The Health Condition of Older Women in Ghana: A Case Study of Accra City

In the context of increased rural-urban migration, social exclusion of some of the recent urban arrivals and the sharp change in life style in urban communities, some of the most critical health problems of older people may be found in cities. This paper attempts to characterize the general health condition of older women (50 years and over) in Accra, Ghana’s capital city. It employs secondary analysis of data from the Accra Women’s Survey, 2004. The findings broadly suggest that an overwhelming majority of older women lack basic education, are not in any form of paid employment, and are widowed, separated or divorced. 3% the women rate their general health condition as excellent, 18% as very good, 41 % as good. 35 % believe there health condition has worsened in the last 12 months. Such perception of deterioration in health status is associated with increasing age. Almost 4 in 5 older women have difficulty climbing stairs and have pains in their joints; 53 % have malaria, 42 % have high blood pressure, and 8% have diabetes. Thus, older women in urban Ghana are experiencing a double burden of disease. They are afflicted with the common tropical diseases such as malaria, while simultaneously experiencing chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes. Older persons’ concerns have remained marginal to the major social and economic debates in the country. Health services need to be oriented to responding to chronic as well as infectious diseases among ageing individuals

Determining the Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Deaf People in Ghana

This article examines how deaf people in Ghana prioritize their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs. The aim is to determine the most pressing SRH needs of the deaf community in Ghana and then propose appropriate measures to make SRH information and services accessible to them. The study was a SRH needs assessment with deaf people in Ghana, which utilized a participatory needs assessment method. A total sample of 179 participants took part in the study: 26 were focus group participants, 152 were survey respondents, and one person acted as a key informant. The study findings indicated that deaf people in Ghana have many SRH challenges, but the most pressing needs were related to barriers associated with communication and attitude of health professionals. To design SRH programmes that are deaf-friendly, there is the need to take into account the linguistic and cultural values of the deaf community

Media Exposure and Reproductive Health Behaviour Among Young Females in Ghana

The study is premised on the hypothesis that a young woman’s exposure to the media increases her knowledge about sexual and reproductive health risks, which in turn, influences her to adopt positive sexual and reproductive behaviour. Using the 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey dataset on women 15-24 years, the study finds that although a young woman’s exposure to the newspapers positively affects her sexual and reproductive behaviour, overall no consistent and statistically significant results were produced particularly with reference to the electronic media (radio and television). The conclusion is that mere exposure to the media may not be enough to change one’s sexual and reproductive behaviour if the contents of the particular media source do not positively address sexual and reproductive health issues, a subject which the study calls for further research

Ghana’s Population Policy Implementation: Past, Present and Future

The effective implementation of population policies is critical in addressing development challenges particularly for developing countries. Ghana’s experience at population policy implementation spans a period over four decades. There have been successes, failures and challenges as new issues which hitherto were non-existent at the inception of the policy, emerge in the course of implementation. This paper assesses Ghana’s efforts at implementing its national population policy and brings out deep insights on lessons learnt and makes proposals for the way forward. The assessment shows that while some successes have been achieved in the area of fertility transition, increasing life expectancy at birth, etc., there are still critical challenges which are socio cultural and political in character. Institutional structures for coordinating the implementation are undermined by poor resource in-flow from the state resulting in loss of trained human resources for effective implementation. The functional integration of population variables into development planning at the district level is consequently virtually non-existent. It is, therefore, just not enough to have a population policy as a document if the state does not attach the highest level of importance to population dynamics as a development planning priority in the country.

Maternity care provider knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding provision of postpartum intrauterine contraceptive devices at a tertiary center in Ghana

ObjectiveTo assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of maternity care providers regarding the provision of postpartum intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) in Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana.MethodsA descriptive, cross‐sectional study was conducted between June 28 and July 15, 2011. Specialists, residents, house officers, and nurse midwives who had been working in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for at least 3 months were included. Self‐administered questionnaires assessed formal training, current proficiency in IUD insertion, and attitudes toward postpartum IUD provision.ResultsOf 91 providers surveyed, 70 (77%) reported previous training in contraceptive counseling. Fewer than one in three respondents had ever inserted an IUD: 17 (44%) of 39 physicians and 9 (17%) of 52 midwives reported ever having inserted an IUD. A total of 33 (36%) respondents reported that they would recommend an IUD in the immediate postpartum period.ConclusionAlthough most maternity care providers at KATH had received training in contraceptive counseling, few felt confident in their ability to insert an IUD. Further training in postpartum contraceptive management is needed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135552/1/ijgo137.pd

Prevalence and characteristics of cigarette smokers among undergraduates of the University of Ilorin, Nigeria

Background: Smoking control is urgently needed to prevent the epidemic of tobacco-related diseases and deaths in developing countries. This requires data on smoking, especially among vulnerable groups like students. We have surveyed cigarette smoking among undergraduates of the University of Ilorin, in the North Central region of Nigeria.Materials and Methods: This was a questionnaire-based survey among undergraduates of the University of Ilorin. A total of 1800 students were selected by multistage random sampling.Results: A total of 1754 students (234 medical and 1520 non-medical students) completed the questionnaires. They were 1148 (65.5%) males and 606 (34.5%) females with a mean age of 21.6 ± 3.1 years. The prevalence rate of current smoking was 5.7% (males 7.7%, females 2.0%) and of ever smoking was 17.1% (males 22.9%, females 6.2%). Smoking was more common in non-medical students. Eighty-three (83.8%) of the smokers had already started smoking by their eighteenth birthday. Fifty-one (51.5%) of them smoked ≤ 5 sticks of cigarettes daily. Most of them were influenced into smoking by peer pressure and commercial advertisements. Sixty-seven (67.6%) of them believed that smoking could never have a negative impact on their health status and quality of life and just 39 (39.4%) smokers were willing to quit.Conclusions: Despite the low prevalence rate of smoking in the studied population, a majority of them were not willing to quit because of a low perception of the negative effects of smoking on their health and quality of life. Comprehensive antismoking campaigns were urgently needed to control cigarette smoking among University undergraduates in Nigeria

Sources and Use of Sexual and Reproductive Health Information Among Deaf People in Ghana

While information is critical for making informed decisions on SRH issues, the deaf community in Ghana has limited access due to social, economic, and institutional barriers. The purpose of this article is to describe the sources and use of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) information among deaf people in Ghana. Data for this article were derived from a SRH needs assessment project with deaf people in Ghana. The study involved 179 participants, consisting of 178 deaf participants” 26 focus group participants, 152 survey respondents” and one hearing person served as a key informant. Findings from both the focus groups and survey revealed that deaf people in Ghana obtained SRH information from a wide range of sources: school teachers, family members, health professionals, friends, the media, and SRH organizations and centers. The study findings also indicated that although health professionals are the official source of information on SRH issues in Ghana, they were not the most utilized and preferred source for the deaf community due to communication barriers. These findings are consistent with other studies and suggest that any SRH program aimed at improving access to information to the deaf population should endeavor to eliminate communication barriers

New approaches to cross-cultural research on education's outcomes amongst the poor: reflections on RECOUP's methodology

The Research Consortium on Educational Outcomes and Poverty (RECOUP), one of the three DFID consortia funded in 2005 to produce policy-relevant research in international education, has as its remit to investigate the outcomes of education for the poor. In this paper, at the mid-point of the research, we reflect on the research design for one of the three themes of RECOUP's work - human and social outcomes - in the light of the assumptions made at the time and subsequent experiences. We identify the three main ways in which we intend to organise our analysis in order to combine the best of both quantitative and qualitative traditions, which we identify as Q-squared (where economics is the lead discipline); mixed methods (where sociology or education is the lead discipline) and nested case studies (where anthropology is the lead discipline). The research, carried out in Ghana, India, Kenya and Pakistan, uses an innovative household survey instrument as well as a series of qualitative studies (including semi-structured interviews, focus groups, life histories) carried out in the same geographical areas and covering in greater depth sub-sets of the topics investigated by the surveys . We review progress towards combining quantitative and qualitative research methods to produce data that will allow us to analyse educational outcomes for the poor in these four countries, to test new research instruments to measure educational outcomes, as well as to generate valid cross-country comparisons

“Over my Dead Body”: Knowledge and Attitude of Children towards HIV and AIDS in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana

In Ghana, it was estimated in 2013 that some 34,557 children were living with HIV and AIDS. Researches on children’s perception of risk, knowledge and support services for infected persons have been rarely undertaken. This paper is based on responses obtained from 120 in-school children aged 9-13 years drawn from three schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana. The respondents provided qualitative data through essays and quantitative data through questionnaires. All the respondents have had some knowledge on HIV and AIDS and knew of where to access HIV and AIDS information. More than seventy per cent of them were not willing to purchase fresh vegetables from AIDS vendors nor were willing to allow AIDS infected female teachers to continue teaching them. It was recommended that children should be targeted with behavioural change communication messages especially by teachers to enable them live harmoniously with people infected and affected with AIDS. Keywords: Children, perception, HIV and AIDS, Cape Coast, Ghan

Knowledge of HIV/AIDS among older adults (50 years and above) in a peri-urban setting: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Background: In the absence of vaccine or cure, public knowledge about Human Immune Virus (HIV) is a central tool for curbing HIV epidemic. This study sought to assess the knowledge of HIV among older adults (50 years and above) at the Methodist Faith Healing hospital, Ankaase, Ghana. Methods: Using a descriptive study design, older adults (50 years and above) who visited the Ankaase Methodist Faith Healing hospital were randomly sampled for the study. A structured questionnaire was administered to collect data which was analyzed quantitatively using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 16.0). Results: A total of 100 respondents who were aged 50 to 68 (54 ± 2.3) were recruited. Most of the respondents had average knowledge of the mode of HIV transmission (62%) as well as HIV prevention (58%) and signs and symptoms of HIV (60%). HIV status was significantly associated with HIV knowledge among older adults as HIV positive respondents were 2.25 times more knowledgeable in terms of signs and symptoms, mode of transmission and prevention of HIV [AOR (95% CI) 2.25(1.02-8.68)]. Conclusion: Most older adults (50 years and above) have average knowledge of the mode of transmission, prevention as well as signs and symptoms of HIV. The National Commission for Civic Education should collaborate with various key stakeholders to educate older adults on issues related to HIV/AIDS