Advertising on food choice: A study of bank workers in Ghana

The study examined the influence advertising has on food choice of bank workers in Ghana. Whereas, there is a lot of empirical study on the influence of advertising on food choice in other countries, little is known about the phenomenon in Ghana, especially the influence of advertising on workers' food choice. The Uses and Gratification theory served as the lens for the study. Adopting the descriptive research design, we surveyed 200 respondents (bank workers) from 20 banks in the Central Region of Ghana, using convenience sampling procedure. Categories of food include fast foods, snacks, and food served in restaurants. The findings revealed that Television had the greatest influence on the food choice of respondents, followed by Radio. Taste was the highest influencing factor regarding bank workers' food choice. It was recommended that food advertisers must pay more attention to taste as a strong selling point when advertising their products

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Factors influencing compliance of closed fishing season: lessons from small-scale coastal fisheries in the Central Region of Ghana

Abstract This paper contributes to the literature on marine conservation and its implication for coastal governance and sustainability. The study investigates factors influencing fisherfolk compliance with the temporal fishing bans in Ghana. The purpose is to understand the factors influencing compliance behaviour to help design an improved conservation strategy to achieve management objectives. A mixed-method approach was employed, consisting of 200 household surveys and 17 in-depth interviews with stakeholders at the local, district, regional, and national levels. The results reveal that a combination of instrumental and normative factors influences fisherfolk’s compliance behaviour concerning the closed fishing season. Participation of fisherfolk and coastal communities in the fisheries management decision-making processes positively influenced compliance. The key drivers of non-compliance with the closed season emanate from a perceived lack of ecological effectiveness, lack of enforcement of sanctions, and lack of compensation for loss of income during the ban. The study suggests co-management that includes fisheries agencies and traditional authorities as a viable option for fisheries management and marine conservation initiatives. In addition, the paper recommends the introduction of conservation payment schemes alongside strict monitoring of the temporal ban on fishing