ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The Relation between Diabetes with Hypertension and other Cardiovascular Risk Factors Using Logit and Probit Model

The study is aimed at finding out the relationship between diabetes with hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors among diabetic patients at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi. The main purpose is to model the relation between hypertensive diabetic and significant risk factors. Among the 310 subjects randomly selected, 198 were hypertensive diabetics with 147(74%) females. The data analysis was executed by SPSS with logit and probit analysis used for modeling. Findings revealed that the best predictor variables for diabetes with hypertension using the above analysis are age, body mass index (BMI) and blood glucose level (BGL) with their respective odds ratios 1.113, 1.266 and 0.937. Based on this, two similar models- logit and probit are developed for assessing the risks associated with hypertensive diabetic and also to make future predictions. Logit (Y) = 1n (𝜋1− ) = -10.581+ 0.107Age + 0.236BMI + (-0.065BGL) and Probit( 𝜋𝑖) = Φ[(-3.758) + 0.026Age + 0.058BMI + (-0.024BGL)]

Source: KNUST
Relationship between capital structure and firms performance in Ghana.

How capital structure affect a company’s profitability is a widely researched area in the field of investments and finance but still it remains a mystery as to whether capital structure affects the performance of a company. The study examines the relationship between capital structure and firms performance of listed manufacturing companies on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE).A sample of 12 manufacturing companies listed on GSE was sampled through purposive sampling technique for the study. Secondary data extracted from the financial report of the 12 manufacturing companies was used for the study. The linear regression model was used to achieve the research objective. The major findings were that manufacturing firms on the GSE main source of income depends on external borrowings. Additionally, capital structure has a negative impact on the organizational performance which was significant but minimal. Manufacturing companies listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange are less risky relative to the entire market. The study finally recommended that, there is the need for the manufacturing firms to obtain enough capital so as to take advantage of any opportunity that may be available and stay afloat of the highly competitive markets both internally and globally. Again, firms must look at increasing the size of their equity either through retained earnings or by looking at the stock exchange market for funds and that the choice of a debt facility should be a last resort.

Source: KNUST
The Relationship between Dietary Intake of Anti-Oxidant Micronutrients and the Rate of Recovery in Burn Patients

Burn injury results in emotional stress affecting dietary intake and anti-oxidant micronutrient intake, which is known to have effects on recovery outcomes. The study aimed to assess dietary intake of anti-oxidant micronutrients and recovery outcomes of burn patients. Secondary data of 487 patients was taken from the Burns Intensive Care Unit (BICU) at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for a period of 4 years (May 1, 2009 – April 30, 2013). Questionnaires were administered to 40 burn patients at KATH from March 1, 2014 – May 30, 2014. The data taken include anthropometric measurements and dietary assessment. Their nutrient intakes were assessed with Nutrient Analysis Template. The average intakes were compared to the Recommended Daily Allowance. Assessment of recovery was based on records of wound healing assessments and infection rates from the health practitioners. The secondary data indicated that the mean ICU stay and mean Total Burns Surface Area (TBSA) was 8.44 days and 28.79% respectively with 224 (46.0 %) females and 263 (54.0%) males. The mortality rate for the period under review was 20.4%. Cross sectional study for 40 patients revealed an average TBSA of 31.4%; where 70.0%, 35%, 75%, 52.5%, 12.5% and 32.5% patients were deficient in Vitamin A, C, E, Zinc, Copper and Selenium respectively. Patients with adequate amounts of zinc had a lower rate of infection, 26.3% as compared with those with inadequate amounts 33.33%, 25% of patients with adequate amounts of Vitamin A had wound infections as compared to 32% with inadequate amounts. With Vitamin C, 26.9% patients with adequate amounts had infections as compared with 35.7% with inadequate amounts. Also 76.9% of patients with adequate amounts of Vitamin C showed progress in wound healing. The adequacy of anti-oxidants resulted in positive wound healing outcomes. The prevalence of burn injury is high; hence there should be public education to prevent it. Also, most burn patients did not meet their dietary requirements for anti-oxidant micronutrient and this may be due to meals not tailored to suit individual requirements, hence the need for planned and well balanced meals.

Source: KNUST
Relationship between financial literacy and entrepreneurial intention: evidence from nursing students in bono east region

The study investigates the relationship between financial literacy and entrepreneurial intention of nursing students in the Bono East Region of Ghana. This study adopted both descriptive and explanatory research designs. The study was conducted among students of Krobo Nursing Training College and Community Health Nursing Training College; Techiman Midwifery and Nursing Training College; and Kintampo College of Health. A sample size of 337 were selected for the study using the determination of sample size from the tables proposed by Krejcie and Morgan (1970). The simple random sampling technique was adopted for the selection of the respondents. The data analysis was based on both descriptive and inferential analysis. Results from the study indicated a positive relationship between financial attitude, financial behaviour, financial knowledge and entrepreneurial intention such that financial literacy predict 47.6% increment in entrepreneurial intention. Financial attitude, financial behaviour and financial knowledge positively predict entrepreneurial intention. Financial literacy was also found to be predicted by financial knowledge, financial behaviour and financial attitude. There was a positive and significant relationship between the factors (financial knowledge, financial behaviour and financial attitude) and financial literacy such that the factors predicted almost 50.9% of financial literacy of the students. Also, the study found that that students prefer to take up jobs in the public sector than to be self-employed and also have the notion that it is not easy for everyone to start a business. Findings revealed that the level of students entrepreneurial attitude, perceived social norm and perceived behavioural control were all low. It is therefore recommended that Government of Ghana, in conjunction with various stakeholders and experts in the educational sector, are also encouraged to work on developing a national policy on financial literacy. The policy should find out a way of incorporating financial literacy into the health educational system. The policy should then provide a framework and a plan to improve financial literacy in the short, medium, and long term of students and graduates from the health sector

Source: KNUST
Relationship between active Salmonella infection and widal test results among food sellers in Kumasi

The Widal test was performed on 307 food sellers in Kumasi, with the aim of determining the baseline titre for this area. Stool samples were also collected for culture for Salmonella. Widal results from 29 bacteriologically proven typhoid patients were compiled and analysed. For Salmonella typhi O agglutinins, a geometric mean titre of 1/40 was obtained. The geometric mean titre for S. typhi H was 1/80. In case of S. paratyphi A, B and C, the respective O geometric mean titres were 1/27, 1/37 and 1/34. The H geometric mean titres were 1/47, 1/24 and 1/24 respectively. For the bacteriologically proven typhoid patients, the 0 and H geometric mean titres were 1/168 and 1/335 respectively. These values and their standard deviations gave O titre confidence interval of 1/132 <μ<1/204 and H titre confidence interval of 1/183<μ<1/477 (where μ=mean, P=0.05 and all values corrected to the nearest tube titre). Less than 5% of the food sellers were found to have 0 agglutinin titre of >1/80 and less than 5% had H aggltinin titre of >1/160. Since these titres were found’ in the normal population, it was decided that O titre of ≥1/160 and H titre of ≥1/320 be chosen as diagnostic for S. typhi. With an 0 diagnostic titre of ≥1/160, 73.5% of the bacteriologically proven typhoid cases were diagnosed. With a diagnostic H titre of ≥1/320, 76.5% of bacteriologically proven typhoid cases were diagnosed. Widal test results for the S. paratyphi A, B andC could not be compared with bacteriologically proven ones since results for the latter were not available. It was however, suggested that O and H titres of ≥1/160 be considered diagnostic for S. paratyphi A, B and C, since Widal titres of up to 1/80 are found in the normal population. Salmonella was isolated from 6 (out of 258) healthy food sellers, giving Salmonella carriage rate of 2.3%. It is recommended that a food seller in Kumasi should be screened periodically using the Widal test. Individuals who have no TAB vaccination and no recent history of enteric fevers, found to have diagnostic litres should be treated.

Source: KNUST
The relationship between Inflation, Inflation Uncertainty and Interest Rate in Ghana

The study investigates the relationship between inflation, inflation uncertainty and interest rate for the period 1984-2011 of Ghana. The work uses the monthly Consumer Price Index and Treasury bill rate to proxy inflation and interest rate respectively. The General Autoregressive Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) model is employed to estimate the conditional variability of inflation with Full Information Maximum Likelihood technique in all the estimations. The work uses two procedures to find out the relationship between inflation and inflation uncertainty. The first one is the two-step procedure of Granger causality test, which obtains generated variables in stage one as dependent variable in stage two. The result of this approach suggests a positive relationship between inflation and its certainty and that inflation uncertainty Granger causes inflation. The second procedure involves inclusion of conditional variance and inflation in the mean and conditional variance equations respectively. The result also confirms the two-stage procedure supporting Cukierman-Meltzer hypothesis. The study also finds out whether the validity of Fisher hypothesis, which proposes one-to-one relationship between inflation and interest rate, holds. A GARCH specification of the hypothesis and also augmented Fisher, of which conditional variance in included in the fisher relation were estimated separately. A positive and statistically significant relationship is established between inflation and interest rate in both cases. However, the one-to one relationship is not established, hence Fisher effect holds in its weak form, which has given credence to Tobin (1965). The direct relationship between inflation uncertainty and interest rate does not hold. The coefficient of inflation uncertainty is negative and not statistically significant. However, since there is a relationship between inflation and inflation uncertainty and between inflation and interest rate, it implies that there is indirect association between variability of inflation and interest rate through inflation.

Source: KNUST
Relationship between information and communication technology (ict) and the performance of logistics companies in Kumasi, Ghana

The study examines the relationship between information and communication technology (ict) and the performance of logistics firms in Kumasi, Ghana. The main objective of the study was to gain a better insight into how the ict practices such as bar-coding, radio frequency identification, enterprise resource planning and materials resource planning affects the firms’ performance. Seventy four (74) logistics firms in Kumasi consisted the research sample. The sample population included the managers, directors, supervisors and staff that are in direct contact with ict usage. In other to achieve the objective, 147 questionnaires were distributed, and 129 questionnaires were filled and retrieved for analysis. This represented a response rate of 87.8% of the sampled population. The researcher analysed the data obtained using spss version 26. Descriptive statistics methods were employed to present and summarize the findings of the result. The researcher further analyzed the data using inferential statistics and multiple regression. The study showed that ict positively relate to performance of the logistics firms in Kumasi, Ghana. The findings revealed that three out of the four ict indicators used as the independent variables of the research were found to be statistically significant, which were enough to influence the performance of the logistics firms. The researcher recommends that management should continue to motivate and increase ict usage within the firms and even to the sectorial level that are yet to be computerized to achieve a higher level of optimum operation and profitability.

Source: KNUST
The relationship between Interest Rate and performance of the Ghanaian stock market

This study investigates the relationship between interest rate and stock performance using a monthly time series data from the Ghana Stock Exchange for the period 1992 to 2006. Data on stock performance, proxied by the All-Share Index, the interest rates also measured by the Treasury bill rate, were obtained from the Ghana Stock Exchange and Bank of Ghana respectively. The analysis began with a test for the unit root characteristics of the variables, as a regression involving nonstationary series yield spurious outcomes. Using the traditional unit root test procedure, the Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test, the series were found to be integrated of order one (1). Johansen and Julius trace and maximum eigenvalue test for cointegration were carried out to test for the existence of long run relationship among the variables; this was followed by the estimation of the vector error correction model, which estimates the short and long run impact relationship between stock performance and interest rates, after controlling for other exogenous factors including money supply. The study found no cointegrating relationship among the covariates. The study therefore estimated an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression of the impact of interest rates on stock prices using differenced series of all variables. The study found a significant short run impact of interest rates on stock performance. A Granger Causality test was also performed to test the existence of a reverse casual effect of interest rates and stock performance. The findings suggested a bi-causal link between stock performance and interest rates.

Source: KNUST
The relationship between interest rate and stock price. Empirical study on Ghanaian listed firms

The issue of whether stock prices and interest rate are related or not, is an important one especially with increased international trade and the integration of global financial markets. A fall in interest rates on money market instruments like treasury, fixed deposits and call accounts make them less attractive in terms of the returns they yield. Investors typically react to such a fall by transferring their investments in stock market. The study therefore set out to investigate the impact of interest rate on stock prices in Ghana by employing OLS model with monthly data spanning from January, 2000 to September, 2010. The study further used Granger causality test to determine the direction of causality between interest rate and stock prices in the context of Ghana. The empirical results indicated that interest rate had a significant negative effect on stock price in Ghana. The study also revealed that there existed a direct relationship between inflation and stock price and it was found to be significant. Further, it was found that the changes in stock prices are explained by the variations in interest rate whereas the changes in stock price do not in turn influence the changes in interest rate. This means that there is unidirectional causality between interest rate and stock prices as in the case of Ghana. It was suggested that in an attempt to positively influence the All-Shares index, government can resort to the use of expansionary fiscal policy measures since it was found that government activities affect the market index positively.

Source: KNUST
The relationship between maternal educational status and maternal and child health practices in the Ejisu-Juaben District

Extensive research conducted in developing countries shows that maternal schooling is a very strong and consistent predictor of reduced child mortality and morbidity. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of Education on the Maternal and Child Health practices in the Ejisu-Juaben District. A cross- sectional study was used in the collection of data from a population of 204 women, with at least, one child under five years of age. 103 of the women were with no formal education and 101 with at least primary education. A structured open and closed ended Questionnaire was used to assess them. All the four parameters studied showed a positive correlation with educational status. Educated women took better care of themselves during pregnancy, delivery and postnatal periods. There was also an increase in the use of modern family planning methods and a decrease in the fertility rate of the educated women. Childcare was also better in the educated women, except in the area of exclusive breastfeeding where the practice was better in the uneducated. The author concludes that formal education has a very strong and positive effect on how women take care of themselves and their children. Thus, the benefits of maternal education persist even when other socio-economic factors are taken into account.

Source: KNUST
The relationship between sanitation, hygiene and household sociocultural-demographic factors: a case study of Bogoso in the Wassa West District

Clean water and adequate sanitation are vital in the fight against the incidence of diseases in rural communities. Mining companies and other NGOs sponsor improved water and sanitation projects in attempts to curb the occurrence of disease in the Wassa West District. However, the prevalence of diseases like malaria and infant diarrhoea is still high. This thesis examines the effects of sociocultural and demographic factors on household sanitation conditions, identifies the presence of common bacteria in household drinking water and investigates the prevalence of diarrhoea among infants in the Wassa West District. It is based on structured interviews of 120 household heads and 77 caretakers of infants, spot observation of clues that indicate household sanitation practice as well as laboratory analysis of 125 household stored drinking water samples from communities in the Wassa West District of Ghana. The study showed that diarrhoea among infants was highly prevalent and its occurrence had no relationship with the education level of the child caretaker. Furthermore, the sanitation condition of households improved with high educational attainment and ageing household heads. On the contrary, sanitation deteriorated with overcrowding in the households. Also, the sanitation conditions of households depended on the religion of the head. Water quality analysis, indicated that the majority (66.7%) of stored drinking water of households tested positive for total coliform bacteria and also Escherichia coli was detected in 3 samples. In conclusion, rapid water and sanitation infrastructural development without both formal and behavioural change education policies integrated proportionally may not attain the desired results. Such education programmes must target young heads of household, households with large family size and households whose heads are Christians and Moslems. Also, social learning capacity must be strengthened at the household level to promote good sanitation practice.

Source: KNUST
Relationship between Selected Climatic Variables and Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM)

This study evaluates the effects of environmental factors on the outbreak of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) in the Obuasi Municipality and identified other places of similar climatic conditions in order to ascertain population susceptibility to the CSM epidemic. Specifically, it evaluates: (i) the prevalence rate of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) in Obuasi (ii) the relationship between climatic parameters and the outbreak of CSM in Obuasi (iii) the identification of places of similar climate conditions as Obuasi through cluster analysis of climate variables (iv) the investigation of outbreaks in these similar cluster towns to ascertain the importance of climate variables in disease epidemiology. Data on monthly maximum temperature, rainfall and reported cases of CSM in the study region as well as all cluster towns were collected and analyzed. The results reveal that there were 21 patients affected with CSM in the study area in 2010. Correlation analysis indicates that the reported cases of CSM are positively and significantly related to temperature but not with rainfall. Regression analysis suggests that 64% of the variations in the outbreak of CSM can be attributed to temperature. This result seem to suggest that climate is a major influencing factor in disease outbreak and hence the likelihood of similar situations in areas of similar climate conditions. Clustering methods were therefore used to identify such places. Analysis of health data in these cluster towns however did not reveal reported cases so whereas climate may be an influencing factor to the disease, it appears to only aid the propagation of the outbreak but not causative. The implications of the study are that etiology of diseases may not be solely based on medical parameters but also environmental factors at least in their propagation.

Source: KNUST
The relationship between stress/health and academic performance of students - a case study of Kumasi Polytechnic

It is accepted (Wortman et al., other researchers), that students do undergo stress. This academic stress if intense, adversely affect their health and academic performance. Poor academic performance in itself results in stress and the result is a vicious cycle. The Ghanaian student is no exception to this phenomenon. Student stress which gets climaxed during examination periods depends on many socio-economic factors. A forty-item questionnaire was administered to fifty (50) students. Forty (40) of these were acceptable for analysis. Counselling implications of the findings relate to the employment of the services of a counsellor by schools authorities.

Source: KNUST