Maternal Employment, Child’s Caring Practices and Nutritional Status in Northern Ghana

Mothers as caregivers exert strong influence over child feeding and caring practices. Maternal employment may influence child caring practices thus affecting the child’s nutritional status. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of maternal employment status, on child caring practices and the nutritional status of children under-5 in Savelugu, Northern Ghana. This was a cross-sectional survey involving 400 mothers and their children under-5 years old. Data collection took place between February and May, 2013 through a house-to-house visit using a structured questionnaire designed for the study. Information collected included employment status, occupation type and mothers working hours away from home, feeding and caring practices and anthropometric measurements of their children. About 85.8% of respondents were employed. Together farmers and traders made approximately 76% of the respondents. Approximately 55% of Mothers had at least primary education. Around 85.1% of the employed mothers look after their children whiles carrying out their daily work. Employed mothers spent between 5 to 6 hours/day away from home without their children but unemployed mothers were mostly with their children. Occupation status has a significant effect on child caring practices with those unemployed being better (P<0.05). About 72.0% and 70.3% respectively of unemployed and employed mothers indicated they introduced complementary feeding at 6months. Child caring practices were better among unemployed mothers compared to employed mothers among the study population. Stunting and wasting rates were high among children of both employed and unemployed mothers

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among blood donors at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Ghana (2009)

Background: Despite education and availability of drugs and vaccines, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is still the most common severe liver infection in the world accounting for >1 million annual deaths worldwide. Transfusion of infected blood, unprotected sex and mother to child transmission are 3 key transmission routes of HBV in Ghana. There is high incidence of blood demanding health situations in northern Ghana resulting from anemia, accidents, malnutrition, etc. The higher the demand, the higher the possibility of transmitting HBV through infected blood. The aim of the investigation was to estimate the prevalence of HBV in blood donors which will provide justification for interventions that will help minimize or eliminate HBV infection in Ghana. Findings. We investigated the prevalence of HBV infection among blood donors at Tamale Teaching Hospital. The Wondfo HBsAg test kit was used to determine the concentration of HBsAg in 6,462 (576 voluntary and 5,878 replacement) donors as being 1 ng/ml. 10.79% of voluntary donors and 11.59% of replacement donors were HBsAg+. The 20-29 year group of voluntary donors was >2 times more likely to be HBsAg + than 40-60. Also the 20-29 year category of replacement donors was >4 times as likely to be HBsAg + than 50-69. Conclusions: Risk of infection was age, sex and donor type dependent. The 20-29 year category had the highest prevalence of HBsAg + cases, mostly males residing within the metropolis. © 2012 Dongdem et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Genetic variants determining survival and fertility in an adverse African environment:a population-based large-scale candidate gene association study

Molecular Technology and Informatics for Personalised Medicine and Healt

Selection for Genetic Variation Inducing Pro-Inflammatory Responses under Adverse Environmental Conditions in a Ghanaian Population

BACKGROUND:Chronic inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic age-associated, degenerative diseases. Pro-inflammatory host responses that are deleterious later in life may originate from evolutionary selection for genetic variation mediating resistance to infectious diseases under adverse environmental conditions. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:In the Upper-East region of Ghana where infection has remained the leading cause of death, we studied the effect on survival of genetic variations at the IL10 gene locus that have been associated with chronic diseases. Here we show that an IL10 haplotype that associated with a pro-inflammatory innate immune response, characterised by low IL-10 (p = 0.028) and high TNF-alpha levels (p = 1.39 x 10(-3)), was enriched among Ghanaian elders (p = 2.46 x 10(-6)). Furthermore, in an environment where the source of drinking water (wells/rivers vs. boreholes) influences mortality risks (HR 1.28, 95% CI [1.09-1.50]), we observed that carriers of the pro-inflammatory haplotype have a survival advantage when drinking from wells/rivers but a disadvantage when drinking from boreholes (p(interaction) = 0.013). Resequencing the IL10 gene region did not uncover any additional common variants in the pro-inflammatory haplotype to those SNPs that were initially genotyped. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Altogether, these data lend strong arguments for the selection of pro-inflammatory host responses to overcome fatal infection and promote survival in adverse environments

Assessing the knowledge of expectant mothers on mother–to-child transmission of viral hepatitis B in Upper West region of Ghana

Abstract Background Viral Hepatitis B is of a major public health concern globally, especially in developing countries. Expectant mothers’ knowledge of Mother-To-Child Transmission (MTCT) of the disease is significant in preventing the spread from an infected mother to her child. This study sought to assess the expectant mothers’ knowledge of Mother-To-Child Transmission of viral hepatitis B in the Wa Municipality and Lawra District of Upper West Region, Ghana. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study with a multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select a total of 450 study respondents (expectant mothers), and a semi-structured questionnaire was used for the data collection. Respondents were interviewed using face-to-face interview technique. Results Majority (54.0%) of the respondents were aged between 25 and 35 years and the results were similar in both districts. Overall, 62.4% (281/450) of the respondents had at least Junior High level education, and 76.2% (343/450) were multigravida. Educational levels among respondents in the two areas were above 50.0% and considered relatively high. Respondents’ general knowledge of hepatitis B infection and disease was 46.0% (208/450). However, there was a slight difference between the two districts (40.1% in Lawra District and 51.6% in Wa Municipality). The overall knowledge level on MTCT of viral hepatitis B among the respondents was 34.7% (156/450): the Wa Municipality recorded higher knowledge (43.3%) compared to 24.8% in Lawra District. Conclusion The knowledge level of the expectant mothers on MTCT of viral hepatitis B is relatively low in Upper West Region, Ghana. Majority of the respondents had some form of formal education. The age, marital status, education, occupation, gravity and family setup were found to be associated with knowledge of Hepatitis B infection and MTCT. Thus, there is urgent need to intensify efforts of health staff to educate expectant mothers. In addition, home education and outreach activities should be intensified on HBV infection as well as MTCT. Consequently, planning, implementation and execution of preventive activities, especially in the antenatal clinics should critically consider the social and demographic variations of mothers

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among blood donors at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Ghana (2009)

Abstract Background Despite education and availability of drugs and vaccines, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is still the most common severe liver infection in the world accounting for >1 million annual deaths worldwide. Transfusion of infected blood, unprotected sex and mother to child transmission are 3 key transmission routes of HBV in Ghana. There is high incidence of blood demanding health situations in northern Ghana resulting from anemia, accidents, malnutrition, etc. The higher the demand, the higher the possibility of transmitting HBV through infected blood. The aim of the investigation was to estimate the prevalence of HBV in blood donors which will provide justification for interventions that will help minimize or eliminate HBV infection in Ghana. Findings We investigated the prevalence of HBV infection among blood donors at Tamale Teaching Hospital. The Wondfo HBsAg test kit was used to determine the concentration of HBsAg in 6,462 (576 voluntary and 5,878 replacement) donors as being ≥1 ng/ml. 10.79% of voluntary donors and 11.59% of replacement donors were HBsAg+. The 20-29 year group of voluntary donors was >2 times more likely to be HBsAg + than 40-60. Also the 20-29 year category of replacement donors was >4 times as likely to be HBsAg + than 50-69. Conclusions Risk of infection was age, sex and donor type dependent. The 20-29 year category had the highest prevalence of HBsAg + cases, mostly males residing within the metropolis.</p

An Emerging Epidemic of Noncommunicable Diseases in Developing Populations Due to a Triple Evolutionary Mismatch

With their transition from adverse to affluent environments, developing populations experience a rapid increase in the number of individuals with noncommunicable diseases. Here, we emphasize that developing populations are more susceptible than western populations to acquire these chronic diseases, because their genetic, cultural, and epigenetic characteristics do not match with the eagerly awaited affluent environments. In regard to this, there is an urgent need for public health organizations to reorganize current environments in developing populations so as to fit their inherited characteristics. Unfortunately, this need is neglected as an essential part of the Sustainable Development Goals that form the core of the United Nations' Post-2015 Development Agenda. Only through global collaborative efforts can the environments in developing populations be reorganized and, thereby, the emerging epidemic of noncommunicable diseases be stalled

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors of Sexually Transmitted Blood-Borne Infections among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care in Jirapa, Upper West Region of Ghana

Background. Sexually transmitted blood-borne infections (STBBIs) contribute to negative outcomes of pregnancy. Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and syphilis infections in pregnancy contribute significantly to maternal and child morbidities and mortalities. This study assessed the prevalence, knowledge, and risk factors of STBBIs (HBV, HCV, HIV, and syphilis) among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Jirapa. Methods. A cross-sectional study design involving 246 pregnant women was employed for the study. A structured questionnaire was used to solicit information about the knowledge, prevalence, and risk factors of STBBIs. Results. The overall prevalence of STBBIs was 11.4%; HBV prevalence was 9.8% and 0.8% each for HCV, HIV, and syphilis. About 66% of mothers were aware of mother-to-child transmission of infections during pregnancy. Knowledge of transmission of HIV (93.9%), hepatitis (67.1%), and syphilis (53.7%) in pregnancy was relatively high. Knowledge of risk factors for HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis was 97.6%, 74.4%, and 76.0%, respectively. More than 98% of respondents knew about the prevention of HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis. Significant risk factors associated with and predictive of STBBIs were female genital mutilation (FGM) and gravidity. Conclusion. The occurrence of STBBIs among pregnant women was strongly associated with FGM and gravidity. Public health education should be directed at stopping the practice of FGM and improving reproductive health in the study area

Heart rate variability, but not heart rate, is associated with handgrip strength and mortality in older Africans at very low cardiovascular risk:A population-based study

Cardiolog