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, p...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Accidents, and casualties in general remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There seems to be changing trends in causes of death over the past Century with gradual increasing importance of injuries in particular. It has been suggested that injury is one of the leading causes of death in many developing countries, accounting for more deaths than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. While the World Health Organization (WHO), lists road injury as the ...
ABSTRACT Background: Homelessness is a problem that is encountered globally. Adolescents who are homeless are very vulnerable. They face various problems and adopt various strategies to cope with the many adversities they encounter. Therefore, there is the need to identify the coping strategies that homeless adolescents within the Central Business District of the Accra metropolitan area adopt, since poor coping strategies can be detrimental to their physical and psychological health. Objectiv...
ABSTRACT The initiation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and particularly MDG 4 and 5, was a wake-up call for all nations of the world, especially developing countries, to take proactive measures to improve the health status of women and children. While few developing countries have made significant strides in achieving MDG 5, most countries are however off- track and its clear they may not be able to meet the target by 2015. This realization led to the MDG Acceleration Framework ...
ABSTRACT The sawmill business is a thriving business in Ghana because of the availability of Timber and a high demand for the product in the export market. Exposure of sawmill workers to saw dust is a major occupational hazard facing the industry (Rastogi, 2009) as chronic respiratory symptoms are quite common. METHOD: This study looked at the respiratory health of sawmill workers. It was carried out at the Timber Market, Accra, with a sample size of 155 sawmill workers. Data was collect...
ABSTRACT Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infection which mainly affects the lungs. Due to the current Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic, TB has become a leading cause of mortality and morbidity, being the most common fatal opportunistic disease among PLHIV although curable. Five years after the revised policy on execution of joint TB/HIV activities was rolled out in Ghana with a yearly target of 100% HIV testing and Antiretrovira...
ABSTRACT Background: Air pollution has become one of the most serious environmental concerns in cities throughout the world – especially in developing countries. Increase in human and vehicular population has left many streets of developing countries with high levels of congestion and an indiscriminate release of vehicular exhaust emissions polluting ambient air flow and exposing populations to severe health outcomes. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the diurnal rhythms ...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Global population increased to 7.0 billion in 2011 and nearly all of that growth is in the developing countries. Sub-Saharan Africa of which Ghana is not an exception has the highest fertility rate in the world. The GDHS (2008) report indicates that contraceptive prevalence rate has decline in the past five years to 24% in 2008. The Gomoa West District Health Directorate 2010 annual report indicates that family planning acceptor rate has reduced from 40% in 2009 to 33...
ABSTRACT Background: Tuberculosis continues to be a major global health problem and a cause of mortality and morbidity across all age groups throughout the world, especially in developing countries. It is estimated that, a single individual living with pulmonary TB infection in the community can infect an average of 8-10 people in a year and, each household contact contnbuting to about 4.5% to 7.8% of active disease. Objective: To determine the prevalence of Tuberculosis investigation among...
ABSTRACT It is estimated that about 43% of urban dwellers in Ghana live in slums, with 1.3million slum dwellers living in Accra. Slum dwellers live in overcrowded and substandard housing, lacking safe water and sanitation systems and access to quality health care services. With increasing slum populations, equitable access to quality health care services remains a challenge. Social health protection systems such as the National Health Insurance Scheme are mechanisms that countries use to ad...
ABSTRACT Background: Early childhood development forms the cornerstone of human development. There are four fields of childhood development. The gross motor, vision and fine motor form the physical component of development. Parental knowledge of childhood development has been associated with more effective parenting strategies and better child outcomes. Maternal knowledge of gross motor development also affects the patience of the mother with normal development; helps them provide appropria...
ABSTRACT Introduction Eye injuries are one of the most common work-related injuries among certain occupations, including welders. The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with eye injuries among welders in Accra. Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional study which was conducted among welders in Accra. Proportionate and systematic sampling was used to select 382 eligible welders from two welding sites in Accra Metropolis. Data was collected using a pretested questio...
ABSTRACT Hypertension has become a common disease in the world. People all over the world today, irrespective of race, education, occupation or marital status stand a risk of developing pressure, which has significant health implications and may lead to death. Although there are several risk factors to developing hypertension, psychosocial risk factors are very prominent. The main objective of this study was to examine the Psycho-social risk factors. (depression, perceived discrimination and...
ABSTRACT Objective: An exploratory oral health study was undertaken in the Ho Municipality, Ghana in order to determine the prevalence of oral diseases among school children and provide baseline data on their oral health. The knowledge and practices among the school children with respect to oral cleaning practices and oral health seeking behaviour, and the eating habits associated with oral health problems were determined. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A stratified random sample...
ABSTRACT This is a study of the evaluation of the Expanded Programme on Immunization Coverage in the Jasikan District of the Volta Region of Ghana between October and December, 1995 with particular attention to childhood immunization coverage. This was a cross-sectional study using the WHO 30-7 cluster sampling method. The sample population were 219 children aged 12-23 months and their mothers. The primary objective of the study was to assess the childhood immunization coverage in the Jasika...