Assessment of psychological barriers to cervical cancer screening among women in Kumasi, Ghana using a mixed methods approach

Background: Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in Ghana, West Africa. The cervical cancer mortality rate in Ghana is more than three times the global cervical cancer mortality rate. Pap tests and visual inspection with acetic acid wash are widely available throughout Ghana, yet less that 3% of Ghanaian women get a cervical cancer screening at regular intervals.Objective: This exploratory study was to identify psychological barriers to cervical cancer screening among Ghanaian women with and without cancer using a mixed methods approach.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 49 Ghanaian women with cancer and 171 Ghanaian women who did not have cancer.Results: The results of the quantitative analysis indicated that cancer patients where not more likely to have greater knowledge of cancer signs and symptoms than women without cancer. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed several psychological barriers to cervical cancer screening including, common myths about cervical cancer, misconceptions about cervical cancer screening, the lack of spousal support for screening, cultural taboos regarding the gender of healthcare providers, and the stigmatization of women with cervical cancer.Conclusion: The results of this study can be used to inform the development of culturally relevant cervical cancer education interventions aimed at addressing the psychological barriers to cervical cancer screening perceived by Ghanaian women.Keywords: Cancer, developing countries, disease prevention, knowledge, qualitative methodsbr>African Health Sciences 2013; 13(4): 1054 - 106

Rubber and plantain intercropping: Effects of different planting densities on soil characteristics

Two field experiments were conducted at Ellembelle and Jomoro districts in the Western region of Ghana where rubber cultivation is a predominant farming activity. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of rubber and plantain intercropping systems on selected soil properties. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 3 replications. The treatments were the sole crop rubber (R), sole crop plantain (P) and three intercrop systems comprising an additive series of plantain: one row of plantain to one row of rubber (PR), two rows of plantain to one row of rubber (PPR) and three rows of plantain to one row of rubber (PPPR). Generally, agroforestry systems improved the soil hydraulic properties considerably, with the highest cumulative infiltration rates of 5.16 and 8.68 cm/min observed under the PPPR systems at the Ellembelle and Jomoro sites, respectively. Microbial biomass C (Cmic), N (Nmic) and P (Pmic) was significantly improved (P < 0.05) under the agroforestry than the monocrop systems. The Cmic, Nmic and Pmic values were highest under the PPPR system at both Ellembelle (Cmic, = 139.9 mg/kg; Nmic = 36.26 mg/kg and Pmic = 87.6 mg/kg) and Jomoro (Cmic = 78.7 mg/kg; Nmic = 80.3 mg/kg and Pmic = 3.45 mg/kg) sites

Competing or Complementary Mobility Landscapes? Examining the Place of Ride-Sharing Services in the Adoption and Use of Public Transit System in Salt Lake City

posterThe increasingly growing adoption of app-based shared-mobility platforms and TNCs popularly called ride-sharing services have provoked numerous public interest questions and drawn empirical curiousity on how they fit amongst more conventional transport options and shape individual travel behaviors in cities. Whereas critics of ride-hailing services maintain that TNCs compete with transit demand and revenue while delaying bus services and adding to congestion - others contrastingly downplay these claims to the effect that they rather complement transit adoption by providing multi-modal travel alternatives. By way of using data from the 2001, 2009 and 2017 NHTS with an aggregated 399, 1017 and 4,044 household, individual and trip level observations, this study examines the intricate relationships between ride-hailing and transit service adoption within Salt Lake County. Findings from the study showed that temporal user adoption surge periods for these two modes were not simultaneous - partly dismissing possible competition between them. While spatial patterns of adoption locations for Transit-TNC users did not show meaningful mode-substitution effects, results from two regression models demonstrated that ride-share usage has a positive significant association with the count of transit adoption. Meanwhile, the distribution of TNC adoption locations and trip purpose within the county suggested a somewhat weak multi-modal integration. The implications of prioritizing public transit with a view to plan for their successful inter-modal complementarities and a sustainable future are discussed

Competing or Complementary Mobility Landscapes? Examining the Place of Ride-Sharing Services in the Adoption and Use of Public Transit System in Salt Lake City

reportThe increasingly growing adoption of app-based shared-mobility platforms and TNCs popularly called ride-sharing services have provoked numerous public interest questions and drawn empirical curiousity on how they fit amongst more conventional transport options and shape individual travel behaviors in cities. Whereas critics of ride-hailing services maintain that TNCs compete with transit demand and revenue while delaying bus services and adding to congestion - others contrastingly downplay these claims to the effect that they rather complement transit adoption by providing multi-modal travel alternatives. By way of using data from the 2001, 2009 and 2017 NHTS with an aggregated 399, 1017 and 4,044 household, individual and trip level observations, this study examines the intricate relationships between ride-hailing and transit service adoption within Salt Lake County. Findings from the study showed that temporal user adoption surge periods for these two modes were not simultaneous - partly dismissing possible competition between them. While spatial patterns of adoption locations for Transit-TNC users did not show meaningful mode-substitution effects, results from two regression models demonstrated that ride-share usage has a positive significant association with the count of transit adoption. Meanwhile, the distribution of TNC adoption locations and trip purpose within the county suggested a somewhat weak multi-modal integration. The implications of prioritizing public transit with a view to plan for their successful inter-modal complementarities and a sustainable future are discussed

Coping strategies adopted by construction employees to deal with the causes and effects of occupational psychological disorders : a study in Ghana

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Mobility-on-demand: An empirical study of internet-based ride-hailing adoption factors, travel characteristics and mode substitution effects

Ride-hailing services are shaping travel behaviours and emergent urban mobility patterns. From their initial diffusion centres in North America and Europe, these on-demand mobility services are increasingly becoming available in developing countries. Yet, empirical research from these contexts on the impact of ride-hailing services is lacking. To address this gap, this paper examines the factors driving the adoption of ride-hailing and the associated travel characteristics and mode substitution effects in Ghana, Sub-Saharan Africa. Using data from a large sample survey (N = 1188) of commuters in a multi-variable structural equation model, the paper shows that socio-demographic factors, perceived benefits and ease of use of ride-hailing, perceived safety risks and car-dependent lifestyles influence adoption and use of ride-hailing services. Similar to other contexts, individuals’ reference ride-hailing trips were mainly for ‘special occasion’ purposes (51%), but work and school journeys were also high (41%). Shorter travel times (≤30 min) and single passenger journeys within inner-suburban and outer-suburban localities typify ride-hailing trips. This contrasts with other contexts where ride-hailing is used frequently by urban dwellers and less so by those in the suburbs. Ride-hailing use replaced conventional taxis (51%), public transport (36%), private car (10%) and walking (1%), suggesting mode substitution effects for individuals’ reference trips. Further exploration of a full day’s travel mode choices also revealed that individuals use other available modes of transport in addition to ride-hailing services. However, multi-modal integration is weak, suggesting that ride-hailing tends to be used alone for full door-to-door journeys, instead of complementing other existing modes in serving first/last mile access for example. The implications of the findings for sustainable mobility are discussed

Climate Change and Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices: Opportunities and Challenges in the Semi-deciduous region of Ghana

Aim: This study was conducted to investigate small holder farmers’ awareness of climate-smart agricultural practices and challenges to climate change adoption in the semi-deciduous zone of Ghana. Study Design: A descriptive research design was used for the study. Place of study: The study was conducted within the Sekyere South district in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Methodology: Questionnaire was the main tool for data collection. Statistical Package for Social Science [SPSS], version 20 was used for data analysis. Pearson Product Correlation was used to determine the correlation between variables and CSA at 0.05 significant level. Results: Results from the study revealed that agroforestry (52.0%) and rainwater harvesting techniques (80.0%) were never known among majority of the respondents’ as CSA strategy. Besides, farmers were moderately aware of fire and pest management (48.0%) and crop rotation (36.0%) strategies as CSA approach (48%), as well as, minimum tillage which farmers testify of having a considerable idea on it (52%). Nonetheless, respondents often used improved seed variety (64%) and also resorted to residue management and usage (52%) as CSA options in crop productivity. The study further revealed that a higher segment of the farmers attested that no proper training/education, no governmental support, lack of finance, lack of climate information and non-availability of extension field officers, representing 64%, 76%, 84%, and 76% respectively were the major challenges faced by farmers in adopting and practicing climate-smart agriculture. Conclusion: Farmers little knowledge on climate change impeded the successful adoption of CSA practices

Logistic analysis of factors and perception of smallholder rubber farmers to intercrop: a case study involving rubber and plantain intercropping system in Ghana

Even though rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is a major tree crop and is lucrative for small holder' farmers in Ghana, the 6 years waiting period to maturity constraints its establishment. Intercropping of rubber with food crops has been found to be a solution to this production constraint in most rubber producing countries. The objective of this study was to empirically assess farmers' perception on rubber/plantain intercropping and factors that directly affect rubber farmers' decision to intercrop rubber plantations with plantain. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 200 rubber farmers from the Central and Western regions of Ghana. Both descriptive and logistic regression models were used to analyze the data. About 83% of the rubber farmers were males. Based on the logit model analysis, gender, level of education, household size, farm size, member of association and experience in rubber farming were found to have significant influence on the adoption of rubber/plantain intercrop. Respondents see the potential adoption of rubber/plantain intercropping system as a means to improve food security, farmers' income and livelihood. Non-governmental organizations, Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL) and Government should focus on strengthening its extension arm to develop more interpersonal contacts with potential rubber farmers. Policy makers, researchers and extension providers should closely work together with rubber farmers in identifying suitable rubber/plantain spacing and varieties on a case by case basis to ensure effective adoption and scaling out.Keywords: Food security, Ghana, GREL, Livelihood, Rubber and plantain intercroppin