not in season. This study was aimed at collecting fruits and vegetables in localities across the five northern regions of Ghana (Northern, North-East, Savannah, Upper-East, and Upper-West regions) to catalogue the diversity of fruit flies and their host plants. A total of 1,722 fruits from all localities across the five regions were incubated, with 29.13% turning out to be fly-positive, yielding 1,141 individuals in four genera (Bactrocera, Ceratitis, Dacus, and Zeugodacus) and four species (Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), Ceratitis cosyra (Walker), Dacus bivittatus (Bigot), and Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillet)). The African Peach plant, Nauclea latifolia, showed the highest incidence level of infestation, with the Mango fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra as the dominant species, accounting for 97.19% (974) of the flies. The Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis and the Melon fly, Zeugodacus curcurbitae accounted for 1.23% (14 each), and Dacus bivittatus 0.35% (4). With evidence of displacement of C. cosyra from mango by the invasive Bactrocera dorsalis in most African countries, our results point to a plant that has hitherto not been known to be associated with fruit flies in Ghana for the displaced Mango fruit fly. Since information of previous fruit fly records is scanty, especially in the northern parts of the country, it is not known whether the African Peach has always been a host plant to C. cosyra, and served as a suitable alternative host during the long dry season, or is pointing to the new home after its displacement by Bactrocera dorsalis. There is therefore the need for an extended all-year-round collection to ascertain the host status and pattern of utilization of the African peach, as well as confirm the suspected host shift and displacement status of C. cosyra.

Source: UG
Safe mass drug administration for neglected tropical diseases

The Department of Parasitology conducts research into parasitic diseases of public health importance with the overall goal of reducing their transmission and the heavy disease burden that they impose on affected populations. The Department maintains focus on parasitic diseases in general. These include major diseases such as malaria, and others listed under the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) control initiative such as, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis.

Source: UG
&quot;Safe sex talk:&quot; Negotiating safe sex practices in heterosexual relationships

HIV and AIDS has become a gendered phenomenon, infecting more women than men, in sub-Saharan Africa, where heterosexual sex is the main mode of transmission. The complex interplay between power and gender is crucial for understanding who has control over when, where, and how sex takes place in heterosexual relationships. This study explores research participants' interpretations of cultural norms of gender, sexuality and power in scripted HIV prevention safe sex practice messages to determine if they shape individual behaviors in safe sex negotiation. Data is from 5 focus group discussions (n= 28) and in-depth interviews (n=7) involving men and women, conducted in Accra, Ghana. Data was transcribed and themes and patterns were identified. The analysis identified contradictions clouded participants' expectations (intentions) and actual sexual practices. Participants expect male sexual power and female submissiveness, yet present accounts of females actively engaging in sexual negotiations. Participants were more receptive to condom use than abstinence; specifically, the former allows access to male power while the latter controls male sexual pursuit. Yet, participants describe condom use as unpredictable and contradictory. Gendered sexual expectations, intentions and actual experiences described in this study are much more complex and require further attention. HIV interventions in Africa must pay attention to nuances in realistic accounts of heterosexual encounters to decipher complexities in the safe sex negotiation process.

Source: UG
Safety and effectiveness of antimalarial therapy in sickle cell disease: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Background About 80% of all reported sickle cell disease (SCD) cases in children anually are recorded in Africa. Although malaria is considered a major cause of death in SCD children, there is limited data on the safety and effectiveness of the available antimalarial drugs used for prophylaxis. Also, previous systematic reviews have not provided quantitative measures of preventive effectiveness. The purpose of this research was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available literature to determine the safety and effectiveness of antimalarial chemoprophylaxis used in SCD patients. Methods We searched in PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, POPLine and Cochrane library, for the period spanning January 1990 to April 2018. We considered randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing any antimalarial chemoprophylaxis to, 1) other antimalarial chemoprophylaxis, 2) placebo or 3) no intervention, in SCD patients. Studies comparing at least two treatment arms, for a minimum duration of three months, with no restriction on the number of patients per arm were reviewed. The data were extracted and expressed as odds ratios. Direct pairwise comparisons were performed using fixed effect models and the heterogeneity assessed using the I-square. Results Six qualified studies that highlighted the importance of antimalarial chemoprophylaxis in SCD children were identified. In total, seven different interventions (Chloroquine, Mefloquine, Mefloquine artesunate, Proguanil, Pyrimethamine, Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine amodiaquine) were evaluated in 912 children with SCD. Overall, the meta-analysis showed that antimalarial chemoprophylaxis provided protection against parasitemia and clinical malaria episodes in children with SCD. Nevertheless, the risk of hospitalization (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.267–1.959; I2 = 0.0%), blood transfusion (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.542–1.280; I2 = 29.733%), vaso-occlusive crisis (OR = 19, 95% CI = 1.713–2.792; I2 = 93.637%), and mortality (OR = 0.511, 95% CI = 0.189–1.384; I2 = 0.0%) did not differ between the intervention and placebo groups. Conclusion The data shows that antimalarial prophylaxis reduces the incidence of clinical malaria in children with SCD. However, there was no difference between the occurrence of adverse events in children who received placebo and those who received prophylaxis. This creates an urgent need to assess the efficacy of new antimalarial drug regimens as potential prophylactic agents in SCD patients.

Source: UG