ABSTRACT Introduction: Cervical cancer affects the cervix of women. It is the second most common cancer in women worldwide (WHO, 2012). Cervical cancer is often caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and is sexually transmitted. The general risk factors for cervical cancer include early age of first intercourse, multiple sexual partners, high parity, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), cigarette smoking and immuno-suppression. This disease can be prevented and often cured if early interven...
ABSTRACT Background: Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining mainly from the consumption of meat, poultry, seafood and flesh of any animal while depending mainly on foods of plant origin. Vegetarian diets are typically low in fat, particularly saturated fat and high in dietary fibre, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Plasma total cholesterols and low density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol levels of vegetarians are consistently lower than non- vegetarians. Although vegetarians do not e...
ABSTRACT Ticks are important vectors and reservoirs for many zoonotic pathogens worldwide. Some African countries including Ghana have reported tick-borne infections like Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, however, there is scarce data on the tick vector in Ghana. This study was aimed at determining the distribution, abundance of tick species and preferred sites of attachments in six selected study sites. Ticks were collected from cattle in two ecological zones in Ghana (Guinea Savannah and Co...
ABSTRACT The recently observed decrease in cases of malaria achieved through the effective management and control of the disease has been a motivation to strive towards attaining the millennium goal of elimination and eradication of the disease. Asymptomatic infections also referred to as the parasite 'reservoir hosts' which could be microscopic or submicroscopic infections has been implicated in malaria transmission and therefore has become a targeted parasite population for malaria eliminat...
Abstract A qualitative approach which is exploratory in nature was used to explore retention of nurses in Ghana: perspectives of nurses at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, The research sought to explore what had made nurses stay in Ghana and what these nurses believe will enhance retention of nurses in Ghana. Eleven participants were interviewed including a nurse administrator. The inclusion criterion was nurses who had worked in Ghana for at least ten years. The analytic strategy was content anal...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Overweight and obesity, which can be described as the accumulation of excessive body fat has become a major public health problem. Overweight and obese individuals also attract a lot of stigma which results in discrimination. This study was designed to determine perceptions and stigmatization in relation to overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age in the Ghanaian setting. Method: The study employed a descriptive cross sectional study design and used a mixe...
ABSTRACT Background: Adequate serum vitamin D levels in children has been proven to improve bone health, reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and many other diseases in life. The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is the best biomarker in measuring vitamin D status in the body. It is able to reflect both vitamin D levels that the body receive from sunlight and dietary sources. Little is known about the vitamin D status of the population in Ghana especially among school age child...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important cause of human suffering and death. The impact of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) on TB, drug resistant TB (DR-TB) and the implications for TB control, has been acknowledged as a major public health challenge. The influence of HIV/TB co-infection in the development of DR-TB has not yet been fully investigated in this part of the world. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the role of HIV/TB co-infection in the...
ABSTRACT Background: The Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV) was first recognized in the 1980s by Poiesz et al and was the first retrovirus identified in human. HTLVs are human retroviruses identified as the causative agents of Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma (ATLL), a lymphoproliferative malignancy of CD4+ activated cells and HTLV-1 associated Myelopathy/Tropical Spastic Paraparesis (HAM/TSP), a demyelinating disease. There is a significant association of HTLV 1 with lymphoid malignanc...
ABSTRACT Background: Family planning in Ghana began in 1956; however very little is known about male involvement in family planning in Ghana. The study examined male involvement in family planning in the Sunyani Municipality. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among adult males in Sunyani, from May to June 2015. Systematic sampling was used to recruit a total of 403 participants using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The statistical package for social science...
ABSTRACT Background: Nursing and Midwifery is a practice-based profession that is built on theoretical knowledge gained through comprehensive nursing and midwifery education. This is done with the overall goal of equipping nurses and midwives with professional clinical competencies ready to deliver safe, quality nursing and midwifery care. The most effective way of integrating both theory and practice in nursing and midwifery to build the skills, knowledge and attitudes of nurses and midwives...
ABSTRACT Unwanted pregnancy among teenage girls has been identified as one of the major social problems in the Nkwanta district. The study assessed the factors responsible for, and the consequence as well as recommendation s for remedial measures to help address some of the problems associated with teenage pregnancy. This is a descriptive study using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Data were collected through the administration of questionnaire and focus group discussion, collat...
ABSTRACT Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) refers to multiple, non-progressive, heterogeneous group of syndromes of posture and motor development. It is the most common motor disability in children, with a global prevalence of2-3 per 1000 live births. The prevalence is highest in developing countries, constituting a huge social and economic burden to families and the health system. Maternal and neonatal factors account for about 90-95% of all CP cases. The Objectives: This study sought to det...
Abstract. The study focuses on the factors that influence utilization of modern health care, in a contemporary rural community of Nkwanta District, Volta Region, Ghana. The intention is to provide insight into understanding these factors in the light of the people’s perception of health. A sample size of three hundred and forty respondents were selected by simple random method. They were selected from one hundred and fifty-eight households, in twenty towns and villages within two subdistric...
ABSTRACT Background: The National Health Insurance Scheme was introduced in Ghana in 2003 to improve access to healthcare through financial risk protection. Since then, quality of care received by clients of the scheme has dominated public debates. This study examined client’s perception of healthcare quality based on their NHIS status at Kwahu Government Hospital. Method: The study used descriptive cross-sectional design and questionnaires were used to collect data from 118 respondents...