ABSTRACT Background: In Ghana, about 2.4 million people suffer from mental health illness and only 67,780 (2.8%) received treatment in 2011. The pathway to seek for care by patients who experience first episode of mental health illness may determine how early or late they receive the needed treatment. This study has been conducted to study help-seeking patterns in patients with psychiatric illness, the pathways they traversed to reach psychiatric services, and to understand the factors that i...
ABSTRACT Good breastfeeding practices provide infants with the nutrients they need for optimal growth and development. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of infection and also has significant health benefits to the mother as well. Health communication is important to support good breastfeeding practices. However, communication through the health system alone is not sufficient enough to reach everyone who needs breastfeeding information. Social media could serve as an inexpensive way of receiving ...
ABSTRACT Background: Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids (BBFs) is an everyday risk faced by HCWs as they come into contact with patients in their work activities. The most common pathogens of concern are HBV, HCV and HIV which are the most commonly transmitted. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that expose HCWs to BBFs. It was also to determine the prevalence of exposure and to investigate behaviours of HCWs after exposure. Methods: Associations we...
ABSTRACT Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a disease caused by the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV). The disease since its discovery some two decades ago in America has assumed epidemic dimensions and has claimed millions of lives globally (Jackson, 2002). AIDS is a disease caused by the HIV that attacks and damages the body’s immune system rendering it incapacitated to fight infection. It has a long incubation period of between two to fifteen or even twenty years (MoH, 2001)...
ABSTRACT The study investigated the perceptions of the inhabitants of Whein Town on the effects of the activities of Whein Town Sanitary landfill in Monrovia, Liberia, and evaluated real time health hazards posed on the community. The Whein Town Engineered Landfill was developed with an integrated solid waste management motive. Even though the landfill lifespan expired at the end of 2016, active landfill activities are still ongoing. Liners may have deteriorated, thereby resulting in infiltra...
ABSTRACT Background: Preeclampsia is a peculiar human pregnancy condition with heightened immune response, oxidative stress, hypoxia and reduced angiogenesis. These features of preeclampsia which are influenced by leptin which causes endothelial dysfunction; the main pathology of this condition. Hypertension, which is a diagnostic marker of preeclampsia, is also associated with increased leptin level. This implicates leptin in preeclampsia pathogenesis. Data from Caucasians and Asians show hi...
ABSTRACT Treatment with traditional medicine during pregnancy is believed to prevent malaria, miscarriage, ensure proper growth of the foetus and to cure piles, anemia, waist and abdominal pains and to strengthen the womb to accommodate the foetus. The purpose of the study was to determine how pregnant women perceive traditional medicine, prevalence and the types of traditional medicines use during pregnancy among women attending antenatal clinic at Kpetoe and Ziope clinics in Agotime-Ziope d...
Abstract Schistosomiasis brings about long-term illness in humans which can become significant economic burden on the society. Morbidity control of schistosomiasis through integration of treatment within existing health care delivery system is seen as a potentially sustainable and cost-effective approach. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the health-seeking behaviour for signs and symptoms related to schistosomiasis among the inhabitants of Gani and Bonia, wi...
ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has now spread to all parts of the world with rates particularly high in young people (15-49 years) than older people (>50 years). Despite the global attention being paid to the epidemic of infection with HIV, the rates among older people in the sub-Saharan Africa has been a neglected area of study. This cross-sectional study carried out between the months of November, 2012 and January 2014 sought to determine the prevalence of HIV among elderly pat...
SUMMARY Introduction: Anemia in pregnancy is an important public health problem associated with increased maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization revealed that more than half of all women living in developing countries are anemic. Teenage girls are confronted with lots of health threats during pregnancy and childbirth, prominent amongst these health threats is anaemia. Aims: The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of anemia and its determinant...
Abstract Chronic neurological conditions impose psychosocial problems on caregivers. The objective of this study was to survey and describe caregivers’ psychosocial experiences; beliefs and effects neurological illness have on the family and social life. A purposive sample of 160 parents enrolled using a standard questionnaire to obtain socio-demographic information, beliefs and psychosocial experiences. Data analysis demonstrated that mean stress reported by the caregivers was 69.7 and sta...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Worldwide, men play critical role in women‘s ability to seek health care, including reproductive health care, even though more often than not, they are ill-informed about women‘s reproductive health needs. Male participation has been shown to yield substantial influence in decisions and health outcomes in several other areas of reproductive health, including abortion and breastfeeding. However, male involvement has been found to be affected by men‘s low knowledge of ...
ABSTRACT Background: Military personnel are high-risk people for parenteral and sexually transmitted diseases such as hepatitis B virus (HBV). Hepatitis B is one of the most common infectious diseases globally. The burden of Chronic Hepatitis B infection in the Ghana Armed Forces is not known. As part of the Ghana Armed Forces Hepatitis Programme, the Forces Liver Health Protection (FLiHP) Project is implementing interventions aimed at reducing the estimated burden of viral hepatitis by 50% b...
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the magnitude of teenage pregnancy and identify the factors that contribute to teenage pregnancy in the Cape Coast municipality. Women in the fertile age group (WIFA) who were obviously pregnant and those who had delivered within the last year (April 1996-April 1997) were enumerated through a household survey. Three hundred and two households were surveyed in 21 randomly selected communities based on the population size of the four sub distr...
ABSTRACT Background Although malaria is a preventable, it still remains a major public health problem worldwide, particularly in sub-Sahara Africa where it is associated with high morbidity and mortality especially in pregnant women and children under five. Due to resistance to monotherapy, in 2004 Ghana employed the Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) as first line treatment policy which was also revised in 2014. The revised treatment guideline makes provision for surveillance which ...