ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Timely breastfeeding initiation is critical to child survival and development. First-time mothers are particularly vulnerable to poor breastfeeding practice. Although studies have been conducted on breastfeeding initiation, first time mothers have not been prioritized. OBJECTIVE: To determine prevalence of timely breastfeeding initiation, and the associated factors of breastfeeding initiation and suboptimal child feeding practices during first six months among first ...
Abstract Background CHPS zones are largely defined by what kind of basic package of service they offer. Whilst basic package of services defines the key services that the CHOs, CHVs and CHMCs are to perform under the CHPS service delivery, the 2018 CHPS Verification Survey shows that only 21.1%, 52.5% and 37% of CHPS zones undertook home visitations, ANC services and deliveries which are key components of CHPS basic package of services. Many reasons have been adduced to these suboptimal per...
ABSTRACTThe use of technology in healthcare setting is not a new concept, however the use of Information Technology (IT) within health setting was non-existent in most developing countries until recent times. Though developing countries are slow adopters of new technology, however, the use of Health Information System (HIS) including Electronic Health Records system (EHRs) in health service delivery has been gaining prominent in most developing countries and Ghana not exclusive. The need to p...
ABSTRACT Tuberculosis continues to be an important public health problem worldwide. The World Health Organization estimated that human TB incidence and death for the 1990 to 1999 period would be 88 million and 30 million respectively, with most cases in developing countries. Zoonotic TB caused by M. bovis is present in animals in most developing countries (including Ghana) where surveillance and control activities are often inadequate or unavailable. Consequently, many epidemiological and p...
ABSTRACT Background: High maternal deaths and morbidities are documented to be about 90% occurring in low and middle income countries. Uptake of antenatal care has been reported as one of the strategies for reducing maternal mortality. It has also be documented that the quality of antenatal care affects early initiation, continuous ANC and skilled delivery. This study was therefore designed to assess the satisfaction of quality of ANC among pregnant women at Techimannorth district in the Bron...
ABSTRACT Dietary Supplements use has been found to be increasing among the adults especially the older adults in the developed countries. However, there are no known studies on dietary supplement use among the elderly in Ghana. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to determine patterns of dietary supplement use and determinants among the elderly in the Keta municipal area, Volta region. This involved a one-time data collection on socio-demographic and health characteristic and al...
ABSTRACT Background: The health implications of infectious diseases affecting children of school going age as a result of low practice of personal hygiene practices and insufficient sanitary facilities in public primary schools is still a concern for worry in most poor and middle income countries. Objective: The objective of the study was to estimate the association between the sociodemographic characteristics and prevalence of hand washing with soap under running water practice among school...
ABSTRACT Severe acute malnutrition is still the main risk factor for children five years and below if not appropriately managed. The Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) has improved over the years as an effective approach in solving the problems of severe acute malnutrition in children below five years. This means that quality health care delivery is required in order for the CMAM approach to achieve the desired outcome. The study explored the perspectives of mothers on t...
ABSTRACT Background: Starting maternal health care services within the first trimester of pregnancy is viewed as a strong determinant of the health status of both the mother and the foetus. However, many pregnant women in developing countries, especially Ghana initiate their antenatal care late (after 12 weeks) thereby missing the benefits associated with antenatal care as some may be unable to attain the minimum visits of eight before delivery. Objective: This study sought to determine the...
Abstract Anaemia in pregnancy is an important public health problem especially in developing countries. It is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, and also has a significant impact on the health of the foetus. The purpose of the current study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with anaemia among pregnant women receiving antenatal care at the Sunyani Municipal Hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June, 2015, on 316 pregnant women wh...
ABSTRACT Background: Exposure to indoor biomass smoke is a major global public health issue affecting about half the world’s population. Several studies have associated biomass smoke generated from unvented cook stoves to several diseases including chronic cough, phlegm production, COPD, lung cancer. But very few studies considered women in traditional smokehouses. Objective: This study assesses the prevalence of self-reported respiratory symptoms, exposure indicators of biomass smoke ...
ABSTRACT Background: Growth Monitoring and Promotion (GMP) is a preventive programme that targets the reduction of malnutrition in children in the early periods of their lives. GMP targets the caregiver and family decisions for positive child growth outcomes and has a great potential to contribute to improving child survival if well implemented. For a GMP programme to achieve its intended objective, the following conditions need to be met; proper implementation of GMP activities by skilled ...
Abstract BACKGROUND OF STUDY AREA The South Tongu District is one of the twelve districts in the Volta Region of Ghana. The district lies in the southern section of the region. It is bounded on the north by the North Tongu District, on the east by the Akatsi District, on the South by the Keta District, all in the Volta Region and on the west by the Dangbe East District in the Greater Accra Region. The total land area occupied by the district is approximately 400 square kilometres. The distric...
ABSTRACT Women who survived severe obstetric complications (SOC) have health and well-being issues even up to one year postpartum as far as their quality-of-life (QoL) and well-being were concerned. However, health care professionals do very little to know what their predicaments are. The study objective described the impact of severe obstetric complications on their QoL and well-being. Using the WHO standards for near-miss, twelve (12) women who survived severe obstetric complications wer...