Fertility Preferences of Women Living with HIV in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

This study sought to determine fertility preferences and their predictors among women living with HIV. A survey of 295 women aged 18 to 49 years living with HIV, and attending two HIV/AIDS clinics in the Kumasi metropolis, was conducted between July and August 2012. We administered questionnaires, and retrieved records of clinical status for review. We conducted multiple logistic regressions with fertility preference as the dependent variable. Fifty-eight percent of the respondents desired to have a child. The desire to have children was associated with age > 40years (AOR 0.25; 95% CI: 0.06-1.00), parity >3 (AOR 0.07; 95% CI: 0.01-0.78), those that responded that their HIV status did not affect fertility preference were more likely to desire a child (AOR 4.37; 95% CI: 1.28-14.95) and those whose partner’s did not desire to have children were less likely to desire to have children (AOR 0.06; 95% CI: 0.02-0.18). Most of the respondents do not discuss their fertility preferences with healthcare providers. Policy makers should protect the health of women living with HIV by putting in place counselling and support services with regular antiretroviral medications. If implemented, this has the potential to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Keywords: Desire to have a child, HIV- positive women, KumasiRésuméCette étude visait à déterminer les préférences de fécondité et leurs indices chez les femmes vivant avec le VIH. Une enquête de 295 femmes âgées de 18 à 49 ans vivant avec le VIH, et qui fréquentent deux cliniques du VIH / SIDA dans la métropole de Kumasi, a été menée entre juillet et août 2012. Nous avons administré des questionnaires, et avons récupéré les dossiers de l'état clinique pour les étudier. Nous avons effectué une régression logistique multiple avec la préférence de fécondité comme un variable dépendant. Cinquante-huit pour cent des interrogées ont souhaité avoir un enfant. Le désir d'avoir des enfants a été associée à l'âge> 40 années (AOR 0,25; IC à 95%: 0,06 à 1,00), la parité> 3 (AOR 0,07; IC à 95%: 0,01 à 0,78), celles qui ont répondu que leur état du VIH n'a pas affecté la préférence de la fécondité étaient plus susceptibles de désirer un enfant (AOR 4,37; IC à 95%: 1,28 à 14,95) et celles dont la partenaire n'a pas le désir d'avoir des enfants étaient moins susceptibles de vouloir avoir des enfants (AOR 0,06; IC à 95%: 0,02 à 0,18 ). La plupart des interrogées ne discutent pas leurs préférences de fécondité avec les fournisseurs de soins de santé. Les décideurs politiques devraient protéger la santé des femmes vivant avec le VIH en mettant en oeuvres des services d’orientation et de soutien avec les médicaments antirétroviraux réguliers. Si ceci est réalisées, il a le potentiel de réduire la transmission du VIH de la mère à l'enfantMots-clés: désir d'avoir un enfant, femmes séropositives, Kumas

The effectiveness of integrating educational robotic activities into higher education Computer Science curricula: a case study in a developing country

In this paper, we present a case study to investigate the effects of educational robotics on a formal undergraduate Computer Science education in a developing country. The key contributions of this paper include a longitudinal study design, spanning the whole duration of one taught course, and its focus on continually assessing the effectiveness and the impact of robotic-based exercises. The study assessed the students' motivation, engagement and level of understanding in learning general computer programming. The survey results indicate that there are benefits which can be gained from such activities and educational robotics is a promising tool in developing engaging study curricula. We hope that our experience from this study together with the free materials and data available for download will be beneficial to other practitioners working with educational robotics in different parts of the world

Effects of Vaccine Health and Safety Perceptions on COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Ghana: Implications for Implementing Rollout Programs

Abstract Background A major component of rolled-out COVID-19 pandemic response and preparedness is the administration of vaccines. Globally, resistance towards vaccination programs are well known and documented. This study sought to evaluate the effects of general vaccine health perceptions and the confidence in COVID-19 vaccine safety towards uptake in Ghana. MethodsA cross sectional online survey involving 620 Ghanaians was conducted. The data was subjected to both descriptive (frequency, percentages, and chi-square tests) and inferential (nested binary logistic regression) analyses. Results The preliminary findings showed that 80.32% of participants believed that vaccines were healthy and 73.06% had confidence in a COVID-19 vaccine safety, although 81.19% of the respondents were particularly concerned about the source of the vaccine. Other evidence revealed that 78.55% and 71.45% of respondents indicated their willingness for mandatory and voluntary COVID-19 vaccine uptake or shot respectively. In all operationalized regression models, Ghanaians who believed that vaccines are healthy and those who had confidence in a COVID-19 vaccine safety were more likely to take a mandatory or voluntary COVID-19 vaccine compared to those who thought and believed otherwise. ConclusionIndividual preferences and/or intentions toward COVID-19 vaccine uptake and uptake route (i.e., mandatory, voluntary) were influenced by multifaceted determinants: biosocial (age, marital status, education), socio-cultural (religion) and contextual (geographical zone, source of vaccine as a concern) factors. To consolidate and possibly increase vaccine uptake in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana, health education and promotion programs should aim at creating awareness on the benefits of vaccine uptake while addressing the health and safety concerns on the potential side effects through evidence-based community messaging from credible sources. It is important to show specific commitment to transparency and reliable information to build public trust by decision-makers.</jats:p