Legal termination of pregnancy among teenagers and older women in Soweto, 1999-2001

Background. Legal termination of pregnancy (TOP) was introduced in South Africa in 1996. No data are available to relate the numbers of TOPs to the total number of pregnancies in specific health regions. The level of use of TOPs by women of different age groups is not known.Objective. To determine the proportion of pregnancies that end in TOP, with special reference to maternal age, and to measure trends in use from 1999 to 2001.Setting. Greater Soweto, Orange Farm and Lenasia, a densely populated urban health region served by Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and comprehensive primary care reproductive health services.Methods. Two cross-sectional studies performed in 1999 and 2001, counting all pregnancies managed in state-run health services, including legal terminations, spontaneous miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies and deliveries. Results. There were 5412 pregnancies in the study period (9 weeks) in 1999, and 5316 in the study period (8 weeks) in 2001. The TOP rates decreased from 16.1% to 13.6% (P = 0.20). The TOP rates for teenagers decreased from 22.3% to 16.3% (P = 0.006), but were higher than those for older women (15.2% in 1999 and 13.2% in 2001, P = 0.006 and 0.028 respectively). TOP rates for teenagers 13- 16 years decreased from 28.0% to 23.0% (P = 0.44), and rates for older teenagers declined from 21.0% to 14.9% (P = 0.008). In 2001, 16.2% of women aged 35 and above underwent TOP, compared with 12.7% of women aged 20 - 34 years (P =0.014).Conclusion. Use of TOP services was highest in women at the extremes of reproductive age. There was a significant decline in TOP rates among older teenagers between 1999 and 2001. These data, from a comprehensive urban reproductive health service, provide a benchmark for comparison elsewhere and in the future

A Factor Analysis of Consumer’s Buying Behavior of Sanitary Pads

The purpose of this research is to investigate into what factors influence the buying behaviour of consumers of sanitary pads in Takoradi Polytechnic. Consumer behaviour has been changed dramatically in the past decade. In today’s world of growing competition where there are numerous brands selling the same products, consumers is having an abundant number of choices and many other factors influence their buying behaviour. In order to accomplish this objective of the study, a sample of five hundred (500) consumers were sampled from both female (staff and student) of the Polytechnic community. A ten item questionnaire that employs a five-point differential scale ranging from ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’ was administered to the respondent. Among other things, the study result reveal that there are four dimensional factors informing the purchasing behaviour of consumers of sanitary pads, which accounted for 65.3% of variance in the original variables. Using factor analysis via principal component factoring with resulting data analysis done in SPSS (16), the dimensions adduced to be influencing buying behaviour of sanitary pads were: Health features (factor 1), Product features (factor 2), and Social influence (factor 3) and Economic factors( factor 4). This study is useful to the marketers as they can create various marketing programme that they believe will be of interest to the consumers. It can also boost their marketing strategy and also help other people who are working in other industries or in any private sector organization. Keywords: Consumer Buying Behaviour, Sanitary pads, Factor analysis, Principal Component Factoring

Gender specific determinants of inorganic fertilizer adoption in the semi-arid region of Ghana

Poor soil fertility is a major challenge in food production in Ghana especially in the upper east region. Fertilizer which is known to increase soil fertility is not widely adopted especially by female headed households. This research is aimed at investigating the influence of gender on inorganic fertilizer adoption in the Upper East Region of Ghana. A total of 300 households comprising 150 male and 150 female headed households were interviewed. A separate model was used to determine if the factors of adoption of fertilizer differ by gender. Results show that household size, area of land allocated for maize production and area for rice production were common factors that influence fertilizer adoption by both gender groups. However additional factors such as marital status and perception about soil fertility status positively and significantly influenced fertilizer adoption by male headed households while farming experience, dependency ratio, and family remittance were additional factors that significantly influenced fertilizer adoption by female headed households. Similarly factors such as age of farmers, access to extension services, access to credit, access to market, livestock holdings, slope of the land and group membership were not statistically significant to fertilizer adoption for both gender groups. Male headed households had additional factors such as education, farming experience, dependency ratio, slope of the land and remittance that were not statistically significant. Factors such as, marital status, non-farm income, soil fertility status, and access to climate information were not statistically significant for female headed households. Policies which target large scale maize and rice farmers will be relevant in increasing fertilizer adoption among male and female headed households. In addition government policies should target farmers with long farming experience and female headed households with large family sizes

Public health and food safety in the WHO African region

Contaminated food continues to cause numerous devastating outbreaks in the African Region. In Africa, a large proportion of ready-to-eat foods are sold by the informal sector, especially as street foods. The hygienic aspects of vending operations and the safety of these foods are problematic for food safety regulators. The global food crisis has worsened an already precarious food situation because when food is in short supply people are more concerned about satisfying hunger than the safety of the food. The aetiological agents include various pathogenic bacteria, parasites and viruses. Chemical contaminants are becoming increasingly important. Human factors including: unhygienic practices and deliberate contamination, environmental factors, such as unsafe water, unsafe waste disposal and exposure of food to insects and dust,undercooked food, and prolonged storage of cooked food without refrigeration are the main predisposing factors. WHO’s position is that food safety must be recognised as a public health function and access to safe food as a basic human right. The work of WHO in food safety is in line with its core functions and various global and regional commitments, especially the document entitled “Food Safety and Health: A Strategy for the WHO African Region (AFR/RC57/4) adopted in 2007. WHO has been supporting countries to strengthen food safety systems and partnerships and advocacy; to develop evidence-based food safety policies; strengthen laboratory capacity for foodborne disease surveillance; enhance participation of countries in the standard-setting activities of the Codex Alimentarius Commission; and strengthen food safety education using the WHO Five Keys to Safer Food . The implementation of the Regional Food Safety Strategy adopts a holistic farm-to-fork approach which addresses the entire food control system. Much has been achieved since the adoption of the document Food Safety and health: A Strategy for the WHO African Region, but commitment to food safety still remains low due to competing priorities. In particular, countries are now shifting away from fragmented food control implementation towards multi-agency and coordinated as well as single agency systems. The Codex Trust Fund has facilitated participation and capacity building for Codex work. Although funding for the Food Safety Programme has increased as compared to the levels in 2002, this remains inadequate. WHO will continue to support countries to strengthen food safety systems in line with its core functions and as enshrined in the regional food safety strategy

Does automation improve stock market efficiency in Ghana?

The automation of the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) in 2008, among other reforms, was expected to improve the efficiency of the market. The extent of this truism has, however, not been empirically established for the GSE. In this study, we attempt to assess the impact of the automation on the efficiency of the GSE within the framework of the weak-form Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) based on the before and after approach. The study was done both at the aggregate and micro-level. The aggregate result showed that automation of the exchange did not improve the overall efficiency of the exchange. However, there is evidence that the number of market participants involved in the exchange has increased in the post-automation era. The results of the impact of the automation on the effi ciency of the microstructure are, however, mixed. Generally, the rejection of the null hypothesis under homoscedasticity was found to be robust to heteroscedasticity for some firms, but the reverse was the case for other fi rms. This implies that the rejection of the null hypothesis under homoscedasticity is due to both heteroscedasticity and serial correlation. Based on the findings, a mix of strategies aimed at improving the efficiency of the exchange are recommended.Keywords: automation; stock market efficiency; Ghana Stock Exchang

Parasitoid complex of fall armyworm, spodoptera frugiperda, in Ghana and Benin

Open Access Journal; Published online: 21 Jan 2020The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, a moth originating from the American continent, has recently invaded most African countries, where it is seriously threatening food security as a pest of cereals. The current management methods rely heavily on the use of synthetic insecticides but there is a need for more sustainable control methods, including biological control. Surveys were conducted in two West African countries, Ghana and Benin, to determine the native parasitoid complex and assess parasitism rates of S. frugiperda. Samples of S. frugiperda eggs and larvae were collected in maize fields located in 56 and 90 localities of Ghana and Benin, respectively, from July 2018 to July 2019. Ten species were found parasitizing the pest, including two egg parasitoids, one egg–larval, five larval and two larval–pupal parasitoids. The two most abundant parasitoids in both countries were two Braconidae: the egg‐larval parasitoid Chelonus bifoveolatus and the larval parasitoid Coccygidum luteum. Parasitism rates were determined in three Ghanaian regions and averages varied from 0% to 75% between sites and from 5% to 38% between regions. These data provide an important baseline for the development of various biological control options. The two egg parasitoids, Telenomus remus and Trichogramma sp. can be used in augmentative biological control and investigations should be conducted to assess how cultural practices can enhance the action of the main parasitoids, C. luteum and Ch. bifoveolatus, in the field. Understanding the parasitoid complex of S. frugiperda in Africa is also necessary before any development of classical biological controls involving the introduction of parasitoids from the Americas

Nanoparticle growth following photochemical α‐ and β‐pinene oxidation at Appledore Island during International Consortium for Research on Transport and Transformation/Chemistry of Halogens at the Isles of Shoals 2004

Nanoparticle events were observed 48 times in particle size distributions at Appledore Island during the International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation/Chemistry of Halogens on the Isles of Shoals (ICARTT/CHAiOS) field campaign from 2 July to 12 August of 2004. Eighteen of the nanoparticle events showed particle growth and occurred during mornings when peaks in mixing ratios of α‐ and β‐pinene and ozone made production of condensable products from photochemical oxidation probable. Many pollutants and other potential precursors for aerosol formation were also at elevated mixing ratios during these events, including NO, HNO3, NH3, HCl, propane, and several other volatile organic carbon compounds. There were no consistent changes in particle composition, although both submicron and supermicron particles included high maximum concentrations of methane sulfonate, sulfate, iodide, nitrate, and ammonium during these events. Nanoparticle growth continued over several hours with a nearly linear rate of increase of diameter with time. The observed nanoparticle growth rates varied from 3 to 13 nm h−1. Apparent nanoparticle aerosol mass fractions (yields) were estimated to range from less than 0.0005 to almost 1 using α‐ and β‐pinene as the presumed particle source. These apparent high aerosol mass fractions (yields) at low changes in aerosol mass are up to two orders of magnitude greater than predictions from extrapolated laboratory parameterizations and may provide a more accurate assessment of secondary organic aerosol formation for estimating the growth of nanoparticles in global models

Impacts of climate change and climate variability on maize yield under rainfed conditions in the sub-humid zone of Ghana: A scenario analysis using APSIM

Climate change and variability pose a serious threat to food production in sub-Saharan Africa. The projected changes in local spatio-temporal patterns of rainfall and temperature will likely affect the availability of water and nutrients, crop growth, and yield formation. This paper presents the simulated effects of climate change on maize (Zea mays L.) in Ejura in the Sekyedumase district of Ghana, one of the important food baskets of the country. Experimental data from maize grown under various nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) conditions in the 2008 major and minor rainy seasons at two sites in Ejura were used to parameterize and evaluate the cropping systems model APSIM. Daily climatic data for the period 2030-2050 under the scenarios A1B and B1 were obtained from the regional climate projections obtained by the mesoscale model MM5. The assessment of climate change impact on grain yield suggested a likely 6-week shift in the planting dates of the rainy season from the current (1980-2000) 3rd week of March to the 2nd week of May for the simulated period. Climate change also resulted in projected yield reduction of, on average, 19% and 14% for the Obatanpa maize variety under A1B and B1, respectively, for maize-maize continuous cropping. Likewise, the Dorke maize yield is expected to reduce by 20% and 18% for A1B and B1, respectively, with increased yield variability under both scenarios. Potential adaptation measures to climate change in the area include cropping of cowpea during the minor season or fallow rotation with other crops

Marketability and sustainability of food security programmes: products and productivity of agricultural projects

This paper addresses the marketability and sustainability of food security programmes in Limpopo Province. Food security features prominently because poverty and inequality remains a huge challenge in South Africa’s rural sector. Thus the Government has initiated the establishment of agricultural community projects as part of interventions for creating jobs and improving income levels. However, lack of monitoring mechanisms in established projects create a challenge of nonsustainability of these projects. The study has used formative evaluation approach to determine the effectiveness of the established food security programme. A mixed model approach was used to collect data from key informants and project members. Descriptive statistics were computed using SPSS. Most projects were on vegetable, poultry and piggery production. The study has found that 64.1% of the respondents reported that access to inputs was not a challenge. Project products are sold to community members who accounted to 79%, and few (1%) to individuals owning business, clinics and outside the community. Project members advertised their produce mainly verbally (47.2%). Marketing strategies for project products were lacking and this creates a negative impact on income generated and sustainability of projects. The paper concludes by suggesting that project members should be advised on appropriate marketing strategies.S.Afr. Tydskr. Landbouvoorl./S. Afr. J. Agric. Ext., Vol. 40 2012: 1 – 1