ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Schistosoma haematobium co-infection with soil-transmitted helminthes: prevalence and risk factors from two communities in the central region of Ghana

Schistosoma haematobium co-infection with S. mansoni and soil-transmitted helminthes afflict most-at-risk populations in endemic communities in the developing world. Aim: This study investigated S. haematobium co-infection with soil-transmitted helminthes, and host risk factors in two communities in the central region of Ghana. Methods: Schools and children were selected by stratified cluster and random sampling methods respectively. A total of 250 school children (aged 5 - > 20 years) were recruited. Teachers issued questionnaires to obtain information on host risk factors, water-contact activities and knowledge of S. haematobium infection. Urine and stool samples were examined for S. haematobium infection and S. mansoni and soil-transmitted helminthes using sedimentation quantitative and direct smear/formol-ether sedimentation concentration techniques respectively. Results: S. haematobium infection (1 - 50 eggs/10 ml urine) prevalence at Apewosika and Putubiw were 27.5 % and 17 % respectively. Males were more at risk of S. haematobium infection than females. S. haematobium co-infection with soil-transmitted helminthes (A. lumbricoides, E. histolytica, and T. trichuria) was recorded in Putubiw, with females more at risk than males. Children aged 16-19 and 10-15 were more at risk of S. haematobium infection and helminthic co-infection respectively. Haematuria and proteinuria were predictive of S. haematobium infection. School children had poor knowledge of S. haematobium infection. Water-contact activity was common. Conclusion: S. haematobium prevalence and its co-infection with soil-transmitted helminthes were common in Putubiw. Water- contact activity and poor knowledge about S. haematobium infection were major risk factors. Increased education on preventive and control measures especially in schools is recommended.

Source: UCC
Schistosoma haematobium co-infection with soil-transmitted helminthes: prevalence and risk factors from two communities in the central region of Ghana

Background: Schistosoma haematobium co-infection with S. mansoni and soil-transmitted helminthes afflict most-at-risk populations in endemic communities in the developing world. Aim: This study investigated S. haematobium co-infection with soil-transmitted helminthes, and host risk factors in two communities in the central region of Ghana. Methods: Schools and children were selected by stratified cluster and random sampling methods respectively. A total of 250 school children (aged 5 - > 20 years) were recruited. Teachers issued questionnaires to obtain information on host risk factors, water-contact activities and knowledge of S. haematobium infection. Urine and stool samples were examined for S. haematobium infection and S. mansoni and soil-transmitted helminthes using sedimentation quantitative and direct smear/formol-ether sedimentation concentration techniques respectively. Results: S. haematobium infection (1 - 50 eggs/10 ml urine) prevalence at Apewosika and Putubiw were 27.5 % and 17 % respectively. Males were more at risk of S. haematobium infection than females. S. haematobium co-infection with soil-transmitted helminthes (A. lumbricoides, E. histolytica, and T. trichuria) was recorded in Putubiw, with females more at risk than males. Children aged 16-19 and 10-15 were more at risk of S. haematobium infection and helminthic co-infection respectively. Haematuria and proteinuria were predictive of S. haematobium infection. School children had poor knowledge of S. haematobium infection. Water-contact activity was common. Conclusion: S. haematobium prevalence and its co-infection with soil-transmitted helminthes were common in Putubiw. Watercontact activity and poor knowledge about S. haematobium infection were major risk factors. Increased education on preventive and control measures especially in schools is recommended.

Source: UCC
School Children as Agents of Water Supply, Sanitation And Hygiene Behaviour Change Practices in the Asikuma-odoben-brakwa District of Ghana

ABSTRACT Elimination of water related diseases requires behaviour change regarding water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices. These behaviours are transferrable to generations though are difficult to change. However, it is reported that children are most appropriate medium through which WASH behaviours could be changed. This study, therefore, explored how school children could serve as agents of WASH behaviour change practices in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District. Using Convergent Parallel Mixed Method Research Design, a multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 552 pupils and 56 teachers from WASH and Non-WASH schools, 8 School-based Health Coordinators, and 272 household heads to obtain quantitative and qualitative data with Interview Schedule, Observation Checklist and Focus Group Discussions. The results revealed that pupils in WASH compared with non-WASH schools had the potential to serve as agents of WASH behaviour change because their WASH behaviours; were guided by action plans, exhibited better knowledge and practice, and were confident of their abilities to influence WASH behaviours of their households. Teachers in both school-types received no formal training on WASH. Household heads trusted information they received from pupils. Inadequate WASH facilities in homes and attitudes of families towards pupils were barriers to communication of WASH information. It was recommended among others that Ghana Education Service and other stakeholders in WASH activities collaborate to ensure schools and the communities are provided with WASH facilities to enhance acquisition of proper WASH behaviours in other to teach their households.

Source: UCC
School drop-out: a case study of pupils in basic schools in songor ramsar site of dangme east district

The study examined school drop-out among pupils at the Basic Education level in Songor Ramsar Site in the Dangme East District of the Greater Accra Region. The schools in this area were found in settlements called Wekumagbe, Akplabanya, Anyamam, Goi, and Lolonya. A survey was carried out using a combination of cluster, purposive, snowball and simple random sampling techniques. A sample of 110 respondents was selected from Akplabanya and Anyamam Basic Schools. The Study revealed that basic schools in the Songor Ramsar Site faced high rate of school drop-out. The study also revealed that as first step for school drop-out, pupils became truants and eventually drop-out of school. Most pupils dropped out of school to engage in salt mining and fishing mainly due to the inability of parents to provide the basic needs of their children, poor lighting system in the home due to lack of money to buy kerosene and child neglect. It is recommended among others that parents should provide the basic needs of their wards and monitor their school attendance. The Central Government through the District Assembly and Ministry of Education through her various bodies at the grassroot level like the District Oversight Committee on Education, the School Management Committee and the Parent Teacher Association must play their roles and institute rules and regulations to ensure that parents and guardians fulfil their responsibilities towards their children in school.

Source: UCC
School feeding contributes to micronutrient adequacy of Ghanaian schoolchildren

Without gains in nutritional outcomes, it is unlikely that school feeding programmes (SFP) could improve cognition and academic performance of schoolchildren despite the improvements in school enrolment. We compared the nutrient intake adequacy and Fe and nutritional status of SFP and non-SFP participants in a cross-sectional survey involving 383 schoolchildren (aged 5–13 years). Quantitative 24 h recalls and weighed food records, repeated in 20% subsample, were used to estimate energy and nutrient intakes adjusted for day-to-day variations. The probability of adequacy (PA) was calculated for selected micronutrients and the mean of all PA (MPA) was calculated. The concentrations of Hb, serum ferritin, and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and anthropometric measurements were used to determine Fe and nutritional status. Energy and nutrient intakes and their adequacies were significantly higher among SFP participants (P,0·001). The MPA of micronutrients was significantly higher among SFP participants (0·61 v. 0·18; P,0·001), and the multiple-micronutrient-fortified corn soya blend was a key contributor to micronutrient adequacy. In SFP participants, 6 g/l higher Hb concentrations (P,0·001) and about 10% points lower anaemia prevalence (P¼0·06) were observed. The concentration of sTfR was significantly lower among SFP participants (11·2 v. 124 mg/l; P¼0·04); however, there was no difference in the prevalence of Fe deficiency and Fe-deficiency anaemia between SFP and non-SFP participants. There was also no significant difference in the prevalence of thinness, underweight and stunting. In conclusion, the present results indicate that school feeding is associated with higher intakes and adequacies of energy and nutrients, but not with the prevalence of Fe and nutritional status indicators. The results also indicate an important role for micronutrient-dense foods in the achievement of micronutrient adequacy within SFP.

Source: UCC
School leadership and Social justice: Evidence from ghana and tanzania

Headteachers working under conditions of severe hardship in Africa face tremendous challenges, often exacerbated by a sense of hopelessness and lack of agency to effect improvements within their school. This paper focuses on notions of „social justice‟ within an African educational context and reports on a small-scale research project involving primary headteachers in Ghana and Tanzania engaging with Action Research in order to bring about changes which they feel will benefit pupil learning. The study presents some positive impacts generated by the headteachers‟ actions and indicates ways in which these actions illustrate developments in areas of „social justice‟ related to fairness, equity, recognition, and redistribution. The findings suggest that empowering headteachers through the use of Action Research can enable them to act creatively and positively for the benefit of pupils within their schools.

Source: UCC
School mathematics education through the eyes of students in Ghana: Extrinsic and intrinsic valuing

1256 students from 18 primary and secondary public schools across urban and rural settings in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana responded to the “What I Find Important (in my mathematics learning)” questionnaire. The data analysed suggested that students in Ghana valued in their mathematics learning: achievement, relevance, fluency, authority, ICT, versatility, learning environment, strategies, feedback, communication, fun, connections, engagement, applications, and accuracy. The students’ embracing of these attributes is explained by reflecting on the societal and pedagogical norms in Ghana. When compared to high performing economies in East Asia, it was found that most of the Ghanaian attributes represent extrinsic (versus intrinsic) valuing. Implications and suggestions for policy-making and for classroom teachers are provided.

Source: UCC
School-based Health Service Delivery in Ghana: The Actualities of an Observation

There is no argument over the importance of students’ health in relation to the attainment of set goals for education. To this end, the study aimed at assessing the state of school-based health service delivery in public senior high/technical schools in Ghana. Focus was on the public senior high/technical schools in the Eastern, Western and Central regions of Ghana. All the 210 public senior high/technical school in the three regions were selected for thestudy. The descriptive cross-sectional census survey was adopted for the study. Data was collected with a structured observation guide (0.78, Cronbach Alpha coefficient) that consisted of three sections and 20 items that looked at the availability and non-availability of indicators of school-based health services delivery. Data collected was analysed with Microsoft Excel (v.2018). Results from the data analysis signposted, among others, that almost half (n=103, 49%) of the 210 public senior high/technical schools in the Eastern, Western and Central regions of Ghana do not have school-based health delivery facility (Sickbay). Also, only 63 (30%) of the 210 schools had a health professional, with only 33 (16%) of these schools having a Medical Doctor visiting once every two weeks. It was recommended, among others, that Government revisits the rationale behind School Health Education Programme (SHEP) to revive the need for health promotion and delivery and also reignite the supposed collaboration betweenthe Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health towards that direction.

Source: UCC
Schoolscaping: Forms and Functions of Public Signs at University of Cape Coast

Language has made it possible for humans as individuals and groups to communicate in diverse forms among themselves. The public space has been one of the key avenues for such an interaction. University of Cape Coast (UCC) authority, through the public space communicates several messages or information to its members. The present study aimed to investigate the Linguistic Landscape (LL) of UCC focusing on the range of public signs and their communicative functions, drawing on Scollon and Scollon’s (2003) Geosemiotics or The Place Semiotics Theory and Landry and Bourhis’ (1997) Informational and Symbolic Functions of LL. Observations and picture taking were used to gather data within one month. Four hundred (400) photographs of public signs were taken on UCC campus. Using qualitative content analysis complemented by descriptive statistics, the study revealed names of public and private structures, navigational signs, notices, clothing and souvenirs as categories representing the range of public signs at UCC. Apart from the known informational and symbolic functions of LL, the study further revealed that these public signs performed identificatory, memorializing, directional, advertising/marketing/promotional, invitational, regulatory, and pedagogical functions. Closely related to the second research finding was the multifunctional nature of these public signs. The findings of the study contribute to the scholarship on linguistic landscape in educational institutions (also referred to as ‘schoolscape’) and further research.

Source: UCC
Sciamachy validation using ground-based doas measurements of the University of Bremen Bredom network

A network of ground-based UV/visible DOAS instruments operated by the University of Bremen is used to validate total column measurements from the SCIAMACHY instrument on ENVISAT from the tropics to the Arctic. Measurement quantities include vertical columns of O3, NO2, and BrO. Depending on atmospheric conditions, also slant columns of OClO (during chlorine activation) and SO2, HCHO or IO can be measured. In addition to the standard zenith-sky measurement, all instruments perform off-axis horizon measurements that provide information on the tropospheric burden of the observed species. This quantity will also be used for validation once tropospheric products become available from SCIAMACHY

Source: UCC
Science learning self-efficacy of senior High school students

Self-efficacy is an important attribute capable of shaping a person’s behaviour. Perceived academic efficacy which plays an influential role in students' school success and academic choices has been found to be associated with levels of motivation, persistence, engagement, and academic achievements for science disciplines. This study, therefore, sought to investigate science learning self-efficacy of high school students in Ghana. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect quantitative data from 1,507 SHS 1 and SHS 2 students from six public schools in the Central Region. Questionnaires were used to collect data from students. Data were analysed using percentages, means, standard deviations, and a One-way Multivariate Analysis of Variance. The results from the study showed that students had positive perception about their science learning self-efficacy but were not confident in terms of practical skills. It is, therefore, recommended that teachers take active steps by planning and structuring science lessons to include more practical as a means to enhance students efficacy in practical skills to boost their overall perception of their science learning self-efficacy.

Source: UCC
Science teachers’ perception of the use of educational computer gamers in selected senior high schools in Akwapim North District

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become a household name for any country that wants to develop education. ICT has received significant attention from successive governments over the past decade at the senior high school level. Teaching and learning have evolved over the years from the traditional instructivism, to the constructivism approach where learners have become active organism with expectations and the teacher becoming a facilitator. The aim of the study was to investigate the use of ICT as a constructivist approach to the teaching and learning of Physics m Swedru senior high school. The study was underpinned by the constructivist theory. The study adopted a quantitative research approach and descriptive research design. There is no approach like this in the main work and simple random sampling techniques were used in this research The sample size was 206 students who were randomly selected and 8 science teachers who were purposely selected. Questionnaire was used as a research instrument for data collection. Descriptive statistical tools were used in analysing the data. The study revealed that the use of ICT in the teaching and learning of Physics were perceived to develop diverse learning, critical thinking and active student participation which improve student's performance in the subject. It was recommended that, the Government should adopt ICT as a constructivist approach to the teaching and learning of Physics in junior high schools by providing the necessary logistics and infrastructure so that they can use ICT resources to enhance teaching and learning.

Source: UCC
Scientific medical practitioners and traditional medicine in contemporary Ghana: A study of attitiudes and perceptions

Traditional Medicine (TM) has been practised in Ghana from time immemorial and many Ghanaians still patronise the services of traditional medical practitioners (TMPs). However, TM has not been integrated into the formal healthcare delivery system of the country. This might be partly due to attitudes and perceptions towards it. The aim of the study was to find out the attitudes and perceptions of Scientific Medical Practitioners (SMPs) towards TM in Ghana and then propose measures for the full integration of TM into Ghana’s healthcare delivery system. A descriptive survey methodology was used to solicit responses from 33 SMPs practising in the Central Region of Ghana, the study draws conclusions of a formative nature on the attitudes and perceptions of SMPs towards the integration of traditional medicine (TM) into the national healthcare delivery system. The main result of the study is that, although SMPs would want the full integration of traditional medicine (TM) into the formal healthcare delivery system, when confronted with possible ways of working with TMPs they showed reluctance to accepting them as equal partners since they perceived their practice as inferior to theirs. In order to reduce the mistrust and lack of understanding of the philosophy that underlie Scientific Medicine and Traditional Medicine, there must be regular consultations and dialogue between and among practitioners of the two medical systems. This may engender the needed trust and respect that the practitioners need to accord each other in order to develop and integrate TM into the national healthcare system.

Source: UCC
Scientific medical research and publication in Nigeria

Research involves undertaking systematic scientific investigation in order to discover new facts or get additional information needed to elucidate a particular problem. Scientific research seeks primarily to advance knowledge. Scientific Medical research seek not only to advance knowledge, but in its applied form seeks to make use of the knowledge so acquired, in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human diseases1. Ill health has a major impact on the economic situation and well-being of an individual in any society. This is particularly true in the lower income countries (where social safety nets are weak or non-existent) and for the absolute poor, due to the vicious circle of poverty and ill-health2. Conversely, improvement in health will boost the individual’s level of income (due to lower treatment cost, higher revenue, a longer-term increase in revenue due to better work opportunities and overall growth in revenues due to longer life-expectancy). It will also improve the individual’s capacity to acquire an education, increase the family’s productive opportunities and greatly improve the psychological well-being of both the individual and family. The benefit of good health will be even greater for the absolute poor, as they may transform the vicious circle of poverty into a virtuous cycle, with better nutrition, lower risk of unemployment or underemployment, better housing, better use of training opportunities, higher productivity and overall, better control over their life situation and that of their family How good and beneficial a research finding may be, it can only be useful if shared with others. This is what communication of research findings is all about. Communication of research findings can be either in oral presentation in a conference/scientific meetings or presentation in a written form otherwise known as publication. There are three main types of publications – Thesis or dissertation, Book or Monograph and a Journal Article. The aim of this presentation is to review the logical steps in scientific medical research, discuss the types of publications, identify challenges in research and publication in Nigeria and proffer some solution to overcome these challenges.

Source: UCC
Screening of local cassava germplasm for domestic and industrial purposes

Two experiments were conducted at the University of Ghana Farm, Legon and Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute (Bunso). The first experiment was carried out at Legon from March, 2002 to October, 2003 to evaluate ll cassava accessions. The criteria used for the evaluation were (a) tolerance to whitefly infestation and African Cassava Mosaic Virus (ACMV) disease infection (b) root tuber yield and starch yield characteristics. Based on the performance of accessions in Experiment I, seven superior cassava accessions and one check variety were selected for further evaluation in Experiment II. Experiment II was conducted between October, 2003 and January, 2005 at two a'gra-ecological zones, that is, the Coastal Savanna (Legon) and Deciduous Forest (Bunso) to identify and select elite accessions with desirable agronomic traits and root tubers with high starch content. Three accessions, namely: 'UG126', 'H0015' and 'H0008' were observed to rank highest with respect to root tuber weight and other desirable production traits. Accessions 'UG126', 'DMA030' and 'H0008' were identified as genotypes with high quality starch suitable for industrial purposes based on low solubility, high swelling volume, swelling power and high peak viscosity. For domestic purposes, for example, the preparation of 'fu fu' and 'banku', 'UCC 90', 'UG126', 'H0008' and 'DMA 030' can be used based on high setback viscosities of their starches. It is suggested that fuliher field evaluations of the cassava genotypes be made over a longer period of time so that genotype x location x year interactions can be further studied.

Source: UCC