ABSTRACT Background: Childhood obesity or overweight has become a global public health problem with its associated morbidity manifesting in early childhood and progressing to adulthood if the alarming trend is not curbed. The fact is that obesity in childhood is associated with a wide range of serious health complications and an increased risk for premature onset of illnesses, including diabetes, hypertension, and other heart diseases. Objective: This study examined the factors associated wit...
ABSTRACT Background: Use of Long Lasting Insecticide Bed Net (LLIN) is one of the recommended interventions by WHO to reduce the rate of malaria transmission especially among the vulnerable which include pregnant women and children. In Africa, out of 45 countries where ITNs form part of the national malaria control strategy, 36 had a representative household surveys that measured usage of nets and/or ITNs at some point between 1999 and 2004. According to available surveys, only Eritrea, in 20...
Abstract Iodine deficiency disorders are a major public health concern affecting an estimated 2 billion people worldwide. As part of efforts to achieve the Universal Salt Iodization goal, the Government of Ghana launched the Universal Salt Iodization program backed by an act of parliament to oversee the attainment of this goal. Notwithstanding these efforts, iodine consumption amongst households and individuals is generally low in the Northern region especially in the Gushegu district. We...
ABSTRACT Socio-economic inequalities in basic maternal health interventions exist in Ghana, yet little is known about health-seeking of poor households. Further understanding of issues surrounding availability, affordability and quality of maternal health services among the poor is crucial to eliminating inequalities in maternal health coverage in Ghana especially in rural communities. The study was carried out to assess the effects of socio-cultural factors on maternal health care delivery...
ABSTRACT Background: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy had become a huge economic (financial, social and psychological) burden on patients, families and the nation as a whole. Such economic burden on patients and their families cannot be underestimated. The objective of the study was to determine the economic burden of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy at Tema General Hospital. Methods: An exploratory, cross-sectional cost-of-illness study was conducted with 50 eligible women enrolled and...
ABSTRACT Background: Ghana including 20 other countries in 2009 were earmarked for rapid PMTCT interventions scale-up within their primary care system for maternal and child health. This intervention became operationalized in June 2015 with the introduction of the PMTCT option B+ where HIV-positive women are initiated on lifelong ARVs regardless of their CD4 count upon immediate diagnosis of HIV and infants born to HIV-positive women receive daily zidovudine (AZT) for the first 4–6 weeks of...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The financial burden of user fees on poor rural households negatively affects the uptake of health services, especially for childbirth. Only 40% of deliveries in Ghana and 27.5% in the UWR took place with the assistance of skilled attendant (GHS 2005; GHS/UWR, 2006). To guarantee financial protection and enhance utilization of healthcare services especially in deprived rural areas, a National‟ Health Insurance Scheme under which the Mutual Health Insurance Scheme operat...
ABSTRACT Spiritual care is care which recognizes and responds to the needs of the human spirit when faced with trauma, ill health or sadness, and can include the need for meaning, for self-worth, to express oneself, for faith, support and perhaps for rites, prayer, sacrament or simply for a sensitive listener. The study assessed the role of health care providers in providing the emotional and spiritual needs of the patients in the adult wards of the Tamale Central Hospital. The study adopted ...
Abstract Globally, 382 million people live with Diabetic Mellitus (DM). Diabetic foot ulcer is a major complication of diabetes characterized by the triad of neuropathy, infection and ischaemia. It affects 15-20% of the people diagnosed with diabetes in their live time. The disease accounts for up to 10% of non-traumatic limb amputation. Using an exploratory descriptive design, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of diabetic patients living with foot ulcers. Purposive sam...
ABSTRACT Background: Malnutrition presents in many forms including undernutrition which remains a global public health problem. Anthropometric measurements are used to determine underweight, stunting and wasting which are important undernutrition conditions. There have been preventive and curative interventions in Ghana to improve on the nutrition of children under five years old. This notwithstanding, malnutrition continues to ascend in many parts of the country including the Eastern Region ...
ABSTRACT Background: Folate is a B vitamin found in green vegetables and fortified breakfast cereals. It plays a crucial role in the prevention of human diseases including heart disease, cancer, anaemia (megaloblastic), dementia in adults as well as neonatal defects. Despite the numerous benefits of folate, only sparse information exist on the folate status of Ghanaians. There is therefore the need to assess the folate status of different populations in different regions of the country, in or...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Burns is a global public health problem and the eighth commonest cause of death in the world (Stokes, 2017). Severe burns mostly have long lasting effect on the quality of life of people with persisting problems associated with weakness, scarring, itching, and pain (Moi et al., 2016). Objective: The main objective of the study was to examine the quality of life and associated factors among post-severe burns patients at the Burns Center of the KorleBu Teaching Hospital, ...
ABSTRACT Factors Accounting For The Failure To Achieve Eradication O f Guinea Worm In The Tamale Municipality. The Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP) began in Tamale Municipality 1989 with the objective o f eradicating the disease in five years or by 1994. This could not be achieved. Further extension o f the program for 2 years was disrupted by an ethnic conflict. Even further extension to the end o f the millennium, year 2000, failed to yield the desired results. The problem of preval...
ABSTRACT Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary disorder prevalent in malaria endemic areas, in which there is state of chronic vasculopathy characterized by endothelial dysfunction, and increased oxidative stress. SCD patients with malaria may experience worse outcomes because malaria infection in SCD leads to depletion of antioxidants which may complicate the disease. Few studies, however, have evaluated the antioxidant status of SCD patients with discrete clinical syndromes. ...
ABSTRACT Background – Malnutrition is evident in the Ghanaian community. Stunting and overweight conditions occurring independently within individuals are of public health interest. Children under five are most susceptible to this condition. Studies concerning the dual burden of malnutrition in children have indicated the simultaneous occurrence of overweight and stunting within individuals (especially children). Objective - This analysis was performed to assess the prevalence of overweight...