ABSTRACT Southern Africa has the highest HIV prevalence rates among adults in the world. Namibia has not been spared the scourge of this pandemic. In Oshakati, where this study was conducted, the HIV prevalence rate is 25.2%, the second highest in Namibia. There are not many large industries in Oshakati. The greater part of the labour force is employed in the informal sector. Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) provide a social safety net for the poor, the uneducated, for women and chi...
ABSTRACT Despite mass media campaigns to provide information on how to promote healthy lifestyle and sexual behaviour among the population, especially among the youth, there is evidence that risky sexual behaviour are more prevalent among males than females (UNAIDS, 2013c), putting them at the risk of acquiring Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Not much is known about the knowledge, attitude and practices of male learners in secondary schools in Namibia on HIV prevention and their practice...
ABSTRACT Defaulting from treatment remains a challenge for most HIV/AIDS control programmes. It may increase the risk of drug resistance, prolonged infection or death. The aim of this study was to explore and describe factors that contributed to patients defaulting in taking Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) in Oshakati and to propose appropriate interventions. The method used in the study was a combined quantitative and qualitative approach (mixed method). A cohort of patients w...
ABSTRACT This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objective: This study investigated the treatment outcomes and determinant factors likely to be associated with recovery rate. Methods: A retrospective chart review (RCR) was performed on 348 patients who were enrolled in the outpatient care (OPC)during the study period....
ABSTRACT The intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD/IUCD) is a safe, effective and long-acting reversible contraceptive method commonly used worldwide. Despite its proven safety, efficacy and its reversibility, the IUD/IUCD is one of the contraceptive methods that is under-utilized in many African countries, including Namibia. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the IUD/IUCD among family planning (FP) providers and acceptors ...
ABSTRACT Physical Activity, a core component of weIIness promotion, does not command intense research interest in Africa in general and Ghana in particular. Data on physical activity prevalence in Ghana is lacking despite the apparent knowledge, belief, attitude and practices on its potential benefits. Physical activity promotion seems to be the least of the priorities of public health surveillance interventions in Ghana. This cross-sectional, exploratory academic enquiry sought to determine ...
ABSTRACT Background: Pn". . Vtnlion ofmother-ID-child transmission ofHlV (PMTCn is delivered in stages (or cascades) and high level of retention at each cascade step by mother and lalcrb ymother-infant pairs is required to eliminate maternal transmission of HIV which occurs through pregnancy. childbirth andbreastfeeding. Reasons for low rates of retention in Ghana are nOI well understood though HIVsentinel sites situated across the country serve as good resourcefo rcollectingdatafor generatin...
ABSTRACT Health emergenc ies occur everywhere from the market place to the house to by the roadside, and each day they consume resources regardless of whether there are systemsca pableofachieving good outcomes or not. Ina low resource country like Ghana policy and guidelines will play a very integral role in ensuring quality and efficiency of emergency servic es at all tiersofservicc. In 2011,the Accident and emergency policy was introduced to helpstren gthen the capatitiesof facilities in em...
ABSTRACT This study was carried out to investigate socio–cultural factors that influence male partner’s participation in antenatal care and its impact on maternal health care. Qualitative method was employed to explore socio-cultural determinants of male partners’ participation in antenatal care services in the Wa municipality of the Upper West Region. A total of 15 male partners were purposively selected from communities in the Wa Municipality. Thematic content analysis was employed fo...
population is expected to triple from the current estimate of 700milliont02 billion by the year 2050. In Ghana, the ageing populat ion as at 2010 was 6.T'1o ofthetotaJpopuJationand it is projected that by the year 2050, the aged population would have increased to 11 .9. Unfortunately, these people have limited knowledge of how to manage their health conditions and whereto seek appropriate help resulting in untim ely deaths. The National Health Insurance Scheme (N HIS), a fonn of health financ...
ABSTRACT Background: Solid waste generated from activities involving health protection, medical diagnosis and treatment, known as solid medical waste (SMW), is increasing in households due to home based care, treatment of chronic diseases, shortened lengths of hospital stay, and home management of illnesses such as malaria. The hazardous properties of SMW require specific management to minimize potential harm to human health and the environment, which is often undertaken in healthcare facilit...
ABSTRACT Mining in Ghana is an important economic activity that can be traced back to the colonial times. Although it has contributed substantially to the national income purse, its benefits to the local populace have been of contestation because of the negative impact on the livelihoods of people who live close to mining areas. In order to mitigate the negative impacts of mining, an administrative fiat in 1992 created the Mineral Development Fund (MDF) as a way of redistributing part of mine...
AOSTRACT Background: Significant increase in aged population in society has come with deteriorating health issues negating the effects of major inputs th eaged make to nation development Objectins: Thisstudyassessed factors influencing access to healtllcare among the aged in the Keta Municipality. Methods: A community-based cross-!>ectional study carried out among the aged. The Andersen's Healthcare Utilization Model was adapted for the study. A c luster and systematic random sampling approoc...
ABSTRACT Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practice is safe and simple intervention in improving child health and growth. The study was conducted to assess breastfeeding practices among women in the Nanumba North District in Northern region of Ghana. This study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study design using a paper based self design questionnaire to collect primary data from 200 respondents. Simple random sampling technique was employed as sample respondents. Findings from the research...
ABSTRACT The sanitation situation in the Bawku municipality is not different from that of other parts of Ghana. Most houses in the high density areas lack toilet facilities and drains. This study was conducted to evaluate sanitation management and its implications on health in the Bawku Municipality, Ghana. The study employed an analytical cross sectional study design using questionnaire to collect data. The study applied multi-stage sampling techniques to select participating households and ...