ABSTRACT Background: Malaria is a major public health problem in Ghana, causing enormous burden to health and the economy. Malaria is the number one cause of morbidity accounting for 42.5% of outpatient attendance in the country, 48% of outpatient attendance in the northern region and 78.8% of all outpatient attendance in the Gushegu district.The General Objective of the study was to describe trends of malaria in children under five years reporting to the Gushegu district hospital from 2003 ...
ABSTRACT Introduction Diabetes Mellitus is no more a condition of the affluence but a fast-rising non-contagious disease of global importance which still remains a leading cause of indisposition and death. Currently about half a billion people are suffering from this condition globally. Research has it that 8 out of 10 adults are living with Diabetes in sub-Saharan countries. Ghana over the years has a prevalence rate of diabetes patients to be 9% making it quite disturbing. Although there ha...
ABSTRACT The incidence of type 2 diabetes is on the increase and on-going research suggests that the increased concentrations of some circulating immunoglobulins among type 2 diabetic patients may be non-specific signs of the development of diabetic complications. Immunoglobulins, of which the most abundant are IgA, IgG and IgM, play an essential role in the body’s immune system by assisting in destroying foreign substances when they invade the body. Elevated immunoglobulin levels have howe...
ABSTRACT Trachoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide with approximately 150 million people having active ocular infection and at least 5.5 million blind due to corneal scaring. In Ghana, the disease is a public health problem in the Upper and Northern Regions. In many trachoma endemic areas factors like lack of water, lack of facial cleanliness among children, overcrowding in a household (especially of children) and poor environmental sanitation contribute to the transmission ...
ABSTRACT As the current frequency of climate impacts is expected to increase in semi-arid regions of Ghana, smallholder farmers will require access to new and relevant information to adapt successfully. Institutional support is increasingly gaining attention for effective and successful adaptation; however, there is limited knowledge on the specific roles of both formal and informal organizations in implementing adaptation strategies in semi-arid regions. Using the Lawra and Nandom Districts...
ABSTRACT The society in which we live in defines masculinity in terms of fertility and sexual capability, thus maintaining sexual potency has always been a major concern for both men and women especially young men. Alcoholic beverages mixed with aphrodisiacs are usually advertised in a seductive manner such that consumers believe they would have value for their money and therefore will indulge in excessive consumption which may consequently result in many untoward outcomes including chronic d...
ABSTRACT Hypertension is the most important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. It is a major public health problem with a high mortality rate in developing countries such as Ghana. Security officers have high prevalence of traditional risk factors as well as occupation-specific risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Traditional risk factors of cardiovascular diseases include hypertension, hyperlipidemia, metabolic syndrome, cigarette smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle. Oc...
ABSTRACT Provision of maternal health care to pregnant women is to ensure the safety and good health of the mother and baby, but one of the challenges impeding maternal health care is accessible to the service. Access to Maternal health care is affected by where health professionals are located (supply) and where the target population resides (demand). Distance remains one of the key determinants in accessing maternal health care in rural areas due to the sparse location of settlement communi...
ABSTRACT Background: The Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana has consistently recorded increase in HIV prevalence over the past 3 years with an average prevalence of 2.7%. Nonetheless, Sunyani the capital of the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana recorded an HIV prevalence of 4.2% far above the National average of 2.4%. In view of that, this study sought to assess factors associated with HIV prevalence in the Sunyani municipality of Ghana. Method: A facility based cross sectional study was conducted in thre...
ABSTRACT Context: Though Ghana has one of the most liberalized abortion laws, maternal mortality from abortion is twenty three percent. Most of these abortions are due to unsafe illegal abortions. Public and health providers‟ knowledge and perceptions about abortion law affect access to safe abortion services. The main objective of the study is to determine the level of knowledge and perception of the abortion law of Ghana among different population sub- groups in the Ayawaso West Sub-Metr...
ABSTRACT Background With improved survival after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), non-AIDS-related morbidity and mortality have come to the forefront in the management ofHIV patients. HAART has been linked to the development of several risk factors for cardiovascular disease including insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia, but its mfluence on hypertensIon requires further study. The general objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypertensio...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Sub-optimal adherence is known to be one of the most common causes of poor treatment outcomes and /or lack of sustained treatment benefits. In the use of ARVs for the management of HIV infection in PMTCT, adherence is key for therapeutic success to be achieved and to ensure undetectable viral load at time of delivery. This reduces the risk of HIV transmission to the infant. In 2011, HIV/AIDS estimation for Ghana indicated that 2,933 babies were infected with HIV throug...
ABSTRACT Background In the process of delivering healthcare to patients, nurses in the quest to meet up with the pressures at work and to satisfy each patient tend to devise irregular approaches to work rather than adhering to the universal precautions. This predisposes them to occupational injuries and risks, such as needle stick injuries, leading to time and efficiency loss resulting in low productivity at the work place. Objectives The main objective of the study was to determine the level...
ABSTRACT Postnatal period is a very critical stage for both the mothers and their babies. The importance of postnatal care services has been established in various studies globally. Yet postpartum care is the most neglected aspect of women’s health care, not only in developing countries but also in some developed countries. In Ghana 23% of postpartum mothers do not receive postnatal at all. This study seeks to explore contributory factors associated with low postnatal service utilization in...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Hyperbilirubinemia is a common neonatal condition and in most instances, a benign problem in infants. It occurs in close to 60 percent of all term babies worldwide. In Ghana, neonatal jaundice was found to be part of the top five causes of neonatal mortality. In the Trauma and Specialist Hospital, Winneba, it was the sixth most common cause of admission and the seventh most common cause of death in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Methods: This qualitative case study assesse...