Stone Quarrying and Livelihood Transformation in Peri-Urban Kumasi

Stone quarrying is one of the key extractive economic activities in the Ashanti Region, supplying the bulk of stone of varying aggregates to the construction industry within the region and beyond. Yet the resource-rich communities have seen little socio-economic improvements. The paper draws on experiences from Nkukua Buoho and Ntiri Buoho in the Afigya Kwabre District of Ghana. It examines the peoples’ livelihood transformation where quarrying, both small and large-scale is a dominant economic activity. With a sample size of 110 respondents, data was collected by means of questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The paper observed that while quarrying is a major economic activity, its effects in socio-economic and environmental terms are unsatisfactory. It is the view of this paper that effective collaboration involving all the stakeholders would make the industry socio-economically beneficial to the communities and environmentally sustainable. Keywords: Stone Quarrying, Livelihood transformation, Sustainability, Peri-urban, Buoh

Pulled in or pushed out : understanding the complexities of motivation for alternative therapies use in Ghana

The impact of strong cultural beliefs on specific reasons for traditional medicine (TRM) use among individuals and populations has long been advanced in health care and spatio-medical literature. Yet, little has been done in Ghana and the Ashanti Region in particular to bring out the precise “pull” and “push” relative influences on TRM utilization. With a qualitative research approach involving rural and urban character, the study explored health beliefs and motivations for TRM use in Kumasi Metropolis and Sekyere South District, Ghana. The study draws on data from 36 in-depth interviews with adults, selected through theoretical sampling. We used the a posteriori inductive reduction model to derive broad themes and subthemes. The “pull factors”—perceived benefits in TRM use vis-à-vis the “push factors”—perceived poor services of the biomedical treatments contributed to the growing trends in TRM use. The result however indicates that the “pull factors,” viz.—personal health beliefs, desire to take control of one’s health, perceived efficacy, and safety of various modalities of TRM—were stronger in shaping TRM use. Poor access to conventional medicine accounted for the differences in TRM use between rural and urban areas. Understanding the treatment and health-seeking behaviour of a cultural-related group is critical for developing and sustaining traditional therapy in Ghana

Do health beliefs explain traditional medical therapies utilisation? Evidence from Ghana

Although the direct impact of health beliefs on unconventional medical therapies consumption are well documented, the previous empirical findings of the relationship have been much inconsistent and theoretically subtle in Ghana. Using social cognitive thesis, this paper examines how relative effects of personal health beliefs influence the use of traditional medicine in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Drawing on a qualitative approach involving rural and urban peculiarities and 36 in-depth interviews, this research study adopts a posteriori inductive reduction model to derive broad- and sub-themes. Results suggest that health-seeking behaviour in Ghana is a socially negotiated process in which cultural beliefs play a major role in moulding the use of unconventional therapies. Perceived displeasure and pure medicalisation of western medicine push individuals into traditional medicine use. Cultural norms and health beliefs in the form of personal philosophies, desire to be part of the healing process, illness perceptions and aetiology, holistic and natural healing approaches, and perceptions on quality of care ascribe the widespread use of traditional medicine. The complexities of personal belief constructs underscore behavioural change towards traditional medicine uptake. This paper theorises that health-seeking behaviour is subject to the complex sociocultural orientation and belief paradigm. Policies targeted at improving health services delivery at the community level should be tailored to appreciate the role of traditional structure and cultural beliefs of the people

A two-mediator serial mediation chain of the association between social isolation and impaired sleep in old age

Abstract Poor sleep is a long-term public health issue that has become increasingly prevalent among socially isolated older adults. However, research on the mechanisms explaining the link between social isolation and impaired sleep (IS) remains limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study explored the serial mediating effects of loneliness and mental distress on the association of social isolation with IS among Ghanaian older adults. We analyzed data from 1201 adults aged ≥ 50 from Ghana's AgeHeaPsyWel–HeaSeeB study (mean age = 66.14, SD = 11.85, age range = 50–111; women = 63.28%). Measures included the UCLA 3-item Loneliness Scale, modified Berkman–Syme Social Network Index, Sleep Quality Scale, and Mental Distress Questionnaire. We used bootstrapping techniques from Hayes’ PROCESS macro program to estimate the hypothesized serial mediation. Social isolation was significantly associated with IS (β = 0.242, p < 0.001). Crucially, social isolation indirectly predicted IS via three significant mediating pathways. Loneliness accounted for 17.6% (β = 0.054, CI = 0.096, 0.016), mental distress accounted for 6.5% (β = 0.020, 95% CI = 0.004, 0.040), and loneliness and mental distress accounted for 32.2% (β = 0.099, 95% CI = 0.065, 0.138) of the overall effect. The total mediating effect was 56.4%. These findings suggest that the social isolation-sleep link is respectively and serially explained by loneliness and mental distress. Social integrative interventions for sleep quality in old age should target mental and emotional well-being

Mobility limitations and emotional dysfunction in old age: The moderating effects of physical activity and social ties

International audienceBackground: This study aims to examine the association between mobility limitations and emotional dysfunction among older Ghanaians and evaluate the buffering effect of physical activity (PA) and social ties in this association. Methods: The analysis included 1201 adults aged ≥50 from the 2016-17 Aging, Health, Psychological Well-being, and Health-seeking Behavior study. The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (MOS SF-36) assessed mobility limitations and emotional dysfunction. We measured PA using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Hierarchical OLS regressions were performed to evaluate the hypothesized direct and interactive relationships. Results: The mean age of the sample was 66.2 (SD = 11.9), and 63.3% were women. After full adjustment for potential confounders, OLS regressions found that mobility limitations increased the risk of emotional dysfunction (β = 0.113, p = 0.004). Moreover, social ties (β = −0.157, p < 0.001) and PA (β = −0.096, p < 0.001) were independently and negatively associated with emotional dysfunction. We finally found a significant effect modification of the association of mobility limitations with emotional dysfunction by PA (β = −0.040, p < 0.002) and social ties (β = −0.013, p = 0.013). Conclusions: Mobility-enhancing strategies such as engagement in positive behavioral choices, focusing on regular PA, and maintaining resourceful interpersonal social networks can mitigate the impact of mobility limitations on emotional dysfunction in later life