Comparative analysis of factors associated with insecticide-treated net utilization between rural and urban areas in Ghana: implication for malaria control and prevention

Malaria is a global health and development challenge, so the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs) for its prevention. In Ghana, despite efforts to increase ITN ownership, ITN utilization among urban residents is still low, creating a wide disparity between rural and urban residents in Ghana. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate factors that influence ITN use in rural and urban contexts in Ghana. The study was a cross-sectional design and used data from the 2019 Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey (GMIS). A representative sample of 25,316 households across various regions of Ghana was selected using a multistage cluster sampling technique. Descriptive statistics were initially conducted to determine the characteristics of the data. Bivariate analysis, specifically a chi-square test of association, was conducted to examine the association between residence and ITN use. Separate bivariate analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with ITN use in each residence type. A hierarchical multiple binary logistic regression was further conducted to determine factors associated with ITN use. The key findings of the study showed a significant association between residence and ITN utilization [χ2 (1, N = 25284) = 1373.78, p < 0.001]. Rural residents were more likely to use ITNs than urban residents. Also, the study revealed that the education level of household heads is significantly associated with ITN use in both rural and urban areas. Additionally, the study demonstrated that in both rural and urban areas, households in the second, middle, fourth and richest wealth quintiles are likely to use ITNs. Interestingly, the results of the study showed that households without a child under five were significantly more likely to use ITNs in urban areas. Based on these findings, the study stressed the need for targeted interventions to improve ITN utilization among urban residents in Ghana and emphasized the importance of education and wealth status in shaping ITN use. Overall, these findings highlight the complex interplay of social, economic and demographic factors that influence ITN utilization in Ghana. They underscore the need for multifaceted approaches that take into account the specific needs and challenges faced by different populations in both rural and urban settings, as espoused by McLeroy et al.'s (1988) social ecological model of health promotionMaster's Thesis in Global DevelopmentGLODE36

Using the Afridev handpump - NORRIP's experience

Using the Afridev handpump - NORRIP's experienc

CHALLENGES TEACHERS ENCOUNTER WHILE SEEKING FOR PROMOTION AND UPGRADING

Promotion and upgrading of teachers after years of service and/or further studies are very essential in the working life of teachers as other formal employees. This is because promotion and upgrading serve as motivational means for hard work and high productivity. However, they do not come without challenges. The challenges inherent in the processes of promotion and upgrading of teachers and the effects the challenges have on teachers seemed to have received little scientific investigation. This research gap precipitated the conduct of this exercise in the Bono region of Ghana. The descriptive survey study was conducted among public senior high school teachers and a sample size of 246 was used. The data were collected using a survey questionnaire and SPSS version 23 was used to analyze the data. The study revealed the following as the challenges teachers encounter during promotions: irregular and untimely release of promotion information, long procedure in the application, too many documents required, and untimely release of promotion results. The challenges tend to have effects on teachers’ work output as well as their psychological, social, and emotional well-being. The study further disclosed that the teachers encounter challenges with upgrading as well which also tends to affect them psychologically, emotionally, and socially as well as their work output. It is therefore concluded that the challenges that the teachers encounter while undergoing promotion and upgrading tend to have an effect on their psychological, social and emotional states as well as their confidence to work which can affect their work output. This would be detrimental to student learning and progress. The study then recommends that the Ghana Education Service (GES) has to take the necessary steps to eliminate the challenges inherent in promotion and upgrading to enable teachers to devote adequate time to their work.  Article visualizations

Integrated Marketing Communication: How Can It Influence Customer Satisfaction?

For marketers to satisfy and retain their customers in the ever changing competitive environment, marketing communication must be taken seriously in as much as it influences customer expectation. The recent increase in business endeavour in the world has made it possible for every organization or business entity to value customer satisfaction and marketing communication as the prime strategy for achieving its goals or objective. One of the key challenges of most of the organizations is how to manage customer satisfaction and to develop effective promotional strategy to achieve these desired objectives. The purpose of this paper is to explore how marketing communication influences customer satisfaction and helps in projecting the image and enrollment level in private tertiary education in Ghana, using Ghana Baptist University College as a case study. Both quantitative and qualitative research was used .Empirical data were gathered through in-depth interview with the stakeholders of the institution by using semi- structured questionnaire. Data presentation and analysis was done in accordance with the research objectives SPSS was used in analyzing the data received from 50 respondents. Simple percentages were used to analyze the demographic characteristics of respondents tabulated in a bi-variant frequency table.   Keywords: integrated marketing communication, customer, audience, promotion, media, message, satisfactio

Sustainable integrated water supply

Sustainable integrated water suppl

Making farmer programming smarter: The Farm Radio approach [Ghana]

Suppliers of radio extension programmes in Ghana have been supported by Farm Radio International to make their programmes more participatory and engaging for smallholder farmers. With access to interactive, accurate, timely and interesting information, farmers have reported increased yields and incomes. Radio broadcasters have also been able to make their radio programming more financially sustainable

Taxonomic studies in Cyperaceae

Part I deals with the supra-specific classification of the subfamily Cyperoideae (excluding the tribe Rhynchosporeae) on a world-wide basis. It involves a broad survey of comparative exomorphic and endomorphic characters, with an analysis and synthesis of all available information from the literature. Many microscopic features of the leaf, culm, glume; hypogynous perianth bristle, stamen, style, stigma and fruit have been examined, many of them for the first time. Most of these features, together with the already known characters commonly used in the classification of genera in the subfamily Cyperoideae, have been employed to form the basis of the supra-specific classification presented here. The two large Linnaean genera, viz: Scirpus and Cyperus, have been split into a number of small, natural genera. Four distinct taxa, previously included in Scirpus a.l., are for the first time accorded generic status, though formal generic names have not been given to 3 of these. These 3 unnamed genera have been temporarily called Genera A, B and C. Cyperus, in the restricted sense used here, is found still to be partly unnatural, but further studies are needed before attempting to change its circumscription. Of the 47 genera adopted in this work, 25 are monotypic and/or geographically restricted; the rest being widely distributed. The maximum concentration of species and genera is found to occur in the tropics. Formal taxonomic treatments have been given to all the 47 genera in the conclusion, except for those genera which were not personally investigated; for the latter only keys for their identification and appropriate literature references have been given. An informal tribal and subtribal grouping has been proposed to accommodate the narrower, more natural genera adopted, since the limits of the traditional tribes Cypereae and Scirpeae no longer stand. New nomenclatural combinations, as well as the list of species and citation of voucher specimens studied anatomically, have been given in Appendices. Part II deals with the revision of the entire subfamily Cyperoideae as it is represented in the area covered by the Flora of Turkey (Davis 1965-). 47 species representing 21 genera are found in this area. This number includes taxa either seen by me or accepted from reliable records in the literature. Descriptions, synonymy, habitats, specimen citations on a grid basis, notes on the variability of Turkish species, and a key for their identification have been included in this account. Two new taxa have been discovered, for which English diagnoses have been given. Finally, an attempt has been made to explain some of the apparent disjunctions in the distribution of certain species in Turkey

Performance of lightweight granulated glass concrete beams reinforced with basalt FRP bars

This paper presents an investigation into the flexural behaviour of basalt FRP reinforced concrete beams through experimental and analytical methods. To achieve the research objectives, four concrete beams reinforced with steel and four identical concrete beams reinforced with BFRP bars were tested under four-point bending. The main parameters examined under the tests are the type of concrete (lightweight foam glass concrete and normal concrete) and the type of longitudinal reinforcement bars (BFRP and steel). Test results are presented in terms of failure modes; deformation crack pattern and the ultimate moment of resistance are presented. The experimental results are analysed and compared to predictive models proposed by ACI 440.1R, 2006 and BS EN 1992, Eurocode 2, for deformations and ultimate flexural capacities of the steel and BFRP reinforced concrete beams. The experimental results indicated that the flexural capacity decreased for the beams reinforced with BFRP bars compared to that of a corresponding beam reinforced with steel bars. Both types of beams failed in the modes predicted. The prediction models underestimated the flexural capacity of BFRP reinforced concrete beams. The increase in foam glass aggregate content was observed to reduce the cracking load by almost 10-40% and 25-50% for steel and BFRP reinforced concrete beams, respectively. The flexural capacities of BFRP reinforced beams were underestimated by using equations stipulated in ACI 440.1R and Eurocode 2 codes of practice. © 2019 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Outcome of life-threatening arrhythmias among patients presenting in an emergency setting at a tertiary hospital in Accra-Ghana

Funding Information: We express our appreciation to the authorities at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for their support and to the participants of this important study. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Phytochemical, Pharmacological and Toxicological Aspects of Capparis erythrocarpos Isert.: A Review

Capparis erythrocarpos is a shrub plant with a large natural distribution used in traditional medicines to cure various illnesses. The study sought to review and compile all data available on this medicinally important plant, which will help inform scientists and researchers the gap needed to be filled in studying the plant. The present review summarizes information concerning the ethnopharmacology, morphology, phytochemistry, toxicology and biological activities of C. erythrocarpos. Scientific databases such as NCBI/PubMed, Google scholar, Sci finder, Science direct were searched for published article on the plant. The active phytochemicals; flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, phytosterols, glycosides, tannins, coumarins and saponins have been identified from various parts of the plant. Pharmacological and biological studies on the plant have revealed its antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, anti-diabetic and anti-dyslipidemia activities, with no reported toxic effect. It is recommended that future studies should focus on identification, separation, purification and quantification of the most bioactive constituents of C. erythrocarpos due to the paucity of information in this area