Migrattion and Health Nexus: a Case of Female Porters (Kayayei) in Accra, Ghana.

Migration, both voluntary and forced movement of people, especially young girls and women from the north to the southern part of Ghana, has earned the concern of government, civil society organizations and researchers. At the turn of the last decade migration of young girls and women to the commercial cities in Ghana to work as head porters popularly known as kayayei has increased several fold creating streams of problems to both the migrants and the host population. In many ways, the health implications of the migrants has been overlooked, less explored and exacerbated by lack of policies to make migration of the migrants a healthy and socially productive process. This study therefore investigated the effect of migration on the health of female head porters working in various market centres in Accra. The findings indicate that a vast majority of the respondents have no permanent place of abode and this exposed them to a range of illnesses, including malaria, skin diseases, cholera, sexually and reproductive diseases and environmentally related diseases. HIV knowledge among the respondents was very high yet little attention is given to condom use which accounted for unwanted pregnancies among the porters.  Findings further show that economic and social variables combine to reduce the health seeking behaviour of the head porters. Policy measures to enhance the wellbeing of the porters, including free subscription of the NHIS to make healthcare easily accessible to them were recommended by the study, based on the findings. Keywords: Migration, Female, Porters, Kayayei, Health

Assessment of the Contribution of Traditional Birth Attendants in Maternal and Child Health Care Delivery in the Yendi District of Ghana

Maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality continue to be a problem with a huge disparity between developed and developing countries. About 99% of maternal and newborn deaths occur in low and middle income countries, globally amounting to about 500 000 maternal deaths and 8 million peri-neonatal deaths per year. In this settings Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), who are mostly women embedded in the community and its socio-cultural frame with no formal medical training and no connection to the formal health system, play a major role around childbirth. TBAs exist since centuries and still continue to be the major providers of care for families, in poor and remote areas where they assist up to 50 – 80% of deliveries. This paper therefore examine the role Traditional Birth Attendants play in maternal and child health in remote communities in the Yendi District of the Northern Region of Ghana and to come out with some policy recommendations that will help in achieving the MDGs 4 and 5

Assessment of the Impact of Water Supply and Sanitation on Health: A Study in the Savelegu/Nantong District of the Northern Region, Ghana

This paper examines the health implications of inadequate water supply and sanitation in the Savelegu/Naton District in the Northern Region of Ghana. A sample of 200 respondents was drawn from eight communities in the district using a systematic random sampling technique. Data collection tools were questionnaires, personal observation, interviews and focus groups discussions. The research found that, inadequate water supply and sanitation, together with socio-economic and cultural conditions, robbed the people of Savelegu/Nanton District of good health. Diseases associated with water and sanitation still top the top ten causes of morbidity and mortality. A Chi-square analysis shows a significant association between water and sources and guinea worm and diarrhea. Skin diseases were however found to be associated with inadequate water for personal hygiene. The research reveals that inadequate provision of portable water and safe disposal of excreta and other waste are fundamental to reducing the myriad of health problems that the people in the district are saddled with. This must however, be supported with vigorous public health education programme. For the success of water and sanitation programmes an integrated approach involving poverty reduction, women’s empowerment, and basic education, health care and widening job creation is recommended

The Contribution of Women to Household Food Security in the Kassena -Nankana East District in the Upper East Region of Ghana

The study examines the contribution of women in food production and its impact on food security in the Kassena Nankana district of the upper east region of Ghana.  The specific objectives are: to examine the socio-economic characteristics of women farmers in the area, the challenges they face in food production The study utilizes both primary and secondary data. Primary data were obtained through questionnaire administration and direct observation in the study area. 160 questionnaires were administered purposively to 160 women who are into food production and live stock production while the secondary sources were obtained from review of related literature on the subject matter. Data collected were analysed through descriptive statistics. Results revealed that majority of the women are into food production in the area than their male counterparts, it also revealed that women are discriminated when it comes to decision making with regards to land acquisitions and credit facilities. The study also revealed that about 97% of the women in the study are into food crop farming which they use to feed their housed hold. Keywords: women, food security, household

Use of Some Exponential Smoothing Models in Forecasting Some Food Crop Prices in the Upper East Region of Ghana

The study was designed to compare the performance of Holt-Winters multiplicative method with Double exponential smoothing method in forecasting future prices of some selected food crops in the Upper East Region of Ghana and also to examine the trend or direction of movement of the prices. The conclusion drawn from the study was that the prices have been rising since January 1992, decreasing sometimes but not below the January 1992 prices. This is an indication that all things being equal, the prices of the selected food crops will keep rising (rising trend). Results from the study revealed that the double exponential smoothing performed better, in four of the five selected food crops in which trend was present, than the Holt-Winters multiplicative method. That is the double exponential model forecasted prices which were much closer to the observed values than the Holt-Winters model. However in the case of the prices of groundnut in which both seasonality and trend were present the Holt-Winters model performed better than the double exponential smoothing. This is a confirmation of the norm that the Holt-Winters model performs better when both trend and seasonality are present whilst the double exponential smoothing performs better when trend is present in a set of data (Minitab User’s Guide 2,). Results from the study also showed that the double exponential smoothing model performs better when given the optimal values. However the optimal values given by the study lie outside the suggested range (0.70 and 0.95) for exponential smoothing methods. The study revealed that in practice the discount factors could lie outside the suggested range for exponential smoothing. From the study it will be recommended that double exponential smoothing models be used for modelling and forecasting the prices of cereals crops  in which trend is present whilst the Holt-Winters multiplicative method is used for the leguminous crops in which both trend and seasonality are present in the Upper East Region of Ghana

Health-seeking behaviour among migrant female head porters in the City of Accra, Ghana

Migration is an important feature of human development and a significant driver of societal change and well-being across populations. One key aspect of contemporary migration is the rise in female migration, contributing to the debate on urbanization with implications for the health of migrants. This study examined the health behaviour of migrant female head porters in Accra. The study design was cross-sectional with an interview-administered survey. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select communities and 213 respondents. Data were analysed using the SPSS software. From the results, 41.1% were within ages 15-19 years, 41.7% were Mamprusis, and 59.1% were not married. About 65.5% knew the existence of a health facility around their residence, with 75.5% seeking healthcare outside orthodox health facilities. A significant association was established between marital status and education and where healthcare was sought. Respondents who saved money, had Health Insurance cards, and receive support from others were more likely to visit health facilities. The study concludes that the predictors of health-seeking behaviour among the respondents are the possession of health insurance; level of saving, social support they receive from others including marital status and education. Respondents should be encouraged to possess health insurance and save money.Keywords: Health-Seeking, Behaviour, Migrants, Female, Head-Porters, Behaviou

The Contribution of Women to Household Food Security in the Kassena -Nankana East District in the Upper East Region of Ghana

The study examines the contribution of women in food production and its impact on food security in the Kassena Nankana district of the upper east region of Ghana.  The specific objectives are: to examine the socio-economic characteristics of women farmers in the area, the challenges they face in food production The study utilizes both primary and secondary data. Primary data were obtained through questionnaire administration and direct observation in the study area. 160 questionnaires were administered purposively to 160 women who are into food production and live stock production while the secondary sources were obtained from review of related literature on the subject matter. Data collected were analysed through descriptive statistics. Results revealed that majority of the women are into food production in the area than their male counterparts, it also revealed that women are discriminated when it comes to decision making with regards to land acquisitions and credit facilities. The study also revealed that about 97% of the women in the study are into food crop farming which they use to feed their housed hold. Key Words: women, food security, household

Households’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Municipal Solid Waste Disposal

Household waste contributes significantly to municipal solid waste (MSW) generation rates globally. This study evaluates households’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards MSW disposal in the Wa Municipality, Ghana. The study applied both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Questionnaires and interviews were used to obtain information on households’ MSW handling practices and attitudes towards MSW disposal. 211 households responded to the questionnaires.  The study showed that majority of the households’ respondents in the Wa Municipality (40.8%) store their mixed unsorted waste in closed containers. Also, the study indicated that the most widely used method of solid waste (SW) disposal in the Wa Municipality was by burning, with 32.2% households resorting to this option. Furthermore, the study indicated that there was low knowledge of households towards waste reduction and source separation; 83.9% of the household respondents did not sort their waste for collection and did not practice waste reduction. By conducting investigations under some demographic characteristics, the study found a very weak correlation between demographic variables and KAP, however, age was associated with waste disposal (p-value = 0.003 < 0.05). The study, therefore, recommends that the municipal authorities should intensify education and the enforcement of waste disposal regulations for the attainment of sustainable household waste management in the Wa Municipality and Ghana in general

Knowledge, Utilization and Challenges of Contraceptives among Adolescents in Tamale Metropolis

Reproductive health issues are central to the Sustainable Development Goal 3. Globally, governments are committed to the reduction of adolescent birth rate, in which access to modern contraceptives is pivotal. This study examined the Knowledge, Utilization and Challenges of Contraceptives among Adolescents in Tamale Metropolis. The study adopted a cross-sectional study approach, in which 400 participants were selected through simple random sampling. Semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussion guides were the main tools used to gather data on the knowledge of contraceptive types as well as the challenges and utilization of contraceptives. Six focus groups were conducted with six participants in each of the groups. In this study, only 258(67%) of the participants knew of at least one method of family planning. The study further revealed that knowledge level of participants on the side effects of contraceptives was low. Myths surrounding contraceptives use and practice was very common among the study subjects. The most frequent challenges faced by the participants in their quest to access contraceptives were inadequate education on contraceptives, and some traditional and religious beliefs, representing 49.7% and 34.7%, respectively. Respondents aged 16-19 years were more associated with the use of oral contraceptive pills, injectable, implant, intrauterine contraceptive, withdrawal, and condom thus, 144(83.2), 156(91.2), 118(95.1), 23(100.0), 61(100.0), and 243 (81.3), respectively. In this study, the main source of information among the respondents was the internet (96.3%). Stigmatization, the feeling of shyness and some traditional beliefs are major challenges to the utilization of contraceptives among the study participants. Therefore, health authorities in the region ought to intensify their reproductive health education strategies to minimize stigmatization among adolescents

Assessing Human Activities and Their Effects on Water Quality: The Case of Bulpeila Dam in the Tamale Metropolis of Northern Region of Ghana

Water is an important commodity for human sustenance. Human body is made up of about 70% of water. This illustrates the important role water play. In developing country including Ghana people travel between five to ten kilometers in search for water for domestic use. The quality of water is often compromise by the same user. The same people using the water are the same people polluting the water bodies. Human activities such as farming, fishing, swimming, and dumping of waste material are often done by the water bodies. This paper is therefore to examine the human activities and how it impacts on water quality.  In conducting these study both primary and secondary data collection methods were employed