ABSTRACT Globally, attention and investments towards demand-side strategies to enhance health care utilisation have improved over the years. Despite this significant investment in health care, its utilisation is far from adequate. Against this backdrop, this study examined the utilisation of health services in the Obuasi Municipality. Drawing on Kroeger’s (1983) health behavioural model, it specifically examined the incidence of major diseases and people’s perception about disease causati...
Abstract This study is about the spatial patterns of the Mycobacterium ulcerans infections (Buruli ulcer) in the Akwapim South district. The Triangle of Human Ecology model was used to account for the observed spatial patterns of the disease. The spatial distribution of the disease was mapped through the residential addresses of the patients as shown in the district medical records. The endemic communities were stratified into three segments namely the high, low and nonendemic areas or zones....
ABSTRACT Coastal pollution is not only a serious threat to the coastal ecosystem but also to the life of those living there and depending on the coastal environment for their livelihood activities. The research examined the causes and effects of coastal pollution on socio-economic life of the people of Elmina as well as measures to mitigate the problem. A model of conceptual frame work showing circular inter-relationship among causes, environmental and socioeconomic effects and solutions of c...
ABSTRACT Malaria control has received significant attention in the Akwapim South Municipality yet remains the highest cause of ill-health among the people. Not only must interventions be put in place but they must actually be effective in ensuring that malaria morbidity and mortality are eliminated. There have been series of strategies that have been implemented under the malaria control programme to control and prevent malaria. Despite the fact that interventions have been introduced, their ...
ABSTRACT Throughout history, studies have amply revealed that where people choose to settle within the urban space is not new. This has been explained to be an important part of the urbanisation process. Effect of fear of crime on the urban environment especially that which involves the re-location of activities and the restructuring of the built environment as an impact factor response strategy is less acknowledged in urban security scholarship especially in developing countries. Rather, con...
ABSTRACT Guinea Worm Disease (GWD) was officially reported in Ghana in 1965. As a result of the global campaign to eradicate the disease in the mid 1980s, Ghana investigated the magnitude of the disease on a pilot basis in the Northern Region. When it was established that the disease was a major public health problem in the country, Ghana started a local initiative towards eradicating the disease in 1986. Global assistance was extended to Ghana in its effort to eradicate the disease which was...
ABSTRACT This study examined the contribution of value addition in agriculture to socio-economic development with reference to the oil palm industry in Kwaebibirem District. The specific objectives addressed in this study were to: determine the character of the activities that generate value in the oil palm industry; find how the process of value addition contributes to development, especially in terms of employment and income; and analyse the wider policy implications for agricultural develo...
ABSTRACT Throughout history, studies have amply revealed that where people choose to settle within the urban space is not new. This has been explained to be an important part of the urbanisation process. Effect of fear of crime on the urban environment especially that which involves the re-location of activities and the restructuring of the built environment as an impact factor response strategy is less acknowledged in urban security scholarship especially in developing countries. Rather, con...
Coastal erosion has become a major problem to coastal dwellers worldwide as its effects of destruction to properties, flooding and inundations continue to render populations homeless. Coastal erosion is defined as the wearing away of material from a coastal profile due to imbalance in the supply and export of material from a certain section (Marchand, 2010). Coastal erosion is noted to have burdened most nations‘ financial budgets in the mitigation and management of this quandary. Mar...
This thesis examined the changes in land use in the Akwapim South District where agriculture has undergone significant changes since the 1930s when cocoa farms were destroyed as a result of the invasion of swollen shoot disease. The methodological approach explored Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as tools for investigating the phenomenon. Aerial photographs of 1972n 4 and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite images of 1985 and 1991 supported the analysis of ch...
ABSTRACT The study examined the accessibility and other socio-economic forces that influence the utilization o f primary health care services in the rural parts o f the Greater Accra Region o f Ghana. Three administrative districts, Ga, Dangme West and Dangme East, were selected for study. Both qualitative and quantitative data were used. Questionnaire and interview schedules reinforced by focus group discussions and observations, were the main research instruments. Descriptive and multivaria...
ABSTRACT Changes in climate introduce numerous uncertainties to the livelihoods of farming communities that rely on the weather and climate. Climate change impacts are being felt in Ghana, most especially in the savanna zones, due in part to the geographical conditions of the location affecting both human and physical resources. This study assessed female and male adaptation strategies to climate change and its effects on their livelihoods in six communities in the Tolon District of the North...
ABSTRACT Access to safe, adequate water and sanitation has been a global developmental priority due to their intrinsic impacts on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Despite the implementation of several measures to improve upon access to safe water and sanitation, residents of Ashaiman still struggle daily to acquire water and have access to sanitation facilities. The research was conducted in four selected communities in the Ashaiman Municipality namely: Adakodzi, Amu...
ABSTRACT Mangroves are among the most degraded ecosystems in the World. This study focused on assessment of the status of mangroves and their degradation in Rufiji Delta. It was guided by the following objectives: to determine the types of use of mangrove resources in Rufiji Delta, estimate the extent of mangroves cover degradation, identify the factors causing mangrove resources degradation and investigate coping strategies of local communities for management of mangrove resources in the stu...
ABSTRACT The study sought to identify changes that home-based enterprises have undergone in Ga Mashie, an urban community in Accra. The research further explored the gender dimensions as well as the benefits and challenges of home-based enterprises in the study area. In all 200 questionnaires, 24 in-depth interviews, 3 focus group discussions and personal observations were used to collect the data for analysis. The study revealed that there have been significant changes in home-based enterp...