Expectations of and Challenges in Marriage among People with Disabilities in the Yendi Municipality of Ghana

The importance of marriage cannot be underestimated as it provides social, economic and emotional benefits to partners. This study was conducted to ascertain the challenges disabled people encounter in their marriage within the Yendi Municipality of Ghana. An exploratory design with qualitative approach was conducted in which 16 participants were selected through snowballing technique. Face-to-face in-depth interview was used to collect the data through audio recordings. Data-led thematic analysis was used to categorize the transcribed data into themes which have been presented as main findings. Their expectations have not been met as they are confronted with several challenges in their marriages from society, economic and domestic fields. People with disabilities within the Yendi Municipality who are married and facing challenges should form self-help groups to manage and deal with their challenges collectively. Keywords: Expectations and challenges in marriage, people with disabilities, Yendi Municipality, Ghan

“We are Seen but not Recognized”; Disability Stigma and Disabled People’s Exclusion from Community Activities: The Case of Disabled People in a Traditional Community in Ghana

Society has a way of categorising and assigning expectations to its members. There are also rules regarding the norms and processes of dealing with problems of daily life. If a rule is broken during interactions between individuals in society resulting in abnormal situation, it can be labelled as stigma. When people perceive individuals as possessing socially unacceptable attributes, they assign negative qualities to the person and results in devaluation of the individual. Data was collected from disabled people and their leaders in the Kumasi Metro who were registered with the Department of Social Welfare. A qualitative study was conducted in which Interview and Focus Group Discussions were employed to collect data from respondents.  Purposive sampling technique was adopted to select 35 respondents for the study. After each data collection activity the recorded audio tapes and field notes taken during the interview were translated into English and later word processed. Data editing and categorisation was done manually based on the research objective. The study found that disability is stigmatised as a result of the reaction of society towards individuals who have impairments, disabled people have been given names based on their disability, disabled people have also lost the opportunity to inherit family wealth and to be installed as chiefs, and are unable to represent their communities and families at social functions. It is recommended that there should be effective public education on disability and the scientific causes of the condition.  Keywords: Stigma, Community-exclusion, Ghana, Disability, Society, Culture and Labelin

Socio-demographic determinants of childhood immunization incompletion in Koforidua, Ghana

Abstract Objective Immunization saves more than 3 million lives worldwide each year, and it saves millions from suffering illness and lifelong disability. The study sought to assess the socio-demographic factors that influence childhood immunization incompletion. A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed for the study conducted at the Child Welfare Clinic in the Regional Hospital, Koforidua. A total of 280 caregivers/mothers who have children aged between 0 and 59 months were included in this study. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS. Results The study found that being divorced (p = 0.048) and working part-time (p = 0.049) has a significant and positive association with immunization incompletion. Women who were divorced [AOR (95% CI) 3.01 (1.59–58.2)] were 3 times less likely to complete immunization than those who were cohabiting, married and widowed taken into account the effect due to all the additional confounder variables included in the analysis. Women who were working part-time were 2.28 times less likely to complete immunization schedule than those working full-time; [AOR (95% CI) 2.28 (1.031–9.11)]. This study has documented socio-demographic factors influencing childhood immunization incompletion in the Regional Hospital, Koforidua. The Ministry of Health should, therefore, put in measures like public education to encourage mothers to complete each immunization schedule

Perception of childhood anaemia among mothers in Kumasi: a quantitative approach

Abstract Background Anaemia is the world’s second cause of disability and it affects over half of pre-school children in developing countries and at least 30–40% in industrial countries. In poorer malaria-endemic countries, anemia is one of the commonest preventable causes of death in children under 5 years. This study sought to determine the perceived causes, signs and symptoms as well prevention of childhood anaemia among mothers of children under 5 years in Kumasi, Ghana. Methods A descriptive hospital-based cross-sectional study design with a sample of 228 patients attending the University Hospital, KNUST was used. A simple random sampling technique was applied in sampling and a structured questionnaire was used to collect data which was analyzed using SPSS statistical tools. Results The study found that anemia was mostly perceived to be caused by poor feeding practices (43%) and fever (37%). The signs and symptoms mentioned mostly were pale conjunctiva (47%) and pale palm (44%). It was suggested that it could be prevented by giving adequate nutrition (23%), regular deworming (19%) as well as exclusive breastfeeding (25%). Mothers education and the number of children were found to be associated with the perception regarding anaemia as respondents who had completed SHS/A level were 5.14 times likely to have a higher knowledge score on Anaemia (AOR = 5.14; 95% CI; 1.01–21.8). Also, mothers who had 5 to 6 children were 1.65 times likely to have higher knowledge score on Anaemia (AOR = 1.65; 95% CI; 0.02–2.32). Conclusion Previous experience with Anaemia and higher educational level results in better understanding of Anaemia. Therefore, extensive health education on anemia should be undertaken by the hospital authorities in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to improve knowledge of Anaemia