Fee-based Services as Source of Funding for Public University Libraries in Ghana - A Survey

ABSTRACT Academic libraries have a crucial role to play in the achievement of the goals of their parent institutions. However, public universities in Ghana have generally not been financing their libraries to the quantum that has been recommended by the Universities Rationalization Committee in Ghana. Public university libraries have experienced dwindling budgetary allocations which hover around 3% of the total universities’ annual budget. Responses received from a survey on sale of some aspect of their services as a possible source of additional income indicated that it exists only in one of the university libraries. Respondents posited that it is a potential source of additional funding to all three public university libraries - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast - involved in the survey. They however, indicated that the libraries’ mandate is not to dabble in sale of information. A policy direction on this subject is recommended for the libraries to take advantage of selling some aspects of services as good potential source of funding to help them solve their financial crisis

The Effectiveness of the Revised Intermittent Preventive Treatment with Sulphadoxine Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) in the Prevention of Malaria among Pregnant Women in Northern Ghana

This study investigated the effectiveness of the World Health Organization (WHO)-revised Intermittent Preventive Treatment using Sulphadoxine Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) dosage regimen in the prevention of malaria infections in pregnancy. The study involved a prospective cohort of pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic in four health facilities (Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale West Hospital, Tamale Central Hospital, and Tamale SDA Hospital) within the Tamale metropolis. Data collection spanned a period of 12 months, from September 2016 to August 2017, to help account for seasonality in malaria. The study included 1181 pregnant women who attended antenatal clinics in four hospitals within the metropolis. The registers at the facilities served as a sampling frame, and the respondents were randomly sampled out from the number of pregnant women available during each visit. They were enrolled consecutively as they kept reporting to the facility to receive antenatal care. The participants were stratified into three groups; the no IPTp-SP, <3 doses of IPTp-SP, and ≥3 doses of IPTp-SP. The participants were followed up until 36 weeks of gestation, and blood samples were analyzed to detect the presence of peripheral malaria parasites. At the end of the study, 42.4% of the women had taken at least 3 doses of SP based on the revised WHO IPTp-SP policy. Pregnant women who had taken at least 3 doses of IPTp-SP had a malaria prevalence of 16.9% at 36 weeks of gestation, compared to 35.8% of those who had not taken IPTp-SP. In the multivariable logistic regression, those who had taken ≥3 doses of SP were associated with 56% reduced odds (aOR 0.44, CI 0.27–0.70, P=0.001) of late gestational peripheral malaria, compared with those who did not take SP. IPTp-SP served under three or more doses provided a dose-dependent protection of 56% against maternal peripheral malaria parasitaemia detectable at the later stages of gestation (36 weeks). Since the dose-dependent potency of IPTp-SP depletes with time, there is the need for research into more sustainable approaches that offer longer protection

A multi-country analysis of the prevalence and factors associated with bullying victimisation among in-school adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from the global school-based health survey

Aboagye RG, Seidu A-A, Hagan Jr. JE, et al. A multi-country analysis of the prevalence and factors associated with bullying victimisation among in-school adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from the global school-based health survey. BMC psychiatry. 2021;21(1):1-10.BACKGROUND: Over the past few years, there has been growing public and research interest in adolescents' experiences with various forms of bullying victimisation because of their psychological, emotional, and/ or physical consequences. The present study examined the prevalence of bullying victimisation and its associated factors among in-school adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa.; METHODS: Using data fromthe Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS) from 2010 to 2017 of eleven sub-Saharan Africancountries, a sample of 25,454 in-school adolescents was used for analysis. Statistical analyses included frequencies, percentages, Pearson chi-square and multivariable logistic regression. Results were presented as adjusted odds ratios(aOR) at 95% confidence intervals (CIs).; RESULTS: The overall prevalence of bullying victimisation among the respondents was 38.8%. The prevalence was lowest in Mauritius (22.2%) and highest in Sierra Leone (54.6%). Adolescents who felt lonely [aOR=1.66, 95% CI=1.53, 1.80], had history of anxiety [aOR=1.53, 95% CI=1.41, 1.66], suicidal ideation [aOR=1.28, 95% CI=1.17, 1.39], suicidal attempt [aOR=1.86, 95% CI=1.72, 2.02], current users of marijuana [aOR=1.59, 95% CI=1.38, 1.84], and truants at [aOR=1.43, 95% CI=1.34, 1.52] were more likely to be victims of bullying. Conversely, adolescents who had peer support were less likely to be victims of bullying [aOR=0.78, 95% CI=0.73, 0.82].Adolescents aged 15years or older had lower odds of experiencing bullying victimization compared to their counterparts aged 14years or younger [aOR=0.74, 95% CI=0.69, 0.78].; CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that age, loneliness, anxiety, suicidal ideation, suicidal attempt,and current use of marijuana are associated with increased risk of bullying victimisation. School-wide preventative interventions (e.g., positive behavioural strategies- Rational Emotive Behavioral Education, [REBE], peer educator network systems, face-face counseling sessions, substance use cessation therapy) are essential in promoting a positive school climate and reduce students' bullying victimisation behaviours