ABSTRACT Background: Pesticides are used by individuals especially farmers to prevent crop damage by harmful insects or plant pests. In the process of preventing and eradicating pests, individuals are occupationally and environmentally exposed to pesticides. Although pesticides help in preventing crop destruction by pests, they are toxic, and exposure can result in a number of health effects. This study aimed at evaluating pesticide residues in human urine samples of farmers who apply pestici...
ABSTRACT Background/Objectives: Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV is a major contributor of paediatric HIV infection. HIV counselling and testing during pregnancy constitutes an important step in prevention. Acceptability of HIV test among women who voluntarily request to know their HIV status (opt-in) has been found to be rather low and yet the number of pregnant women with HIV in the Wa Municipality has almost doubled, from 3.2 per cent in 2006 to 5.8 per cent in 2007. To address t...
ABSTRACT SUMMARY Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, more and more people get infected everyday worldwide. At the same time, there is increasing evidence that people become more and more aware of the causes and preventive methods of the scourge. Despite the high knowledge of HIV infection, and sexual health-enhancing benefits of condoms, condom use is still very low among the sexually active youth irrGhana It is against this background that this study was designed to assess knowledg...
ABSTRACT Background: In 2017, about 37 million people were living with the HIV infection globally. Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has proven to improve the clinical outcomes of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) by suppressing viral replication. Identifying PLHIV in the population, linking and retaining them in care to ensure viral suppression are stages in the HIV/AIDS Care Continuum (HACC). An analysis of the care continuum usually reveals fall outs of PLHIV from one stage to the other. The...
ABSTRACT Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) occurs globally and is of a great public health importance. According to World Health Organization (WHO),“more than two (2) billion people worldwide have been infected with Hepatitis-B virus and about 350 million people remain chronically infected”. Even though Ghana belongs to one of the areas where HBV is highly endemic not much study detailing the burden of the disease among the youth has been conducted. Objectives: This work was intended to...
ABSTRACT It has become very necessary to study seemingly increasing rate of negative sexual behaviour among adolescents. In the Ghanaian society, many adolescents are ignorant of the various forms of contraceptive methods available and how they are effectively used, despite significant numbers being sexually active. This study seeks to understand the factors that influence the knowledge, attitude and perception of contraceptives amongst second cycle institutions in the Adentan Municipality. T...
ABSTRACT Background Hypertension, a notable risk factor for renal disease and stroke remains a significant public health problem. It is associated with fatality, morbidity and a huge financial burden. There is insufficient control of blood pressure despite advancements in hypertension management. Several factors influence blood pressure control. Prescribing trends among doctors and adherence to medication by the patient influence control of blood pressure. This study sought to assess the cont...
ABSTRACT Background Attempts to ensure total care of the trauma patient in order to reduce morbidity and mortality, has led to a drift of global concern towards the psychiatric sequelae of trauma patients. Psychiatric disorders following trauma are common with one of the commonest being post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and are associated with poor functional and occupational outcomes. The prevalence of PTSD in orthopaedic trauma patients vary from place to place. Studies in Unit...
ABSTRACT Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world‟s most deadly communicable diseases that threatens public health globally and mostly affects persons in their productive lives. The burden of tuberculosis and its determinants are key identifiers to a successful TB management system. Retrospective study using both primary and secondary data was conducted to determine the TB case profile and factors that influence TB treatment outcome in the Obuasi Municipality from 1st January 2009 to 31st De...
ABSTRACT Adolescence constitutes a transitional period between child psychism organization and the result of an adult, mature personality. During this evolutionary phase, the psychic balance is unsettled and the personality is characterized by fluidity. This study was conducted to assess sexual and reproductive health services (SRH) among adolescents: the role of Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) in the West Mamprusi District in the northern region of Ghana. Three research object...
ABSTRACT Background: There has been an increase in caesarean sections due to complications, which include malpresentation of foetus. Despite the good outcomes of present day caesarean sections, expectant mothers diagnosed with breech presentation still experience great turmoil. The risk factors provided by literature for the occurrence of breech presentation are many and varied. However, some factors such as maternal age and number of pregnancies are common to all. Aim: The aim of the researc...
ABSTRACT Background: Although cervical cancer is preventable, thousands of women continue to be infected and thousands still die from the disease every year. Cervical cancer prevention can be achieved through comprehensive programs involving education or awareness creation, vaccination, screening and early treatment of pre-cancerous lesions. Health workers have a vital role to play in achieving this, hence they must be adequately equipped with the requisite knowledge on the condition since th...
ABSTRACT Background: Deployment of Frontline health workers (FHWs) has been shown to be an effective and powerful intervention for improving community health in rural settings in Ghana. However, several challenges still persist in the performance of FHWs. Mobile health interventions such as the Mobile Technology for Community Health (MOTECH) project are implemented to enhance health worker performance and reduce maternal and child mortality in these rural areas. MOTECH delivers health message...
ABSTRACT Obesity and elevated blood pressure are important risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and some cancers. These risk factors were in the past associated with affluence and developed countries. However, recent studies have shown their increasing prevalence in developing countries. Health workers influence behaviour and people who work in health worker training environment are expected to know and practice ‗healthy‘ behaviours. The study therefore s...
ABSTRACT While most societies undergoing epidemiological and demographic transitions experience increase in number and proportion of the aged, we have unfortunately observed the reverse in the New Juaben Municipality between 2000 (13.2 per cent) and 2010 (7.3 per cent) (GSS, 2012). This coupled with high prevalence of some chronic diseases among the aged with poor access to professional or formal health care services in the study area (Britwum et al, 2013. This study was therefore designed to...