ABSTRACT In Ghana and other countries of the developing world, men are very influential in deciding whether their partners visit the antenatal clinic (ANC) or not or they deliver in a health facility or not. Generally, there is a high ANC coverage in Offinso and Ghana at large. But as a result of lack of male support during ANC, some pregnant women are not able to deliver at health facilities. This necessitated the conduct of this study to explore the influence of male support during ANC on t...
ABSTACT Having a trained birth attendant at every delivery has been identified as the single most important way of reducing maternal mortality. However most women do not patronise supervised delivery services even where they are available. Among the reasons given for this state of affairs is the high cost of accessing the services. Supervised delivery in this district was estimated at 37% in 1998, which falls below the national figure of 44%. The actual cost to a woman for accessing this serv...
ABSTRACT This study was intended to find the social and environmental factors that affect the prevalence o f schistosomiasis in two rural communities in the Asuogyaman District. The study was conducted in response to a felt need by the District Health Administration. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire to interview young people aged 10-20 years on their knowledge, attitude and p...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Worldwide, it was approximated that 303,000 maternal deaths will occur in 2015, yielding a general MMR of 216 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births for the 183 nations. Sub-Saharan Africa has an elevated MMR with a point-gauge of 546 per 100,000. In Ghana the MMR was 319 per 100,000 in 2015. Antenatal care exists as one of the Safe Motherhood intercessions that when executed effectively has the possibility to remarkably minimize deaths before and few weeks after deliv...
ABSTRACT Background: Anemia in pregnancy is a major public health problem that affects pregnant women in both developing and developed countries but pregnant women in developing countries are mostly affected. An estimated 41.8% of pregnant women worldwide are anemic. The World Health Organization has put in place some measures to help prevent anemia during pregnancy, which requires countries to integrate into their antenatal care. This study aimed at determining the factors influencing the us...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Family caregivers continue to be the primary source of care for the elderly in Ghana. However, their care-related economic burden is often overlooked. Aim: The objective of the study was to estimate the economic burden of family care-giving for the elderly in the Ga-East Municipality. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional cost-of-care study was conducted among family caregivers in the Ga-East Municipality. A simple random sample of 98 respondents completed an intervi...
ABSTRACT Background: Negative outcomes pertaining to sexual and reproductive health such as teenage pregnancy, unsafe abortions, STI’s and HIV/AIDS can have devastating effects on education, physical and psychosocial wellbeing of adolescents. Various studies in adolescent reproductive health show that school-based programs have potential for improved knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. Ghana began the Adolescent Health Clubs (AHC) in 2014 to help improve outcomes regarding sexual and reprod...
ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Adolescence is a period of biological, psychological and social transformations as a child transits to adulthood. Thus adolescents, including those in Nkwanta South district, are vulnerable to themselves and the environment. OBJECTIVES: This study identified the social determinants of non-marital adolescent pregnancy in terms of formal education, adolescent parent and peer relationships. METHODS: The study was a community based cross sectional research. Two communities ...
ABSTRACT Background: Sedentary behaviour is characterised by energy expenditure ≤ 1.5 metabolic equivalents (METs). Common sedentary activities include television viewing, video game playing, computer use, driving automobiles, and reading. In addition, children also spend time engaging in sedentary hobbies like sitting or lying to read, sitting to chat with friends, drawing, and writing. Sedentary behaviour assessment is important because of its linkages with poor health outcomes like cardi...
ABSTRACT The study was undertaken in the Gyidim community of the Agogo sub-district of the Ashanti-Akim North district of the Ashanti region. The overall objective of the study was to acquire empirical data aimed at understanding the impact of HIV/AIDS on reproductive decision-making for programme strategizing and policy decisions. The Gyidim community is largely governed by their strong religious beliefs that favour, large family 'size, promote polygynous marriages and strongly oppose contra...
ABSTRACT Background An effective Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) programme is fundamental to quality health care. The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge of infection prevention, availability and access to materials for infection and compliance with infection prevention guidelines at Ridge Regional Hospital. This facility has staff strength of Eight hundred and seventy-two (872) comprising of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians and other healthcare workers...
Abstract Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) include infections in any part of the respiratory system lasting less than 3 days. They are a major cause of childhood deaths worldwide. Though the vast majority of ARIs are harmless, there are a few severe ones, which usually cause death within a short time and must therefore be recognised early. Available evidence shows that in Akatsi District about half of ARIs are managed at home. Since this care may be inappropriate there is the need for furth...
ABSTRACT Background: Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women in Ghana and the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in Ghana. Health care professionals are important predictors of the use of cervical cancer screening, however, there is no evidence of how health workers use cervical cancer screening services. General Objective: To assess the knowledge, perception and practices of cervical cancer screening and prevention among female doctors and nurses in Korle Bu Teaching...
ABSTRACT Background: Optimal gestational weight gain is an important factor linked with positive outcome for both mothers and their infants. Women who gain inadequate weight during pregnancy are at risk of bearing a baby with low birth weight whereas those who gain excessive weight are at increased risk of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. In developing countries, data on gestational weight gain and its determinants are scarce as it is difficult to collect the information throughout the ...
ABSTRACT. Buruli Ulcer is becoming a Public health problem in tropical Countries prompting the establishment of a Global Buruli Ulcer Initiative by the WHO in 1998. The objectives of the study are to assess the community perception and knowledge of BU and the health-seeking behaviour of Patients. Quantitative and qualitative data were obtained by interviewing patients with this disease and control subjects in the Ga West Municipality Area. Common perceived causes were attributed to drinking f...