ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Hand washing knowledge and practices among public primary schools in the Kintampo Municipality of Ghana

Background: Hand washing is very effective in preventing communicable diseases. Hand washing is particularly important for children, as they are more vulnerable to infections gained from unwashed hands and also due to their unhealthy behaviour. The study was conducted to determine the availability of hand washing facilities, hand washing knowledge and practices among public primary schools in Kintampo Municipality. Methods: A cross sectional survey was carried out among 300 children and 10 headmasters in 10 selected schools. Data were collected using questionnaires and observation checklist regarding socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of hand washing, hand washing practices and availability of hand washing facilities in the selected schools. Results: All the children indicated that it was important to wash their hands with water and soap. About (37.67%) washed their hands in order to prevent diseases, 53.33% had never been educated on how to wash their hands. Only 23.33% of the children demonstrated correctly on how to wash hands, a little over 15% washed their hands under clean running water whiles 23.33% wipe their hands using handkerchiefs. Forty-three percent indicated after visiting toilet as necessary to wash hands whiles 42.33% cited lack of water as the barrier to hand washing. About 39.88% always washed their hands with soap after using the toilet; about 60% of the schools had hand washing points. Only 30% of the schools have clean running water. Conclusions: There is the need for effective hand washing education in the schools to help improve hand washing knowledge and practices. Hand washing facilities in the schools were found to be inadequate

Source: UCC
Handwashing as a practice among healthcare workers at the Kaneshie Polyclinic, Accra

Preventing and controlling of infections in the delivery of quality healthcare is very necessary as they lead to the protection of patients, the health worker as well as the general public. However the rate of hand washing with soap and water appears to be unacceptably low amongst health workers. The study examined hand washing as a practice among healthcare workers at the Kaneshie Polyclinic of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The study was a descriptive survey and the views of 100 respondents were sought through the administering of questionnaire. Primary and secondary sources of data collection method were used and data collected from the field was processed and analysed through the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0. It was evident from the study that 64% of the respondents interviewed had more knowledge about hand hygiene. Amid Covid-19, 56% of the respondents believe that wearing protective gloves instead of washing hands is the most effective step for controlling any infections. Fifty six percent of the participants were of the opinion that the hands should be washed first thing in the morning and 55% of the respondents were quite divided with regards to washing of hands with soap under running water. 88% of the respondents strictly followed the WHO‘s guidelines on hand hygiene due to the training and awareness exercise given them by polyclinic managers. However, the study concludes that improving and providing facilities and resources for practicing hand hygiene may play a critical role in increasing the knowledge, attitudes and practices of hand washing among healthcare workers at the Kaneshie Polyclinic and also regular and intensive training and awareness exercise by the polyclinic managers may be a key factor for hand washing compliance. It is therefore recommended that Polyclinic managers through the Ghana health service should provide health workers the needed resources required for strict compliance to the WHO‘s guidelines for hand hygiene

Source: UCC
Hanging as a method of suicide in Ghana: A 10 year autopsy study

Background: There are no official statistics on hanging as a method of suicide in Ghana. The aim of this study was to describe the proportions of deaths that were due to suicide by hanging, the gender and age characteristics and the type of ligature used and offer recommendations. Material and methods: This was a retrospective autopsy study from 2003 to 2013 in our institution. Results: About 0.34% of all autopsies performed were suicide by hanging. The male: female ratio was 7:1. The mean age of male victims was 35.6 years and that of females was 28.4 years. The modal age group of the females was 10-19 years (33.3%) while that of the males was 20-29 years (29.6%). There were no significant age differences between Male and female (p=0.08), male and the total study population (p=0.08) and also between female and the total population (p=0.73). The commonly used ligature by males was a nylon rope (46.9%), while that for female was electric cable (27.8%). In all 23.0% males and 33.3% females had no stated ligature used. For both males (52.3%) and females (22.2%) the common point of suspension was the branch of a tree. Many of the females have no stated point of suspension (55.6%). There were significant differences with regards to the type of ligature used and the point of suspension between male and female (p=0.018), male and the total study population (p=0.013) and also between female and the total study population (p=0.014). The reasons for suicide by hanging were not stated. There was a case each from the prison custody and the psychiatry hospital in Accra respectively. Conclusion: The study found that 0.34 % of all autopsies performed were suicide by hanging. The victims were mostly younger males. The commonly used ligature was a nylon rope, with tree branch as the point of suspension. As suicide by hanging is becoming common in Ghana, there is the need to develop strategies for its prevention.

Source: UCC
Harmonising Kant's deontological ethics with utilitarianism: Intergrativist approach

The study attempts to create a synthesis between two seemingly opposing ethical theories. The theories are Kant’s deontology and utilitarianism. Kant’s deontology urges that moral actions be assessed from the motive. In his view the motive for such an action is nothing else but the motive of duty. By duty, he means the necessity to act with respect for the moral law that is innate in all rational beings. Utilitarianism takes a consequentialist position on moral assessment. On utilitarianism the good action is whatever gives the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. A happy life according to the utilitarian is a life full of pleasure. Bentham (1789) saw pleasure mainly in quantitative terms but Mill (1863) recognised two forms of pleasure; qualitative and quantitative pleasures. By quantitative pleasure, we mean sensual pleasure. Qualitative pleasure involves pleasure that encompasses intellectual, self-improvement and the rule of reason in enjoying happiness. In this vein, the best moral action is one that produces qualitative pleasure. The theory recognises the role qualitative pleasure plays in determining the morality of an action. The fundamental postulations of these two theories pose some challenges for integration. Kant’s a priori conception of duty makes it impossible for moral agents to act when duties conflict. For utilitarianism, the conception that pleasure alone is the highest good has created a lot of problems such as the conception of lower and higher pleasures. We therefore modify Kant’s concept of duty in order to allow his theory to make room for consequentialism. Also, pleasure alone is not the good, for there are other things which are not the product of pleasure but are intrinsically good. On the basis of these modifications, we recognise a logical space for reconciling the two theories. As a result, we create our synthesis called humanised deontologism which defends the position that the determination of a moral action is based on both motive and consequences and that these complement each other. Thus, the principles underpinning moral actions might be both a priori and a posteriori. In other words, ethical values are synthetic a priori. The synthesis therefore becomes possible because further analysis reveals a convergent point of the driving assumptions of both theories. That is they all propose for the achievement of intellectual virtue as the highest good.

Source: UCC
Harnessing Indigenous Basketry Resources for Prenumber and Early Number Work

Even though basketry is an age old occupation in Ghana and the world over, it appears mathematics tasks and activities involving the designs and structures have remained unnoticed and inadequately tapped for early school instructions. This qualitative survey therefore, purposively sampled four teachers, two basket artisans and six pupils in the Bolgatanga Municipality of Upper East Region of Ghana to harness, discuss and apply the tasks and activities indigenous basket resources could be employed to enhance conceptual knowledge and understanding in prenumber and early work. The findings showed that apart from providing employment and income for local artisans, teachers and pupils were equipped with prenumber activities that lead to the acquisition of early number work in pre-algebra, pre-geometry and pre-statistics tasks and activities in mathematics. We therefore, recommended instructional policies and programmes that promote and improve upon conceptual learning of prenumber and early school mathematics with indigenous resources.

Source: UCC
Hatchery Waste Meal as Protein Source in Diets for Grower-Finisher Pigs (Sus Domesticus)

The series of experiments reported in this work considered the possibility of utilising hatchery waste as replacement for fish meal in grower finisher diet. An initial survey in the Greater Accra region estimated that as high as 15 (fifteen) tons of waste was generated per annum from just 5 (five) hatcheries. Analysis of the waste showed however, that it had some levels of microbial load, although the presence of Escherichia Coli and Salmonella were not detected. Methods of processing waste using temperature and time combinations showed that simple steaming for 5 minutes at 80°C (5M80T) gave a product that retained high CP as well as had low microbial load suitable for inclusion in feed formulated for pigs. A 16-week study using sixty (60) Large White grower intact male pigs (average liveweight of 17.55 ± 0.1 kg) randomly allotted to 5 dietary treatments [designated 0% Hatchery Waste Meal, 2.5% Hatchery Waste Meal, 5.0% Hatchery Waste Meal, 7.5% Hatchery Waste Meal and 10.0 %] in which HWM replaced Fish Meal directly in the diet. The study again shows that HWM could be processed into a form that can be used after simple processing (steaming) without much loss in nutrient content, particularly protein. The inclusion of HWM up to 5.0% had no significant (p > 0.05) effect on weight gain, feed conversion ratio as well as economy of gain. In the course of the feeding trial, some biochemical and haematological indices assessed also indicated levels within normal ranges for good health in pigs. At the end of the feeding trial the effects of HWM replacement of FM on carcass characteristics (primal cuts, organs weights and measurement of fats) indicated no significant (p > 0.05) dietary treatment effects on all the parameters assessed, except for weight of the empty stomach, GIT (Gastro Intestinal Tract) and thymus gland. Finally, comprehensive survey to determine volumes of HWM generated across hatcheries in Ghana should be done to indicate more accurately the cost saving potential of this feed ingredient for pig fanners in Ghana.

Source: UCC
The Haunt of A Daunting Past: A Psychoanalytic Reading of Khaled Hosseini‘S The Kite Runner and a Thousand Splendid Suns.

Individuals are inextricably shaped by their life experiences, with early life events casting lasting shadows. As Tyson (1999) posits, the world is ―comprised of individual human beings, each with a psychological history that begins in childhood experiences in the family‖ (p. 12). This study employs the Bowen Family theory and Anna Freud‘s Defense Mechanisms, both Psychoanalytic theories, as frameworks to illuminate the life experiences and psychological developments of two pivotal characters, Amir and Mariam, in Khaled Hosseini‘s novels, The Kite Runner (2003) and A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007), respectively. This study delves into the impact of their early experiences on the course of their lives, seeking to decipher the motivations behind their actions, the enduring psychological repercussions of these experiences, and the strategies they employ to cope. Psychoanalysis contends that an unconscious drive significantly influences or shapes a person‘s behaviour. In the narratives of Amir and Mariam, we discern intricate threads of thought, emotion, and conduct that can be traced back to the unconscious forces of love and family. This study centres on the theme of family dynamics, specifically examining the childhood experiences of these protagonists and their contribution to character development. It sheds light on the roles of family and love in shaping the actions of Amir and Mariam, the haunting legacies of their past, the far-reaching consequences of which both characters grapple with in adulthood, and, intriguingly, exposes a unique manifestation of the Oedipal (male and female) Complex in both novels.

Source: UCC
HBV/HIV co-infection and APOBEC3G polymorphisms in a population from Burkina Faso

Background: Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like 3G (APOBEC3G) is a potent host defense factor, which interferes with HIV-1 and HBV. Our study had three objectives, to screen a population of HIV-1 infected and uninfected patients in Burkina Faso for HBV, to screen the population for APOBEC3G variants rs6001417, rs8177832, and rs35228531 previously described, and to analyze the effect of these three variants and their haplotypes on HIV-1/HBV co-infection in Burkina Faso. Methods: HBV detection was performed on samples from HIV-1 infected and uninfected subjects using rapid detection tests and real-time PCR. APOBEC3 genotyping was done by the TaqMan allelic discrimination method. Fisher Exact test, Odds ratio (OR), confidence intervals (CI) at 95 %, Linkage disequilibrium (LD) summary statistics and haplotype frequencies were calculated. Results: The prevalence of HBV was 56.7 % among HIV-1 positive patients of our study while it was about 12.8 % among HIV-1 seronegative subjects. Genotype E was the genotype of HBV present in our hepatitis B positive samples. Minor allele frequencies of rs6001417, rs8177832, and rs35228531 were higher in seronegative subjects. The T minor allele of variant rs35228531 was protective against HIV-1/HBV co-infection with OR = 0.61, 95 % CI (0.42–0.90), p = 0.013. There was also an association between the GGT haplotype and protection against HIV-1/HBV co-infection, OR = 0.57, 95 % CI (0.33–0.99), p = 0.050. The other haplotypes present in the population were not statistically significant. There minor allele T of the rs35228531 was protective against HIV mono-infection OR = 0.53, 95 % CI (0.3–0.93), P = 0.030. But there was no effect of protection against HBV mono-infection. Conclusion: APOBEC3G through its variants rs6001417, rs8177832, and rs35228531, in this study interferes with HIV-1/HBV co-infection could be due the HIV-1 mono-infection in a population from Burkina Faso.

Source: UCC
“He who gives power takes away power”: The role of the Ohemaa in Akan Chieftancy

The institution of chieftaincy is a revered one and various actors ensure that its sanctity is preserved and protected. One of such actors is the Ohemaa, who is considered a co-ruler with the Ohene. In the processes of making an Akan chief, the Ohemaa has the sole prerogative to nominate a royal to be enstooled as a chief. In the event of destoolment, what is the role of the Ohemaa? This forms the focus of the paper. Documentary sources and interviews were used as the means of data collection. Citing examples from the Assin and other Akan societies, the paper discusses the roles various actors play in the enstoolment and destoolment processes of an Akan chief. The paper argues that the Ohemaa, though has the power to nominate a chief, she cannot on her own authority destool the chief. It is the contention of this paper that the people who have the power to destool a chief are those who gave the chief the power to sit on the stool of his ancestors.These are the kingmaker and not the Ohemaa

Source: UCC
Head of institutions, perception of financial administration practices in government assisted senior high schools in Greater Accra region

The study was carried out among Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The objective was to find out the perception of towards financial administration procedures practiced in schools. The study was also intended to find out the background of the heads and the bursars on the relationship that should exist among them. The study however established that the heads and the bursars role in the school's financial administration needs to be clarified through regular workshops organized by the Ghana Education Service and other institutions that regulate financial management at the senior high school level. A questionnaire was the main instrument used to collect data for the heads. Among the heads those who administered boarding schools were more than those who administered over day schools. It was recommended that induction and in-service opportunities should be opened to administrators not as an option, but as structured and operational practice of the Ghana Education Service. This was informed by the finding that most of the administrators did not either receive an induction or in-service opportunities at all or did not subscribe to one. From the study it was found out that both headmasters/headmistresses and the bursars desire a cordial relationship to exist between them in order for them to foster an understanding spirit and cooperation

Source: UCC
Head Teachers’ Perception of the Influence of their Role Behaviours on Students Academic Performance in the Berekum Municipality

The study focused on the head teachers’ perception of the influence of their role behaviours on students’ academic performance in the Berekum Municipality. The study dwelled on three (3) research questions and one (1) hypothesis. It adopted the descriptive survey design with the quantitative approach in answering the formulated research questions and testing of the hypothesis. A sample of 140 head teachers and assistant head teachers out of a population of 144 head teachers and assistants head teachers was used. A questionnaire developed by the researchers with a reliability coefficient of 0.71 was used in the data collection. The study revealed that head teachers’ role behaviours towards functions as head teachers were unsatisfactory. On ways to improve upon the role behaviours of head teachers, they indicated that, adherence to their roles and teamwork among school staff would ensure a smooth operation of teaching and learning which would lead to improved students’ performance. It is recommended that teachers should hold scheduled meeting to discuss their role behaviour of head teachers and the effects.

Source: UCC
Heads, teachers and students perception of leadership styles in three leading secondary schools in Ho, Volta region of Ghana

This study sought to investigate the impact of leadership styles of heads on academic performance of students in three leading secondary schools in Ho. The method used for the research was the descriptive survey. This method was used because it may reveal the actual perception of students and teachers about their head’s leadership style. The population was the heads, teachers and students of the schools involved in the study. The three heads, sixty teachers and one hundred and fifty students were the sample used. Findings revealed that the heads leadership behaviour in decision making, supervision, welfare of teachers and students and the involvement of stakeholders in the administration of the schools had an impact on the academic performance of students in these schools. Thus the heads were instrumental in improving academic performance of students to a large extent. It was recommended that all school heads should be given formal training in educational administration at Institute for Education Planning and Administration (I.E.P.A) to give them leadership skills that will produce behaviours that will influence academic performance in both students and teachers.

Source: UCC
Headteacher competencies in conducting staff performance appraisal: A case study of public JSS heads in the Cape Coast Municipality

This research work is an investigation into Headteacher Competencies in conducting Staff Performance Appraisal: A Case Study of Public JSS Heads in the Cape Coast Municipality of Ghana. The study is a descriptive survey research. It is aimed at making a comprehensive and meticulous investigation into the competency level of headteachers, in terms of the level of knowledge, attitude and performance rating skills exhibited in conducting staff performance appraisal. The supporting appraisal material for the research was obtained from the first four performance appraisal criteria, namely, lesson plan, lesson presentation, knowledge of subject matter and evaluation of learner ability contained in the Staff Development and Performance Appraisal Manual of the Ghana Education Service (GES). The simple random technique was used to select a sample of ] 8 headteachers from 47 heads in the Public Junior Secondary Schools in the Cape Coast Municipality of Ghana. The sample consisted of 10 females and 8 males. A four-section composite questionnaire was developed from the four components of the performance appraisal criteria in the (GES) Appraisal manual. Section A of the questionnaire solicited for biographic and performance appraisal information. Section B sought information on the attitudes of heads Iowards the conduct of appraisal. There were 25 items with a 4-poillt Likert-type scale as the instrument to collect the required data. Section C was made up of 25 multiple-choice questions meant to solicit information about the level of knowledge of heads on appraisal. Section D consisted of 14 items on performance appraisal rating and elicited information on the performance rating skills of heads. The data gathering instrument was first pilot tested in eight schools in the Elmina District of the Central Region. All the data gathered from the research instrument were statistically analysed using frequencies and percentages. Furthermore, mathematical means and standard deviations were used in discussions for the level of knowledge and performance appraisal rating skills of the heads. Results from the study indicated, to some extent, that the level of headteacher competencies in conducting staff performance appraisal is high. However, the performance rating skills of some of the headteachers were found to be low while others were very high. Furthermore, it was identified that the GES performance appraisal manual was deficient in one respect, that is, it did not have any criteria on classroom organization and management. An addendum to rectify the anomaly was, therefore, suggested. . The major conclusion drawn from the study was that the level of headteacher competencies in conducting staff performance appraisal is high.

Source: UCC