ABSTRACT This study was undertaken in the Wa District of the Upper West region o f Ghana during the period o f 5th April to 15th May 1997 in six (6) sub-districts. The study was to answer the following question: “ What level o f knowledge do mothers in the Wa District have about diarrhoea, it’s causes, effects, appropriate home treatment and prevention, and what they practice during episodes o f diarrhoea among young children” There have been concerns expressed at the district and regio...
Abstract About 1.6 billion people in the world are known to be at risk o f developing Iodine Deficiency Disorder, IDD (WHO, 1994). Ghana has a fair share o f this public health menace. A study conducted in 1995 in 30 districts indicated that 33 percent o f the districts had severe IDD levels requiring immediate attention (Asibey-Berko et al, 1994). Universal Salt Iodation, backed by legislation, (the Food and Amendment Act 523) was adopted as the strategy, with a target o f achieving total el...
ABSTRACT Background: Alcohol consumption is a major problem worldwide accounting for more than 3 million deaths each year from injuries and accidents, most of which are preventable. The prevalence of alcohol consumption in Ghana is estimated to be 26.8%. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the proportion of University of Ghana students who consume alcohol and assess the factors and levels of alcohol consumption among University of Ghana students. Methods: This study used a cross...
ABSTRACT Obstetric fistula is a devastating form of maternal morbidity. It is characterized by an abnormal communication between the vagina and the lower urinary/ gastrointestinal structures or both. It is a result of injury due to pregnancy and its related complications with the resultant effect of continuous leakage of urine or faeces or both into the vagina. It remains a problem in Africa. This study sought to identify predisposing factors to obstetric fistula among women seeking care in t...
ABSTRACT Background: Reducing neonatal mortality has been a major challenge for world leaders, agencies and organizations in developing countries particularly in the African sub-region. In Ghana, almost half of child mortalities occur in the first 28 days after birth. There are recommended basic and cost effective interventions to reduce neonatal deaths. Mother’s knowledge and practice of these basic interventions plays an important role in reducing neonatal deaths. Objective: This study so...
ABSTRACT Background: Unintended pregnancies following child birth are associated with high risk of maternal mortality, morbidity and poor pregnancy outcomes. Use of contraception in the extended post-partum period is a cost effective way that could reduce maternal and child mortality by 75%. Few studies in Ghana have however examined the factors that influence the use of contraceptives among lactating mothers within 6 – 24months post-partum. The purpose of this study was to determine the fa...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Malaria in pregnancy poses great risk to both mother and foetus. In Ghana, among pregnant women, malaria accounts for 3.4% of deaths and 16.8% of all admissions. In 2014, Ghana updated its policy on intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy with sulphdoxine pyrimethamine (IPTP-SP) to reflect the updated policy of WHO (2012) of IPTP-SP. The purpose of this study is to determine the level of uptake of three to five dose of sulphdoxine pyrimethamine (SP) an...
ABSTRACT Background Female sex workers are a group of people who are important in the transmission of HIV. Studies have shown that they are a source of HIV infections to both their commercial and non-commercial partners. Regular condom use has been proven to remarkably reduce the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and thereby its importance for the success of any STI/HIV control programme. This study was therefore designed to assess condom use among female sex workers and ...
ABSTRACT Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) contributes largely to the burden of sexual ill health in Ghana. It is, therefore, important to apply a continuum of strategies to curtail these outcomes (postpartum hemorrhage, puerperal endometritis, operative vaginal delivery, episiotomy, pre- term delivery, maternal disability and death). The Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GSS, 2014) recorded low (25.1%) Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) knowledge among Ghanaian adolescents. T...
ABSTRACT Hypertension is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular diseases and premature mortality in the world. It is also a leading cause of death and disability causing 13.5% of the world’s premature death and 6% disability. Hypertension is commonly seen amongst sedentary workers like bank employees. In Ghana, it is common knowledge that most people are not even aware of their blood pressure, hence their inability to monitor and control it. The purpose of this study was to assess work...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Adolescence has been described as a transitional period between childhood and adulthood and falls within the ages of 10 to 19 years. It is a critical stage of life characterized by rapid biological, emotional and social development. Youth friendly centers were created to offer adolescent/youth friendly services globally. These centers are to be accessible, acceptable, equitable and effective to ensure full patronage by adolescents. This study was to determine adolescent...
ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: The intended and continued use of contraceptives is critical for attaining individual reproductive health goals and the prevention of unintended births that may be subject to induced abortions. Women who eventually overcome barriers and adopt a contraceptive method, encounter challenges that result in discontinuation, switching, or method failure. The occurrence of discontinuation for reasons other than the desire to conceive or switching to less effective methods, plac...
ABSTRACT Background: Ghana grapples with high maternal mortality ratios in spite of interventions to accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality. A substantial number of studies have been done to determine the causes of maternal mortality at the national and institutional levels. In Ghana, fewer studies have addressed the factors associated with maternal deaths. Aim: The aim of the present study was to ascertain the demographic factors and obstetric factors associated with the timing of ma...
ABSTRACT The Buruli ulcer disease is assuming public health importance in many countries apart from Ghana, prompting the establishment of a Global Buruli Ulcer Initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO) in early 1998. The disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans infection has been reported throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. In Africa, several countries particularly in western, eastern and central parts of the continent have reported cases of the disease. One...
ABSTRACT In Ghana and other countries of the developing world, men are very influential in deciding whether their partners visit the antenatal clinic (ANC) or not or they deliver in a health facility or not. Generally, there is a high ANC coverage in Offinso and Ghana at large. But as a result of lack of male support during ANC, some pregnant women are not able to deliver at health facilities. This necessitated the conduct of this study to explore the influence of male support during ANC on t...