ABSTRACT The study investigated how compliance mediates physician communication and health related quality of life of patients with hypertension or diabetes in the Tamale Teaching Hospital. A cross sectional design was employed and collected data using structured questionnaire and structured interview guide. Using purposive, quota and convenient sampling methods, 211 patients were sampled out of which 148 and 63 were hypertensive patients and diabetic patients respectively for the study. Desc...
ABSTRACT Background: For effective outcomes of Anti-retroviral therapy (ART), people who are diagnosed of HIV and linked to care must remain in care and subsequently go through each step of the care continuum. However, persons are lost to follow-up at each stage of the continuum due to reasons including psychological, socioeconomic and health systems ineffectiveness. This study determined the factors associated with Retention of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in care at Pantang Hospital. Meth...
ABSTRACT Sensory evaluation is a useful tool in the food and non-food industries. Sensory evaluation of frozen desserts including polyethylene packed ones popularly found in Ghana are greatly affected by serving temperatures. Frozen desserts have been assessed with static methods like Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA®) but the temporal perceptions throughout consumptions are rarely covered. With food companies weary of the time intensive nature of descriptive methods like QDA® and cha...
ABSTRACT Background: Rotavirus gastroenteritis in children remains a global public health problem. It is responsible for over 2 million hospitalizations in children less than 5 years. Low birth weight is a known risk factor for several childhood infections and diseases. Over 96% of all low birth weight deliveries occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the relationship between rotavirus gastroenteritis and its burden in terms of morbidity or mortality is unknown. Objective: to investigat...
ABSTRACT Family planning is a cost effective health intervention that has immediate benefits for women, children and families. However, in the Bomfa subdistrict for the past five years, 1997-2001 the family planning acceptor rate has never exceeded 5%. The objective of this study was therefore to determine the factors accounting for this low acceptor rate. A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out over a four-week period. A total number of 170 persons, 76% females and 24% males wer...
ABSTRACT Background: In 2017, there were 425 million people living with diabetes globally, while in Ghana, the number of adults with diabetes was 518,400. The International Diabetes Federation revealed that patients with diabetes have health expenses of 673 billion USD annually. In Ghana, financial and non-financial cost associated with diabetes accounts for over two-thirds of household‘s income. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine out-of-pocket payments and financial co...
ABSTRACT Background: Childhood tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. Despite clear evidence that isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) can reduce the risk of progression from TB infection to disease in TB contacts, uptake of IPT in children is low and IPT delivery is a challenge in many resource-limited settings with high TB-burden. Furthermore, the IPT initiation rates amongst child TB program implementation settings in Cameroon h...
ABSTRACT Breast cancer has been identified as a leading malignancy and one of the most common causes of hospital admission among women. According to hospital records at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital most women visiting the breast clinic delay their presentation of breast cancer symptoms. This study therefore examined the health seeking behaviour and late presentation among patients with breast cancer visiting the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. A descriptive quantitative study was employed. ...
ABSTRACT Background: The World Health Organization places emphasis on the test and confirm any suspected malaria case either by microscopy or by rapid diagnostic test before treatment with ACT. Almost half of all suspected malaria cases in endemic countries in Africa are still being treated presumptively. This study assessed prescribers’ compliance to the Test, Treat and Track (T3) strategy for diagnosing and managing uncomplicated malaria. Methods: Out Patients Department records covering ...
Abstract Background Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in Ghana. The purpose of this study is to estimate the social costs of motorcycle accidents in the Bolgatanga Municipality.. Method The study was a retrospective cross-sectional cost study. Data on direct, indirect and intangible costs were obtained from patients and their families using a structured questionnaire. The costs are calculated from the social perspective which includes out-of-pocket e...
ABSTRACT Optimal breastfeeding practices ensure adequate nutrients for growth, development, and protection of infant and young child. However, some mothers are unable to breastfeed their children as recommended due to their work. In light of this, the study sought to describe the determinants of breastfeeding practices of working mothers with children 4-23 months in Accra. A cross-sectional design, utilizing a quantitative approach was used to sample 400 working mothers of children 4-23 month...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, (HIV-AIDS) is an incurable disease estimated to cause an annual worldwide mortality of above 1 million, most of which are in Sub Saharan Africa alone (WHO, 2014). Female Sex Workers are a higher risk Key Population where HI is concentrated. FSW HIV prevalence in Ghana is 11.1%, several times higher than the national prevalence of 1.3% (NACP, 2014). This study focused on FSW in Takoradi, a city which has...
ABSTRACT Introduction About 90% of HIV new infections among infant and children younger than 14 years are due to mother-to-child transmission. More than half of these children die before their second birthday in the absence of treatment. However, mortality among HIV positive infants can be reduced by over 70% if treatment is initiated within the first three months after birth. Though Ghana has well established Prevention of Mother to Child/Early infant diagnosis (PMTCT/EID) service, over 80 %...
ABSTRACT This study assessed dry season farming profitability and examines farming practices and their influence on the environment. Dry season farming practices identified from the literature were irrigation practices, land preparation, tillage practices and use of agrochemicals. A cross sectional design was adopted as quantitative data was collected from respondents. Five (5) communities along the White Volta River in the Bawku West District were purposively selected based on their proximit...
ABSTRACT Studies have established that suicidal ideation is associated with risk of suicide attempt or suicide. Thus understanding more about Suicidal ideation may have implications for prevention. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey which utilized secondary data from the most recent Global School Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in 2012. Both Bivariate and Multivariate analyses were done to examine the associations between demographic and psychosocial factors and suicidal ideati...