ABSTRACT Introduction: Antenatal Care Attendance (ANC) is a very vital issue to consider when dealing with matters of maternal mortality. Maternal mortality, a possible consequence of infrequent or lack of antenatal care attendance. Ghana‟s maternal mortality rate is still unacceptably high, 319 deaths per 100,000 live births. Women receiving antenatal care from a skilled provider has increased steadily over the past two and a half decades from 82% in 1982 to 97% in 2014. But how much of th...
ABSTRACT Malaria is highly endemic in the Northern part of Ghana with seasonal variabilities in the cases of malaria reporting. The highest numbers of cases are reported during the rainy season. IRS can contribute to the elimination of malaria if rigorously applied (World malaria report, 2013). Every year, since indoor residual spraying implementation in the East Mamprusi district there has been spraying exercises conducted between April and May. This period falls within the rainy season when...
ABSTRACT In Ghana. utilisation of maternal health services has seen marked improvement in the last decade. According to the GDHS (2014) births occurring in health facilities also increased from 57% in 2008 to 73% in 2014. Also, births attended to by skilled personnel increased from 59% to 74% in 2008 to 2014, respectively. Despite these marked increases skilled delivery still remains a major challenge to the health sector in Ghana. This study was intended to explore the factors that influence...
ABSTRACT The study examined culture-specific coping and quality of life among Ghanaians living with chronic illness such as mental illness and chronic kidney disease. A sample size of 150 was used comprising of 50 mentally ill patients, 50 Chronic Kidney Disease patients and 50 healthy controls. Participants were sampled from the Accra Psychiatric Hospitals, Pantang General Hospital and the Korle-Bu teaching Hospitals respectively. The concurrent mixed method design was used which comprised a...
ABSTRACT Introduction: In resource-limited settings like Ghana, conventional smear microscopy with low specificity and sensitivity is the most commonly used diagnostic tool for detection of tuberculosis (TB). The Ghana 2013 TB Prevalence Survey findings indicated that TB is four times higher compared to previous World Health Organization (WHO) estimated number and the proportion of smear negative and culture positive pulmonary TB was higher than the routine report. The increment in prevalence...
ABSTRACT It is essential to recognize the relative importance of the various barriers to the utilization if effective health services are to be delivered. This study set out to find the factors leading to the observed underutilization in health facilities in the Assin District. It involved the administration of questionnaires to one-hundred household heads of selected communities of Assin District. Focus group discussions were also conducted with community members. In-depth interviews were c...
ABSTRACT This study assessed the quality of neonatal care in health facilities in the Ho Municipality by focusing on availability of adequate and skilled human resources for neonatal care; equipment and care processes; and the perceptions of mothers of newborns on neonatal care in health facilities. Adopting the qualitative method, the study used a purposive sampling to collect data from midwives of 4 health centres as well as staff in the paediatric and maternity wards at the regional and mu...
ABSTRACT Background: Every day, 720 children die of malaria which can be prevented or cured if presented early. The private health sector is a major institution in the response to treating malaria globally and nationally. In 2017, about 30% of health facilities were privately owned and contributed significantly to the management of malaria in Ghana. Given the importance of the private health sector to the malaria management, it is prudent to assess the cost of managing malaria in private heal...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Buruli Ulcer (BU) is an environmental pathogen found in poor rural communities of tropical and sub-tropical regions. BU, caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans infection, is a debilitating disease of the skin and underlying tissues which starts as a painless nodule, oedema or plaque and could develop into painful and massive ulcers that might result in severe and permanent functional disabilities, if not treated well. Methods: This cross-sectional exploratory study examined l...
ABSTRACT Background: Every year, malaria affects millions of people globally with the bulk majority occurring in Sub-Sahara Africa of which Ghana is part. To reduce the number of malaria cases and deaths, Ghana adopted and is currently implementing the use of ACTs as a national policy for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms. As part of this policy, suspected malaria cases should be tested, treated and tracked to ensure compliance to the use o...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Malnutrition remains one of the major problems confronting children in Sub - Saharan Africa (SSA). The nutritional status of children influences their health status, which is a key determinant of child survival. Therefore improvement of children’s nutritional status increases the chances of child survival and is considered as a precondition for their contribution to community as well as human development. The study was carried out to examine community perception and m...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Optimal infant and young child feeding practices are important for the survival, growth, development and health of infants and young children. Objective: The aim of this study was to find out whether early feeding (EBF) practices influenced subsequent child feeding adequacy among children 9-23 months. Methods: Study participants included 300 mother-infant pairs who were recruited at the Child Welfare Clinic of the University of Ghana, Hospital. A structured questionnair...
ABSTRACT Background: Oral health is key to the overall health status and quality of life. Dental caries and periodontal conditions are the most common oral health issues globally. Individuals with special needs, especially children, require extra care in daily activities as compared to individuals in the general population. These children will have to learn good oral health habits in order to pass it on to their colleagues and to their children. The aim of this study was to determine the ora...
ABSTRACT Background: Night shift work has been shown to induce stress, disturb family life, interrupt regular meal schedules (leading to lower intakes of energy, vitamins and minerals) and create lifestyle problems. These shift work-associated problems lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol; all possible cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. Fire-fighters are one category of workers who undertake rotating night shift work in Ghana. Aim: This study determined the impact of shi...
ABSTRACT Public policy, whether implemented under a civilian or military regime, plays a critical role in the development of a country especially if well-formulated, and efficiently and effectively implemented. Ghana has undergone about twenty-two (22) years of military rule and thirty-nine (39) years of civilian rule since independence. The First, Second and Third Republics were each terminated by three coup d‟états that actors justified on the grounds of corruption in those civilian gov...