The impact of education in shaping lives: reflections of young people with disabilities in Ghana

There is increasing recognition on the importance of focusing on people with disabilities in international efforts aimed at poverty alleviation. While universal education has been central to these efforts, the specific and additional needs of children with disabilities are often overlooked in policies and programmes. In order to gain a nuanced appreciation of the lives of young people with disabilities in a Ghanaian context, this paper draws on research conducted with young people with disabilities and their significant others in order to understand their educational journeys, employment prospects and perceptions of those around them. In addition to collecting primary data, the latest policy documents related to disability, education and employment are reviewed and statistical analysis undertaken based on the Housing and Population Census 2010. Our research highlights the barriers facing those with disability in accessing quality education. While education was recognised as paramount to leading a better life and participants noted benefits beyond employment such as gaining self-sufficiency and social benefits, unequal educational opportunities underpin some of the reasons for the widening of gaps between those with disabilities and their non-disabled counterparts. Furthermore, while education was seen as important for gaining employment, this was not the case in reality, as young people faced difficulties due to both physical and attitudinal barriers limiting their opportunities for economic and social participation in their communities. The paper concludes by noting that systematic changes in the policy arena are needed to enable youth with disabilities to take their rightful place in mainstream society.This is the accepted author manuscript. The final version is available at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13603116.2015.1018343

Are senior high school students in Ghana meeting WHO's recommended level of physical activity? Evidence from the 2012 Global School-based Student Health Survey Data.

INTRODUCTION:Physical activity (PA) has both short- and long-term importance. In this study we sought to assess the prevalence and correlates of PA among 1,542 Senior High School (SHS) students. METHODS:A cross-sectional study was conducted in Ghana among SHS students using the 2012 version of the Ghana Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) data, which utilised two-stage cluster sampling technique. The population for the study comprised SHS students. The outcome variable was physical activity. The data were analysed using STATA version 14.2 for Mac OS. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were employed. At the bivariate level, Pearson chi-square test between each independent variable and PA was conducted and the level of statistical significance was set at 5%. All the significant variables from the chi-square test were selected for the multivariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, Poisson regression with robust variance was performed to estimate crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (APR). RESULTS:It was found that 25.0% (29.0% males and 21.9% females) of SHS students were physically active. Female students (APR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.65, 0.94), students in SHS 2 (APR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.577, 0.941) and SHS3 (APR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.63, 0.93), and those who went hungry (APR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.65, 0.92) were less likely to be physically active compared to males, those in SHS1 and those who did not go hungry respectively. On the other hand, students who actively commuted to school (APR = 2.40, 95% CI = 1.72, 2.42) and got support from their peers were more likely to be physically active (APR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.09-2.41). CONCLUSION:Only a quarter of SHS students who participated in the 2012 version of the GSHS met the WHO's recommended level of physical activity. Sex, grade/form and experience of hunger are associated with physical activity. Physical activity is a major component of any health promotion program. Policies and programmes targeting improvement in physical activity among SHS students should take these associated factors into consideration

Determinants of Fruits and Vegetables Consumption among In-School Adolescents in Ghana

Background: Fruit and vegetable consumption is an important source of nutrients for healthy growth and development, as well as a protective factor against chronic non-communicable diseases. Paucity of data exists on adolescents’ fruit and vegetable consumption in Ghana. This study, therefore, sought to determine the prevalence and correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption among in-school adolescents in Ghana. Methods: Data for this study were extracted from the 2012 Global School-Based Health Survey. A cross-sectional analysis on 2786 in-school adolescents from junior and senior high schools was conducted. Descriptive analyses using frequencies and percentages were used to present the results on the prevalence of fruit and vegetable consumption. Multivariable binomial regression analysis was performed to determine the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and explanatory variables. The results of the regression analyses were presented using adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with their respective confidence intervals (CIs). Statistical significance was set at p &lt; 0.05. Results: The prevalence of adequate fruits, adequate vegetables, and adequate fruit and vegetable consumption were 35.7%, 26.8%, and 27.8%, respectively. In-school male adolescents had lower odds of adequate fruit and vegetable consumption compared to female adolescents (aOR = 0.64, 95%CI = 0.51–0.82). Adolescents in senior high schools (aOR = 0.36, 95%CI = 0.22–0.61) were less likely to consume adequate fruits and vegetables compared to those in junior high schools. The odds of adequate fruit and vegetable consumption were higher among adolescents who consumed soft drinks (aOR = 3.29, 95%CI = 2.42–4.46), fast foods (aOR = 1.42, 95%CI = 1.13–1.77), and those who had sedentary behavior (aOR = 1.38, 95%CI = 1.07–1.77). Conclusions: The findings revealed that fruit and vegetable consumption among Ghanaian adolescents is relatively low. Sex of adolescents, grade, soft drink intake, fast food consumption, and sedentary behavior were factors associated with adequate fruit and vegetable consumption. Health promotion interventions to scale up fruit and vegetable consumption should pay attention to the factors identified in this study.</jats:p

Using Weighted Goal Programming Model for Planning Regional Sustainable Development to Optimal Workforce Allocation:An Application for Provinces of Iran

Due to the urbanization and economic growth, planning of regional sustainable development has become one of the major challenges in the world. The key indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP), electricity and energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission (GHG) are considered in sustainable development planning. This paper determines number of required workforce in diferent sectors of each province in Iran considering targets/goals for sustainable development indicators in the 2030 macroeconomic and regional planning. First, the relative goals are designed for GDP, electricity, energy and GHG emission and then, two weighted goal programming models are applied to allocate the optimal workforce among four sectors: agriculture, industry, services and transportation. The frst model minimizes recruitment of new workforce and allows current workforce exchange among the four sectors in each province in order to achieve the goals, while the second model indicates equitable distribution of new workforce recruitment in diferent sectors within each province. In both models, the workforce changes have been investigated based on achieving the desirable growth rates of GDP, GHG, electricity and energy consumption as planned by the government. Based on the results of this paper, policy makers can manage workforce and the government can make optimized decisions to macroeconomic and regional planning

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Ankylosis of the mandible: analysis of 35 cases seen at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital

No Abstract. Ghana Medical Journal Vol. 38(1) 2004: 8-1

Впровадження інтернет‐банкінгу в Гані: перший погляд на споживче сприйняття

Internet banking is a tool in the service delivery arsenal for banks. This study focuses on client-bank relationship and on how Internet adoption may improve the qualitative relationship between banks and firms in Ghana and the business they serve. The study adopted a triangulation approach in meeting its objectives. A sample of 180 companies was sampled from the manufacturing, commerce, and services sectors of the economy. The findings of the study were mainly reported by means of descriptive statistics. The research findings indicate that Internet banking services are at their infant stage. Of the respondents, 68% had heard about Internet banking while 33% have never heard about it. 55% of the respondents said security concerns were the major barrier to the adoption of Internet banking. 55.6% of the firms that responded were not connected to the Internet whiles 44.4% were. Majority of the interviewees said they would still visit the bank even if their company adopts Internet banking. Access to their account balance and understanding customer needs are the most important factors for facilitating a good bank client relationship for firms in Ghana and their banks. Banks in Ghana need to start considering the introduction of Internet strategies in the development of customer relationship management (CRM) programs, which will ultimately increase the customer lifetime value of their clients. The present paper is one of the first Internet banking studies from a West African context on the usefulness of Internet banking technologies to bank clients.В усьому світі інтернет-банкінг є важливим інструментом арсеналу надання банківських послуг. Дослідження було проведене в країні, що розвивається, з метою вивчення взаємозв’язків між клієнтами і банками, якісного покращення стосунків між банками та компаніями Гани шляхом впровадження інтернет-технологій у банківську систему. Для успішного досягнення мети був використаний тригонометричний підхід. Вибірка зі 180 компаній охоплює наступні сектори економіки: сфера виробництва, комерції та надання послуг. Результати дослідження надані за допомогою описової статистики. Вони вказують на те, що послуги інтернет-банкінгу Гани знаходяться на початковому етапі. Якщо для 68% респондентів явище інтернет-банкінгу є знайомим, то 33% ніколи про нього не чули, 55% респондентів доповіли, що проблема безпеки – основний бар’єр до впровадження інтернет-банкінгу, а 55.6% компаній навіть не мали доступу до інтернету. Компанії Гани користуються інтернет-банкінгом для переказу грошей та перевірки залишку коштів на рахунку. Переважна більшість опитуваних продовжуватимуть користуватись послугами традиційних банків навіть після впровадження системи інтернет-банкінгу. Результати дослідження свідчать про те, що вільний доступ до розрахункового балансу, так само, як і розуміння потреб клієнтів, – найважливіші фактори покращення взаємозв’язків між банками та клієнтами. Банкам необхідно усвідомити важливість впровадження інтернет-технологій, щоб сприяти розвитку програм управління відносинами з клієнтами (CRM – customer relationship management). У кінцевому результаті це приведе до підвищення оцінки життєвого циклу клієнта. Дана стаття – одне з перших досліджень у сфері інтернет-банкінгу Західної Африки, яка наголошує на корисності системи інтернет-банкінгу

Впровадження інтернет‐банкінгу в Гані: перший погляд на споживче сприйняття

Internet banking is a tool in the service delivery arsenal for banks. This study focuses on client-bank relationship and on how Internet adoption may improve the qualitative relationship between banks and firms in Ghana and the business they serve. The study adopted a triangulation approach in meeting its objectives. A sample of 180 companies was sampled from the manufacturing, commerce, and services sectors of the economy. The findings of the study were mainly reported by means of descriptive statistics. The research findings indicate that Internet banking services are at their infant stage. Of the respondents, 68% had heard about Internet banking while 33% have never heard about it. 55% of the respondents said security concerns were the major barrier to the adoption of Internet banking. 55.6% of the firms that responded were not connected to the Internet whiles 44.4% were. Majority of the interviewees said they would still visit the bank even if their company adopts Internet banking. Access to their account balance and understanding customer needs are the most important factors for facilitating a good bank client relationship for firms in Ghana and their banks. Banks in Ghana need to start considering the introduction of Internet strategies in the development of customer relationship management (CRM) programs, which will ultimately increase the customer lifetime value of their clients. The present paper is one of the first Internet banking studies from a West African context on the usefulness of Internet banking technologies to bank clients.В усьому світі інтернет-банкінг є важливим інструментом арсеналу надання банківських послуг. Дослідження було проведене в країні, що розвивається, з метою вивчення взаємозв’язків між клієнтами і банками, якісного покращення стосунків між банками та компаніями Гани шляхом впровадження інтернет-технологій у банківську систему. Для успішного досягнення мети був використаний тригонометричний підхід. Вибірка зі 180 компаній охоплює наступні сектори економіки: сфера виробництва, комерції та надання послуг. Результати дослідження надані за допомогою описової статистики. Вони вказують на те, що послуги інтернет-банкінгу Гани знаходяться на початковому етапі. Якщо для 68% респондентів явище інтернет-банкінгу є знайомим, то 33% ніколи про нього не чули, 55% респондентів доповіли, що проблема безпеки – основний бар’єр до впровадження інтернет-банкінгу, а 55.6% компаній навіть не мали доступу до інтернету. Компанії Гани користуються інтернет-банкінгом для переказу грошей та перевірки залишку коштів на рахунку. Переважна більшість опитуваних продовжуватимуть користуватись послугами традиційних банків навіть після впровадження системи інтернет-банкінгу. Результати дослідження свідчать про те, що вільний доступ до розрахункового балансу, так само, як і розуміння потреб клієнтів, – найважливіші фактори покращення взаємозв’язків між банками та клієнтами. Банкам необхідно усвідомити важливість впровадження інтернет-технологій, щоб сприяти розвитку програм управління відносинами з клієнтами (CRM – customer relationship management). У кінцевому результаті це приведе до підвищення оцінки життєвого циклу клієнта. Дана стаття – одне з перших досліджень у сфері інтернет-банкінгу Західної Африки, яка наголошує на корисності системи інтернет-банкінгу

Risky sexual behaviours among school-aged adolescents in Namibia: secondary data analyses of the 2013 Global school-based health survey

Aim: Risky sexual behaviours (RSB) among adolescents is one of the major public health concerns globally. These behaviours–RSB have adverse effects on their future health and well-being. Therefore, in this paper, our aim was to assess the determinants of RSB among in-school Namibian adolescents using the 2013 Global School-based Health Survey. Methods: The data was extracted and analysed with STATA version 14.2. Both bivariate and multivariable analyses were done to generate results that infomed the discussion. The results were presented as odds ratios and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). Level of statistical significance was declared at a p-value of < 0.05. Results: Our results showed that of the 2846 adolescents surveyed, 51.8% reported they have ever had sexual intercourse. Fifty-eight percent reported having multiple sexual partners and 23.2% reported not using a condom during their last sexual intercourse. The multivariable analysis showed that age [AOR = 2.50; CI = 1.99–3.14], sex [AOR = 0.40; CI = 0.34–0.47], grade [AOR = 1.80; CI =1.38–2.36], suicidal ideation [AOR = 1.44; CI =1.16–1.79], bullying [AOR = 1.36; CI = 1.15–1.62], hunger [AOR = 1.39; CI = 1.17–1.64], alcohol use [AOR = 1.57; CI = 1.31–1.89], marijuana use [AOR = 1.98; CI = 1.14–3.45] and parental knowledge of activity [AOR = 0.82; CI = 0.68–0.99] showed statistically significant influence on sexual experience. Sex [AOR = 0.43; CI = 0.33–0.55], grade [AOR = 1.58; CI = 1.15–2.18], alcohol use [AOR = 1.37; CI =1.07–1.75], marijuana use [AOR = 2.23; CI = 1.11–4.46] and parental supervision [AOR = 0.76; CI = 0.59–0.98] were associated with multiple sexual partners. There was also statistically significant association between age [AOR = 0.32; CI = 0.21–0.48], loneliness [AOR = 1.49; CI = 1.04–2.14], number of close friends [AOR = 0.60; CI = 0.37–0.96] and parental supervision [AOR = 0.43; CI = 0.32–0.60] on non-condom use. Conclusion: These findings underscore the need for a pragmatic approach in addressing RSB among adolescents by adopting substance use prevention and mental health promotion programmes and by encouraging more parental involvement in activities of their adolescents

A cross-sector approach to explore socio-ecological associations with treatment engagement behaviours in Northern Ghana

Background Cancer presents a growing global burden, not least in African countries such as Ghana where high cancer treatment dropouts has been identified due to numerous social, cultural and financial reasons. There is little understanding regarding patterns of treatment access behaviour, especially in Northern Ghana, which this study was designed to explore. Methods Through cross-sector collaboration, we extracted and clinically validated cancer patient records available in the Tamale Teaching Hospital. These were analysed descriptively and through multi-variate logistic regression. A treatment mapping process was also applied to highlight challenges in data collection. Multiple imputation with chained equations was conducted for high levels of missing data. Sensitivity analysis was applied to assess the impact of missing data. Results Treatment drop-out was high even when uncertainty due to missing data was accounted for, and only 27% of patients completely engaged with treatment. High drop-out was found for all cancers including those covered by the Ghana National Health Insurance scheme. Multi-variate logistic regression revealed that social, health condition and systemic factors influence treatment engagement until completion. High missing data was observed for liver, ovarian, colorectal, gastric, bladder, oesophageal and head and neck and skin cancers, and soft tissue sarcomas, which limited model fitting. Conclusion Treatment drop-out is a critical issue in Northern Ghana. There was high missing data due to the dynamic, complex and decentralised treatment pathway. Future studies are needed to understand the complex challenges in data recording. Policy summary Treatment drop out is a pertinent issue that policy makers should look to address. Further discussion with stakeholders involved in cancer treatment and data collection is required to better understand challenges to routine data collection in the local setting. This will allow policy to be designed to cater for the impact of multiple intersecting health and social factors on treatment completion