ABSTRACT Background: Globally, breast cancer is a major public health problem in terms of morbidity and mortality. In Ghana, breast cancer constitutes 15% of all cancers and 40% of female cancers and is reported to be the second commonest cancer among women in Ghana. Over 60% of breast cancer patients present late with advanced stages of breast cancer despite the many awareness campaigns to promote early reporting and detection. This study therefore sought to find out and document reasons for...
ABSTRACT Background: Household and Community Care has increasingly been recognized by the Ghana Health Service and the mental health sector as a means of promoting mental health in Ghana. However, household and community attitudes and perceptions towards mental illness and mental health affect the effectiveness of community-based care. Objective: The main objective of this study was to assess household and community perceptions on the integration of persons with mental illness in the Te...
ABSTRACT Exposure to percutaneous injuries and blood/body fluids are serious occupational hazards that contribute to the transmission of a variety of blood borne pathogens. The study was conducted to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with percutaneous injuries and exposure to patients’ blood and other body fluids among nurses in the Tamale metropolis. A cross-sectional design was adopted for the study. A total population of 572 was targeted with a sample size of 224 nurse...
ABSTRACT The first two years of a child’s life are particularly important, as optimal nutrition during this period lowers morbidity and mortality. Many factors account for the inability of children to receive adequate nutrition from caregivers. It is known that mothers play key roles in children’s nutrition. In Ghana, studies relating empowerment to feeding practices have emphasized decision-making and maternal dietary diversity. Earlier studies focused largely on nutritional knowledge, s...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Diabetes is a chronic illness with significant health consequences, especially for those who are unable to adhere to complex treatment regimen. Medication non-adherence leads to the development of cardiovascular diseases, chronic diseases, and other complications. Objective: The main objective of the study was to assess non-adherence to medication and associated factors among patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus attending Tema General Hospital. Methods: The...
ABSTRACT Spouses play significant roles in the care of their husbands. This comes with a lot of experiences in times of ill-health of the men and may have several effects on the spousal caregiver. It is likely to affect the woman’s physical, social, psychological and spiritual wellbeing. This study therefore explored the experiences of spouses of men with advanced prostate cancer in the Accra Metropolis using the Quality of Life Model Applied to Family Caregivers (Ferrell, 2001) as a...
ABSTRACT Comprehensive sex education is an important tool that enables adolescents to make informed choices concerning sex and sexual behavior and gives them the tools needed to grow up into sexually healthy adults. Sex education is non-existent in most Ghanaian schools and homes. Despite the silence that exists concerning sex and reproductive health issues a lot of adolescents are engaging in sexual behavior out of curiosity and the need to conform to peer norms. A school based cross-section...
ABSTRACT Nursing students suffer high levels of stress during their education experiences. Nursing research supports the argument that practicum experience of course work yields more stress than class experience. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived level of stress and sources of stress in undergraduate and diploma nursing students. In this study, a sample of 170 students, 104 undergraduate level 400 and 66 level 300 diploma nursing students completed a modified form of ...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Sewage and household effluents at Accra Technical University (A TU), Ghana have been discharged into the ocean for years. This degrades environmental media and is detrimental to ecological systems. The institution also lacks adequate water for non-edible purposes. The Biosand Filter (BSF) is an innovation on the slow sand filter which has found use in preventing the discharge of raw sewage into the environment. The study aimed to test the performance ofa BSF on s...
ABSTRACT Street food vending plays an important role in the economies of developing countries. The process of preparing, handling and storing food by streetfood vendors, however, leaves much to be desired as basic hygiene and food safety issues are particularly important because food and water are essential requirements for living. Failure to observe proper food safety practices exposes people to all manner of foodborne diseases and death. In Ghana, though the state agencies responsible for f...
ABSTRACT E-waste, known also as electronic or electrical waste, is a term used to describe discarded electronic devices which use either electricity or battery for operation. These include, computers, televisions, mobile phones, printers and many more. Background: E-waste activities include the collection of discarded e-waste materials from various locations. These are then brought to the e-waste site for sorting, dismantling and open burning to extract the precious elements. The activities o...
Although there is growing literature on the psychological responses to and the psychopathology associated with HIV I AIDS, few investigations have focused on the role of gender. This study compared psychiatric morbidity, coping responses, and disability in male and female outpatients recently diagnosed with HIV I AIDS. Method. One hundred and forty-nine patients (44 male, 105 female) with HIV I AIDS (mean ± standard deviation (SD) months since diagnosis 5.8 ± 4.1) attending an inf...
The HIV epidemic in children parallels that among women on account of perinatal transmission. A combination of antiretroviral therapy and elective caesarean section reduces the rate of vertical transmission to
ABSTRACT One disease that has ravaged the tropical environment for centuries and claimed many lives is malaria. Malaria has been with man since prehistoric times (WHO, 2004). It is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in the North Dayi district of Ghana. The study relied only on existing data on morbidity for malaria from the district health directorate information unit. Data available from the Kpando D...
ABSTRACT Background: Hypertension now largely affects low and middle income countries with a higher prevalence of 46% in African adults of 25 years and above. In Ghana the prevalence of hypertension ranges between 19% and 54% which is higher than the African regional average and this has been consistent and high in the urban areas than rural mostly due to urbanization. The increase in the prevalence rates reported is mostly thought to be attributable to certain unhealthy lifestyles and...