ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The Perspectives Of Clinical Level Medical Students On Animal-Assisted Therapy: A Study In Ghana.

Background: The role of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in complementary and alternative medicine is well acknowledged. AAT is widely patronized, in developed countries such as USA, Canada, and many European countries, but less so in developing countries in Africa including Ghana. For persons in developing African countries and elsewhere to benefit from AAT, healthcare professionals must be acquainted with it recommend it to their patients when necessary. This study therefore assessed the perspectives of clinical-level medical students on AAT. Method: A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data in a cross-sectional study from 206 randomly selected clinical-level medical students of the University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana. The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS (Version 26) and the results were presented in Tables and charts. The association between demographic variables and the knowledge and attitude of the students were determined using ANOVA, while bivariate Pearson’s correlation was used to measure the relationships between continuous variables. Associations were considered significant when p-value<0.05. Results: The knowledge about AAT among the medical students was very poor (0.971±2.407 over 10; 9.7%); almost all of them (≈99.0%) had very little or no exposure to AAT in school or at home. The attitude of the students was however averagely positive (3.845±0.748 over 7; 54.9%), with a perceived health benefit of ATT score of 4.768±1.002 (68.1%). The motivation of the students to acquire more knowledge and skills about AAT mostly through lectures and practical sessions (70.9%) was good (4.809±1.221; 68.7%). Female students were significantly more knowledgeable about AAT than their male counterparts (1.5 versus 0.6; p-value=0.006). No other sociodemographic characteristics had any significant association with knowledge, attitude, and perception of benefit variables. However, a significant positive relationship was found to exist between the students’ knowledge, attitude and perception of animal-assisted therapy (r≥0.236; p-value≤0.001). Conclusion: We conclude that the knowledge about AAT among medical students is inadequate and this is worrying given the beneficial complementary role of AAT in achieving SDG 3. Medical schools and their regulators in Ghana should incorporate complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) lessons in their training curricula. For practising medical doctors, topics on CAM should be discussed during their Continuous Professional Development sessions. With better knowledge, physicians would possibly be more willing and confident in recommending this useful.

Source: UG
The Politics Of Public Policy Implementation In Ghana: The Case Of Small-Scale Mining Legislation

In Ghana, successive governments have employed various measures to streamline the small-scale mining (SSM) sector. These measures span four broad strategies: the enactment of legislation; the deployment of security taskforce; stakeholder engagement; and constituting inter-ministerial taskforces. However, these strategies seemed not to have produced the expected results. Focusing on legislation, the study assessed the political drivers or factors that affected the implementation of the SSM legislation in Ghana from 1989 - 2022. The study used the complexity of joint action model to assess the power play between the actors and how it affected the implementation of SSM legislation. The study employed the qualitative research approach to obtain primary data while secondary data was obtained from books, journal articles, etc. The results of the study showed that the number of actors involved in the implementation process and the power play among them reduced the chances of the successful implementation of the SSM legislation. Similarly, political factors such as the winner-takes-all politics, the delegate system of electing national party leadership, the lack of a national political party funding, and other challenges such as conflicts, delays, lack of capital and geological data, among others, frustrated the implementation of SSM legislation. The study, inter alia, recommended the empowerment of regulatory and security agencies to curb the illegality and other challenges affecting the implementation of SSM legislation.

Source: UG
The potential for index-based crop insurance to stabilize smallholder farmers' gross margins in Northern Ghana

Context: Smallholder farmers in semi-arid West Africa face challenges such as weather variability, soil infertility, and inadequate market infrastructure, hindering their adoption of improved farming practices. Economic risks associated with uncertain weather, production and market conditions often result in measures such as selling assets and withdrawing children from school, resulting in long-term impoverishment. To break these poverty traps, there is a need for affordable and sustainable risk management approaches at the farm level. Proposed strategies include risk reduction through stress-resistant crop varieties and diversification, additional investments transfer options like crop insurance and contract farming. Despite experimentation with insurance products in sub-Saharan Africa, low adoption persists due to many factors including high premiums, imperfect indices, and cognitive factors.

Source: UG
The Recent Growth Resurgence in Africa and Poverty Reduction: The Context and Evidence

Review books or articles provide a critical and constructive analysis of existing published literature in a field, through summary, analysis, and comparison, often identifying specific gaps or problems and providing recommendations for future research. These are considered as secondary literature since they generally do not present new data from the author's experimental work. Review articles can be of three types, broadly speaking: literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. It also the researcher to stay abreast of new literature in the field.

Source: UG
The role of community-based health planning and services strategy in involving males in the provision of family planning services: a qualitative study in Southern Ghana

Abstract Background Reproductive health and Family Planning (FP) services have been of global concern especially in developing countries where fertility rates are high. Traditionally FP services had always targeted females with little or no attention given to males. To ensure equitable distribution of health services, Ministry of Health (MOH), Ghana adopted the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) as a nationwide health policy with the aim of reducing obstacles to physical and geographical access to health care delivery including FP services. However, not much is known about the extent to which this policy has contributed to male involvement in FP services. This qualitative descriptive study was therefore designed to explore male involvement in FP services in communities with well functioning CHPS and those with less or no functioning CHPS structures. The study further solicited views of the community on the health status of children. Methods This was a qualitative descriptive study and adapted the design of an ongoing study to assess the impact of male involvement in FP referred to as the Navrongo experiment in Northern Ghana. Twelve focus group discussions were held with both male and female community members, six in communities with functional CHPS and six for communities with less/no-functional CHPS. In addition, fifty- nine (59) in-depth interviews were held with Community Health Officers (CHOs), Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) and Health Managers at both the districts and regional levels. The interviews and discussions were tape recorded digitally, transcribed and entered into QSR Nvivo 10&#169; for analysis. Results The results revealed a general high perception of an improved health status of children in the last ten years in the communities. These improvements were attributed to immunization of children, exclusive breastfeeding, health education given to mothers on childcare, growth monitoring of children and accessible health care. Despite these achievements in the health of children, participants reported that malnutrition was still rife in the community. The results also revealed that spousal approval was still relevant for women in the use of contraceptives; however, the matrilineal system appears to give more autonomy to women in decision-making. The CHPS strategy was perceived as very helpful with full community participation at all levels of the implementation process. Males were more involved in FP services in communities with functioning CHPS than those without functioning CHPS. Conclusion The CHPS strategy has increased access to FP services but spousal consent was very important in the use of FP services. Involving males in reproductive health issues including FP is important to attain reproductive health targets.

Source: UG
The Role of Cultural Heterogeneity in Strengthening the Link Between Family Relationships and Life Satisfaction in 50 Societies

We argue that the importance of family relationships for individual well-being varies across societies as a function of a society’s degree of cultural heterogeneity. To examine the role of family relationships, we analyzed the responses from 13,009 participants in 50 societies on their life satisfaction across societies varying in their levels of historical and contemporary cultural heterogeneity. Such heterogeneity creates differences in the frequency of interacting with unfamiliar groups, which leads families to become more central to their members’ satisfaction with life. Multi-level analyses showed that historical and contemporary cultural heterogeneity moderated the pattern such that greater historical or contemporary cultural heterogeneity of society promoted a stronger positive relation between family relationship satisfaction and individual life satisfaction. Our results also revealed that the moderating role of historical cultural heterogeneity was more reliable than that of contemporary cultural heterogeneity. These findings demonstrate the importance of societal demography in shaping people’s psychological processes in different historical periods, suggesting a universal, trans-historical cultural process.

Source: UG
The Role of Election Petitions in the Consolidation of Democracy in Africa: The Case of Ghana.

The purpose of the study is to ascertain the implications of Election Petitions in the consolidation of democracy in Ghana. The study’s specific objectives are to identify the issues that necessitated the challenge of the EC results leading to an electoral dispute in the parliamentary and presidential elections; to ascertain the implications of the parliamentary election petitions outcomes in consolidating democracy at the constituency level; to examine the Supreme Court's decisions and how it may have strengthened or weakened Ghana's democracy. The study’s foundation is underscored by the Neo-Institutional Approach. The study relied on qualitative methodology using 10 key informants that responded to the interview guide. The study relied on thematic analysis for the data analysis. The issues that necessitated the EC results being challenged, leading to an electoral dispute in the parliamentary and presidential elections are function of anomalies tied to the constitutional or legal framework, operational governance, personnel, resource constraints, and administrative lapses, as well as some transparency challenges. By way of implications of the petitions in consolidating democracy at the constituency level, the study found that it may have helped optimize the legal and constitutional framework around elections to avert parliamentary or constituency political unrest. As a result, grass-roots political governance and the electoral process are subject to legal processes. This strengthened and validated institutional empowerment as a function of the rule of law and separation of powers in the adjudication of disputes rather than resorting to violence. It also strengthened the recourse to evolving electoral legal reforms to mirror the changing dynamics in elections in the country. The supreme court's decisions ultimately strengthened Ghana's democracy, as it has had a significant impact on the EC and the conduct of elections in Ghana. The study recommended that electoral violence management practitioners and policymakers should evaluate the impact of electoral violence on victims and create diverse strategies to prevent severe consequences. The government should allocate resources for policy development and implementation of electoral reforms. The EC should ensure ongoing monitoring and education, including conflict-resolution measures in the voting process. The EC and judiciary should consider the repercussions of the electoral system for violence risk and analyze potential reforms. Punishment for perpetrators of violence and the development of measures to support the institutional structure and legislative framework are also necessary

Source: UG
The Role Of Non-Governmental Organizations In The Attainment Of SDG Four

This research assesses the role of Non-Governmental Organizations in the attainment of SDG four. In a country which is largely polarized politically, governments in power have over the years taken to capitalization of social interventions and developments to garner political credits for elections. The phenomena, among other things has led to a situation where other contributors of the nation’s developments are often not seen nor given the necessary regard to motivate their efforts in improving the development of the country. To this end, this research sort to look at Non Governmental Organizations in the education sector of Ghana, and ascertain their contributions to the development of the sector in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4. The research aims at making a modest contribution in highlighting their roles and functions in society. Situated in the Pluralism theory of State Development, the research aimed at discovering what the contributions of NGOs are, in improving education in Ghana, what impact these NGOs have had in attaining SDG four in Ghana and whether or not, the perceived non-recognisition of their work has any impact on the discharge of their mandate. Using interviews as the main tool for data gathering, primary data was sourced from officers of Lead for Ghana, CAMFED, Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Education and the Northern Association of Non-Governmental Organizations in Education. Secondary sources of information included internet sources, journal articles, books, reports, and others. The study revealed that these NGOs are contributing significantly to increasing access to education and improving on the quality of education in the country. The study also revealed that aside from governments' initiatives to provide physical educational structures, there is a more significant challenge to improving quality of teachers to schools especially in rural Ghana. NGOs like Lead for Ghana have challenged the Status Quo in improving the caliber of teachers recruited to deprived communities in the country. The study also revealed that to attain the targets of SDG four, NGOs have an important role acting as checks and pressure groups for the Ministry of Education in the formulation of Education policies to attain the targets of SDG four in Ghana. In order to continue making contributions to the development of education in the country and attaining SDG four, the study recommends an implementation of a structure by government to appreciate the efforts of these NGOs.It is recommended that the Ministry of education put in place a system that allows for NGOs to detail their work structure and focus areas in order to avoid concertartion of NGOs in particular regions. Results from the study also reveals that, NGOs and their work in education is so crucial to the overall development of the nation hence, the need to strategicall harness the resources possesd by these NGOs to the benefit of the nation.

Source: UG
The role of nutrition in respiratory disease and COVID-19 management

The role of nutrition in immune development and disease recovery as well as the impact of infection on one’s nutrition is widely known. However, much other evidence on this relationship is not conclusive, especially for emerging diseases such as coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This chapter will review existing systematic reviews and meta-analysis literature on the subject of nutrition and infection with special emphasis on respiratory infection and COVID-19. The chapter will look at existing relationships between nutrition and respiratory infections, immunity and infection and patient recovery, nutrition and COVID-19, and the role of nutrition in infection control and management.

Source: UG
The Social Consequences Of Religious Communication In Ghana's Digital Space.

The research focuses on the rise of misleading and false theologies/doctrines propagated through social networking sites, specifically emphasising the neo-prophetic wing of Pentecostalism in Ghana. The study employed an exploratory research design that included quantitative and qualitative methods. The study investigated the influence of modern Ghanaian prophetic ministries on people's religious attitudes and their integration into society. Some examples are false teachings that are readily available online, for example, the prosperity gospel, spiritual warfare narratives, sensationalised prophecies, etc. It emerged from the research that such teachings have great impact on what individuals believe in, how they act and even the decisions they make. This situation normally makes them vulnerable to people who take advantage of them economically and manipulate them psychologically. The study revealed that such teachings pose serious threats of public disunity, consumerism and low political participation, among others. The transformation brought about by the digital age of new prophetic movements offers an avenue for both positive and negative influences on spirituality. Various measures have been taken by civil society groups together with governmental agencies, such as conducting public education and enacting relevant laws; however, promoting critical thinking and media literacy turns out to be an effective way of dealing with misinformation.

Source: UG
The State of Political Party Development in Ghana

Political parties have been instrumental to Ghana’s democratic growth, which has constituted the West African nation as a bastion of democracy in the region and on the continent as a whole. However, inequality between elite and ordinary voters continues to grow as an outcome of parties’ activities. The disparity between electioneering and the delivery of political manifestos has also continued to widen, undermining citizens’ trust in party politics. Since the resurgence of party politics in 1992, only two parties have won elections, effectively institutionalizing a two-party model. Both parties have pursued programmes that reflect both capitalism and social interventions. The growing synergy between active participation and democratic institutionalization provides an optimistic outlook for democratic progress. However, the West African nation confronts extant challenges to democratic consolidation such as inter and intra-party conflicts, excessive partisanship and monetization of the electoral process, and inter-ethnic tensions. This not withstanding, it is not far-fetched that democratic consolidation is imminent. This chapter reflects on the characteristics, role, and impact of political parties in boosting Ghana’s democracy towards a near consolidation.

Source: UG
The Stuttering Truth: Uncovering the Prevalence and Impact Amongst School Children in the Ablekuma South District, Ghana

Background: Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting speech flow, often hampering social interaction and academic performance in childhood. However, data on the prevalence and impact of stuttering amongst school-aged children remains limited in Ghana. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence, gender distribution, hereditary patterns and impact of stuttering amongst school-aged children in the Ablekuma South district, Greater Accra region. Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, a multistage cluster sampling approach was used to screen a total of 829 children (7–12 years) from five public and private primary schools within the Ablekuma South district. Twenty-three (23) Children who stutter (CWS) were identified utilising a two-pronged approach that involved an initial screening by a class teacher and a subsequent clinical assessment by a licensed speech and language pathologist. The Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering (OASES) tool was used to determine the impact of stuttering on the participants. Results: The prevalence of stuttering amongst the children was 2.77% (n = 23) with an average onset age of 5.02 ± 2.3 years. Male participants were approximately eight times at risk of stuttering compared to their female counterparts (p < 0.01; CI = 2.351– 27.049). Majority (17, 73.9%) of the children who stutter (CWS) reported a family history of stuttering, primarily involving a biological parent. Also, a significant number of CWS, 87.0% (n = 20), reported that stuttering substantially impacted their wellbeing. Conclusions: A section of school-age children in Ghana, particularly boys, may be at an increased risk of stuttering, with implications for the child’s wellbeing. However, no formal system exists to detect CWS or identify the challenges CWS face in Ghana. A family history of stuttering can prompt early screening and evaluation. An efficient screening system that ensures early detection is essential to support affected students.

Source: UG
The Taxed Informal Economy: Fiscal Burdens And Inequality In Accra.

The common assumption that informal economies are untaxed has underpinned arguments that they represent an ‘untapped goldmine’ for government coffers. However, there has been limited empirical engagement with this assumption. While some studies have highlighted that many informal businesses pay both formal and informal taxes, there has been little systematic accounting of these payments. Using a novel dataset of 2,700 informal enterprises in the Accra metropolitan area in Ghana, this article presents the first geographically representative account of the nature, distribution and impact of taxation in an urban informal sector. We find that the majority of informal sector operators in this context pay a range of taxes and fees, which together amount to a significant burden, especially for low earners. Two key findings emerge in relation to the structure of these taxes. First, the incidence and burden of tax payments is highly uneven and strongly correlated with visibility to the state, suggesting that taxation is driven more by patterns of state enforcement than the choices of informal operators. Second, taxes and fees are highly regressive, with lower-earning operators paying significantly more in relation to their earnings. These findings have important implications for both our conception of informal businesses and efforts to tax informal businesses in low- and middle-income countries.

Source: UG