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This paper uses a linked employer-employee dataset from the Ghanaian manufacturing sector to analyze earnings dispersion in Ghana from 1992 to 2003, a period post extensive economic reforms. I find that variance of earnings increased from 1992 to 1998 and decreased thereafter, resembling an inverted u-shaped relationship. I use analysis of variance and variance decomposition approaches to understand the underlying factors that led to such a pattern in earnings inequality. I find that between-firm factors explain this pattern more than within-firm factors. I also find that the mean earnings gap between workers above and below the 90th percentile of income distribution can explain the majority of the initial surge in inequality (61 %) but only explains a very small fraction of the eventual decline (9 %). I run OLS regressions similar to Mincerian equations and decompose the variance components to find that the decline in earnings inequality is consistent with decline in variance of firm-level earnings whereas variance of predicted wage from worker characteristics have increased. I also find suggestive evidence of changing patterns of worker-firm sorting which contributes to the decline in inequality. These patterns however only hold up for private domestic firms and not for foreign-owned firms. JEL Codes: J31, O15 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose – Companies and government departments, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in developing countries, are trying to adopt information and communication technology (ICT) in their daily activities. Among these companies are small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which are also trying to get on board. However, these SMEs are faced with myriad challenges in the adoption of ICT. The purpose of this paper is to compare the challenges faced by SMEs in both Ghana and Botswana. Statistical inferences have been drawn that conclude that there are similarities in the challenges faced by these two countries, but also there are surprising differences between them. Design/methodology/approach – Targeted SMEs in both Botswana and Ghana were approached with a carefully designed questionnaire. Top ranking staff, such as Directors/Managers/CEOs, were asked to fill the questionnaires. Data collected were captured and analyzed using SPSS ANOVA and 2-t Pearson correlations. Findings – The results indicate that both Botswana and Ghana share a number of challenges, but also surprisingly there are a number of differences in the way SMEs perceive their problems in these two developing countries. For instance, both agree that frequent power disruption is a hindrance to SMEs in their adoption of ICT, but that SMEs do not consider lack of technical know-how to be a hindrance. Originality/value – The paper seeks to bring to light the comparative challenges facing two developing countries in Africa. Most papers are on individual countries, but this one seeks to compare Ghana and Botswana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for the poor, the marginalised and socially excluded to live healthier and longer lives has in recent times become paramount in the development literature and policy discussions seeking to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In response to this, attempts are being made to redirect the research focus to examine socio-economic factors underpinning disease occurrence and ill health for health planning policies and practices to benefit the poor and vulnerable in society. Tliis paper explores the relationship between socio-economic conditions and health outcomes. It identifies and examines through participatory rural assessment techniques, basic socio- economic factors acting as significant pathways through which poverty increases the susceptibility of rural households to diseases. It seeks to address the reasons why the poor are poorer in health in rural communities of the Amansie West district of Ghana. This paper thus emphasises how social stratification and inequalities could affect quality of life of people in any given society, hence supporting the theory of social suffering and its implications on societal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making regarding the outcome of a pregnancy may include participation of the woman herself, her sexual partner, parents, family, and/or community. This paper examines who had the most say in the outcome of young Ghanaian women's last pregnancy and whether this correlated with her level of reproductive autonomy (RA). We analysed cross-sectional data from 380 previously pregnant young women in urban Ghana. We measured communication and decision-making RA using modified scales ranging from 3 (low RA) to 12 (high RA). We tested unadjusted associations between the RA sub-scales and who made the pregnancy decision (self, partner, both together, or someone else) and used multinomial regression models to understand these associations when controlling for sociodemographic, reproductive history, and social context variables. In final models, a one-point increase in decision-making RA was associated with an adjusted relative risk ratio of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.66–0.93; p = 0.006) of partner having the most say as compared to the woman having the most say. The communication RA scale was not associated. Programmes that increase RA may be effective in increasing women's rights to execute decisions about reproductive health and outcomes. Future research should explore this notion and the role of pregnancy disclosure in this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study evaluated the level of interactions and efficacy of climate change adaptation efforts among farmers, agricultural extension agents (AEAs), and researchers in the northern region of Ghana. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design technique. Three hundred and twentyone smallholder farmers were used for the study. Factor analysis, analysis of variance, frequencies, means, and standard deviations were tools used for quantitative analysis. The results revealed about 68 % variations in the effect of climate change on rice production. The findings also showed that researchers (x̅ = 3.52a) interacted significantly more with AEAs (x̅ = 3.16b) than farmers (x̅ = 2.81c). Farmers stated that the technique and outcome demonstrations were effective in adopting adaption technology, with a mean score of 4.53. Farmers' limited engagement with Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) and researchers hinders the development, modification, and dissemination of adaptation technologies for rice production. The study's outcome is crucial for understanding the impact of climate change on rice production. Additionally, it reveals how various actors in rice production interact to address climate change through various adaptive measures. Also, the theoretical implication is embedded in higher levels of interaction by researchers and AEAs, compared to farmers, suggesting potential communication and technology transfer gaps that hinder the successful adoption of adaptation technologies among farmers. The originality of this study lies in the interaction among rice production actors in addressing the climate change effect, which is absent in current climate change literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been few assessments of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education programmes in sub-Saharan Africa from the students' and educators' perspective. This study examined students' opinions on an SRH programme in northern Ghana and explored the facilitators and barriers for educators regarding the implementation of the programme. The sample comprised 147 students and 3 educators. Questionnaires were used to collect data from students, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with educators. According to the students, the SRH programme was both important and interesting. Their expectations were moderately well met. They agreed that the main objectives of the programme and most of the objectives regarding the ‘family planning’ sessions had been achieved. Significant differences were found for school type, age and religion, but not for gender. For the educators, important facilitators were a clear manual, the presence of foreign volunteers working as educators, the increased influence of new media, students' eagerness to learn, and the feeling that the SRH programme really benefited students' lives. Important barriers were traditional and cultural influences, lack of funding and poor scheduling of the programme within the schools. The paper concludes by offering recommendations regarding the implementation of future SRH programmes in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

im: The present paper is an original research that explores housing satisfaction and residents' ability to cope with day-to-day demands, taking into account other dimensions of housing and sociodemographic factors. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional survey ( n = 562) was randomly administered to residents in three neighbourhoods (Labone, Asylum Down and Nima) in Accra, Ghana. The association between the outcome variables and housing attributes were analysed using logistic regression. Results: The findings indicate that housing satisfaction was significantly predicted by age, with older people more likely to be dissatisfied with their housing arrangement. Respondents were dissatisfied with housing arrangements if they lived in Nima [odds ratio (OR) = 2.75, p < .001], Asylum Down (OR = 1.72, p < .01), crowded households (OR = 1.158, p < .05) or in compound houses (OR = 2.50, p < .001). In the context of housing attribute variables, respondent's ability to cope with day-to-day demands was significantly associated to their income level. Odour annoyance as an indicator of housing condition emerged as a strong predictor of respondent's inability to cope with daily demands with OR ranging from 1.68 to 2.33. Those who were dissatisfied with the location of their home as a place to live also reported poor coping abilities (OR = 1.86, p < .01). Discussion and conclusions: From the findings, government policy on housing should encourage the construction of more affordable housing units to ease the crowding situation in Accra. There is also a need for the Accra City Council to provide clearer guidelines for both tenants and landlords in response to increasing tenancy disputes in context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low soil fertility is recognized as the major constraint to food production and food security in Ghana. An important practice that restores some level of fertility is long fallow, however this is no longer practiced due to increased pressure on land for other purposes. This has resulted in decline in crop yields in areas (forest-savannah transition zone or Sub-humid Ghana) which are known to be one of the major food baskets for the country. The soils are generally poor and require mineral fertilizer to increase crop productivity. In order to increase food production and crop productivity, the use of mineral fertilizer is required other than the expansion of arable land. The aim of this paper is to assess the influence of Phosphorus and Nitrogen fertilizers on the yield of two maize varieties and nutrient use efficiency in the forest-savannah transition zone of Ghana. Methods: Experimental data from two maize varieties ( Zea mays L.) grown under four concentrations of nitrogen (N) and three concentrations of phosphorus (P) in the 2008 major and minor seasons at two sites in Ejura, Ghana, were used to assess the influence of P and N on the yield, nutrient uptake and use efficiency in the forest-savannah transition zone of Ghana. Results: Analysis of variance showed a statistically significant effect of N and P on grain yield, total biomass, grain N uptake and apparent N recovery. Increasing N concentration significantly increased grain yield, grain N uptake and total dry matter production irrespective of application of P fertilizer. The application of P fertilizer increased N use efficiency with grain yield ranging from 918 (control) to 4953 kg ha (N4P2) and 824 (control) to 4267 kg ha (N4P2) for Obatanpa and Dorke maize, respectively. The two cultivars were significantly different from each other with higher grain yield produced by Obatanpa than Dorke. The application of inorganic P fertilizer increased the efficient utilization of inorganic N fertilizer by the plants in grain yield and total biomass production. Hence, P nutrition of soils is critical for the efficient use of inorganic N fertilizer in the area. Conclusions: Inorganic fertilizer use in the study area was agronomically efficient, though generally more efficient at the Ejura farm site (Experiment 1 and 3) than the Agricultural College site (Experiment 2 and 4). Owing to the spatial variability in soil nutrients in the study area, site-specific fertilizer testing is needed to increase nutrient use efficiency and crop productivity. To improve the rate of fertilizer adoption and use by farmers, the government should subsidize the cost of fertilizer to make it affordable for farmers to purchase to increase crop productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pharmacovigilance may be defined as the continuous monitoring of the reaction between a drug agent or combination of drugs a patient took and steps taken to prevent any associated risk. Clinical trials conducted before drug approval cannot uncover every aspect of the health hazards of approved drugs. People with carefully selected characteristics are monitored for the safety and efficacy of the drug; hence, common adverse drug reactions (ADRs) following proper use of the medication can be detected. This calls for continuous monitoring of drugs to report any undocumented ADRs during the clinical trial. The study aimed to assess the knowledge, practice, and barriers to pharmacovigilance among nurses at a teaching hospital. Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study, and a stratified sampling technique was used to select 125 nurses within the three units: medical, surgical, and pediatric wards. A structured questionnaire was developed and used for data collection based on the study's objectives and reviewed literature. Results: The majority (67.2%) of the respondents were females, and 32.8% were males. Most (71.2%) of the nurses had low knowledge of ADR reporting procedures. Also, 84.8% of the nurses knew the purpose of reporting ADRs. The purpose of ADR reporting, as perceived by respondents, was to identify safe drugs (80.8%) and calculate the incidence of ADR (75.2%). Additionally, among the nurses who reported having nursed a patient with ADRs, 52.54% stated they reported the case, while 47.46% did not report it. The most cited reason for not reporting ADRs was that nurses considered the reaction normal and commonly associated with that medicine (35.7%). In comparison, 28.5% of the nurses said they did not know they were supposed to report the adverse drug reaction. There was no statistically significant difference between ranks of nurses, ward, attending in-service training, and pharmacovigilance practice. Conclusion: In conclusion, nurses in this study had inadequate knowledge of pharmacovigilance and its reporting procedure. The study found that most nurses fear that reporting ADRs may be wrong because most of the nurses in the study did not have any form of pharmacovigilance training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The first world conference on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in 1994 helped create the awareness that reproductive health is a human right. Over the years, attempts have been made to extend services to all persons; however, lapses persist in service provision for all in need. Recently, countries have been encouraged to target minority groups in their reproductive health service provision. However, studies have rarely attempted to develop deeper insights into the experiences of deaf men and women regarding their knowledge of SRH. The purpose of this study was to develop an in-depth understanding of the knowledge of deaf persons regarding services such as knowledge of contraceptive methods, pregnancy and safe abortion practices.Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach was adopted for this study. In the first quantitative phase, 288 deaf persons recruited from three out of the 16 regions in Ghana participated in this study. They completed a 31-item questionnaire on the main issues (knowledge of contraceptive methods, pregnancy and safe abortion practices) addressed in this study. In the second phase, a semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data from 60 participants who took part in the first phase. The key trend emerging in the first phase underpinned the interview guide used for the data collection. While the quantitative data were subjected to the computation of means, t-tests, analyses of variance, correlations and linear regressions to understand the predictors, the in-depth interviews were analysed using the thematic method of analysis.Results: The results showed a convergence between the quantitative and qualitative data. For instance, the interview material supported the initial findings that deaf women had little knowledge of contraceptive methods. The participants offered reasons explaining their inability to access services and the role of religion in their understanding of SRH.Conclusion: The study concludes by calling on policymakers to consider the needs of deaf persons in future SRH policies. The study limitations and other implications for future policymaking are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether the frequency of participation in religious activities and seeking care from spiritual and other traditional medicine (TM) practitioners were associated with blood glucose (HbA1c) control among urban Ghanaians with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Findings revealed that increased frequency of participation in religious activities was significantly associated with decreased HbA1c levels, whereas increased use of TM practitioners was significantly associated with increased HbA1c levels. These findings suggest that strategically integrating religious activities into disease management plans for Ghanaians with T2DM who identify as being religious may be a viable intervention mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of agricultural credit rationing by formal lenders in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Heckman's two-stage regression model to identify types of rationing faced by farmers and investigate factors that influence agricultural credit rationing by formal financial institutions. Data used in this study are gathered through a survey of 595 farmers in seven districts within Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. Findings – The result reveals that farmers face three types of rationing. Evidence from the Heckman two-stage models shows that engagement in off farm income generating activities, increase in farm size, positive balances on accounts and commercial orientation of the farmers has the potential to reduce rationing of credit applicants by formal lenders. Practical implications – The results provide information on the factors that need to be considered as important in an attempt to reduce agricultural credit rationing by formal lenders. Originality/value – The value of this study is that farmers would use the results of this study to improve access to required amount of agricultural credit from formal financial institutions. The information would also benefit stakeholders in the agricultural sector, particularly youth in agriculture program organized by Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana as how to improve access to credit and reduce rationing of program participants by formal financial institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advocacy for inclusive education has been connected with the United Nations' global poverty alleviation guidelines, the Sustainable Development Goals, which appeal to countries to extend universal access to education, from primary to secondary schooling. In the Ghanaian context, the implementation of inclusive education in secondary schools has been under-explored. In this study, we adopted Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour as a framework to explore demographic variables which could impact on teachers' intentions to practise inclusive education in secondary schools. We recruited 457 teachers from five districts in one region in Ghana. T-test and analysis of variance were used to ascertain the association between demographic variables and intentions. We found no significant differences between participants based on school resourcing or location. However, participants in private schools had attitudes that were more positive, they felt they received more support, had higher self-efficacy, and were more willing to include children with disabilities in their classrooms than teachers in public schools. Also, we found a difference between participants on units of study taken in inclusive education during pre-service training and their level of confidence to practise inclusive education. The need for teacher educators to embed more inclusive teaching practices in all courses at teacher training institutions is discussed, as well as other study implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents data from three production experiments investigating the prosodic means of encoding information structure in Akan, a tone language that belongs to the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family, spoken in Ghana. Information structure was elicited via context questions that put target words either in wide, informational, or corrective focus, or in one of the experiments also in pre-focal or post-focal position rendering it as given. The prosodic parameters F0 and duration were measured on the target words. Duration is not consistently affected by information structure, but contrary to the prediction that High (H) and Low (L) tones are raised in ex situ (fronted) focus constructions we found a significantly lower realization of both H and L tones under corrective focus in ex situ and in situ focus constructions. Givenness does not seem to be marked prosodically. The data suggest that pragmatic prominence is expressed prosodically by means of a deviation from an unmarked prosodic structure. Results are thus contradicting the view of the effort code that predicts a positive correlation of more effort resulting in higher F0 targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interplay of factors that affect post-partum loss or retention of weight gained during pregnancy is not fully understood. The objective of this paper is to describe patterns of weight change in the six sites of the World Health Organization (WHO) Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS) and explore variables that explain variation in weight change within and between sites. Mothers of 1743 breastfed children enrolled in the MGRS had weights measured at days 7, 14, 28 and 42 post-partum, monthly from 2 to 12 months and bimonthly thereafter until 24 months post-partum. Height, maternal age, parity and employment status were recorded and breastfeeding was monitored throughout the follow-up. Weight change patterns varied significantly among sites. Ghanaian and Omani mothers lost little or gained weight post-partum. In Brazil, India, Norway and USA, mothers on average lost weight during the first year followed by stabilization in the second year. Lactation intensity and duration explained little of the variation in weight change patterns. In most sites, obese mothers tended to lose less weight than normal-weight mothers. In Brazil and Oman, primiparous mothers lost about 1 kg more than multiparous mothers in the first 6 months. In India and Ghana, multiparous mothers lost about 0.6 kg more than primiparas in the second 6 months. Culturally defined mother-care practices probably play a role in weight change patterns among lactating women. This hypothesis should stimulate investigation into gestational weight gain and post-partum losses in different ethnocultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although the literature on housing and health is extensive, most research comes from developed countries. Relatively little work on the topic has been done in developing countries such as Ghana where socio-economic and cultural characteristics are generally different. This paper reports on primary research that investigates the relationship between housing and self reported general and mental health in Accra, Ghana. The study focused on how the social and economic dimensions of housing, specifically, demand, control and material attributes (affordability, dwelling type) influence individuals’ attachment to their home as a refuge for daily living. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a randomly selected sample (n = 562) in three contrasting neighbourhoods. Overall, housing conditions, demand and control residents have to where they live, emerged as significant predictors of self reported general and mental health status. The influence of these variables superseded well known correlates of health status, income and educational attainment, attesting to their importance in a worsening housing environment. The findings point to the need for policy that recognizes that housing is not only a physical shelter but also an important health resource. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Social media have become part of students' life as a result of their features and the predominant mobile smart medium of usage. In the advanced world, the social platforms have provided affordances for integration in education providing smart learning environments. However, within the Sub-Saharan African region, especially in Ghana, this phenomenon is emerging and warrants an investigation into the initial perceptions of students on integrating mobile phones and social media in the Ghanaian educational system. It is against this background that this study seeks to investigate senior high school students' perception of the use of social media for pedagogical purposes. Bandura's social learning theory and Vygotsky's social constructivism theory formed the theoretical foundation of the study. The descriptive survey design was adopted for this study with data collected through a questionnaire. In all, 200 students were selected from a senior high school using purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Statistical tools such as means, standard deviation, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression were employed for analysis. The study found that most of the students had positive perceptions towards the integration of social media and its effects on teaching and learning. There were no statistical differences in perception based on the mean scores of ages of students, year of study and programme of study in terms of social media integration in education and effects on teaching and learning. Furthermore, the perception on social media integration in education predicted the effects on integrating social media in teaching and learning. Consequently, both the perceptions of social media integration in education and its effects on teaching and learning predicted actual usage for learning. Based on the results recommendations were provided on policy and practice of social media use for academic purposes in secondary schools in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of land grabbing on the livelihood of smallholder farming households in Ghana using the Livelihood Effect Index. A structured questionnaire was administered to 560 randomly selected farming households across six regions of Ghana. Analysis of variance was conducted to determine the significance difference in the effects among farming households in the regions and among the livelihood indicators. The empirical results revealed that land grabbing has a significant negative effect on the livelihood of smallholder farming households. Results of the LEI indicate that financial capacity and natural resource of smallholder farming households are the most affected livelihood indicators for the smallholder farming households due to land grabbing activities. Also, the Brong Ahafo region had the highest LEI (0.61), indicating that it is the most affected region by land grabbing. Intervention programmes in the affected regions should be tailored towards strengthening the financial capacity of farming households to minimize the effect of land grabbing on the livelihoods of the smallholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fertility in Ghana has declined steadily since 1980, however, a slight increase was observed between 2008 and 2014. While several factors may account for this pattern, research on the contribution of type of union is limited. This study examined differentials in the fertility of women in different types of union. Secondary data from 6,285 (weighted) ever-married women aged 15–49 years were analysed using compare means, t-test, analysis of variance, Poisson and binary logistic regression analyses. The findings indicate that, independent of other factors, fertility among remarried women is higher compared to first-time married women but this does not hold true when other factors are controlled for. Additionally, there was no significant difference in the fertility of remarried women who were in union and women who were in union in a first-time marriage. However, compared to remarried women who were currently in a union, fertility was significantly lower among remarried women who were not currently in union (β = -0.121, p<0.01) and women who have been married only once but were not currently in union (β = -0.212, p<0.001). Further analysis revealed that remarried women were significantly more likely to desire more children and less likely to use any method of contraception compared to first-time married women. There is the need for further research to better understand the fertility needs of remarried women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Overall, youth well-being is crucial, particularly in developmental contexts, such as sub-Saharan Africa, which is experiencing the largest growth in the youth population internationally. The Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework considers the importance of positive experiences, positive relationships and positive environments regarding developmental (further distinguished as internal and external) assets. These assets are important for promoting positive outcomes among youth.Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the importance of developmental assets for academic performance in three sub-Saharan African contexts, represented by Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.Method: In a cross-sectional study, youth from these three countries completed a questionnaire on sociodemographic measures, such as age, gender, parental education (as a proxy for socioeconomic status), measures of developmental assets and academic performance. We used Analysis of Variance to examine mean differences in developmental assets across countries and academic performance.Results: Results indicated that Ghanaian students reported fewer assets than Kenyan and South African students and that across all countries, adolescents who perform academically better reported more developmental assets, in particular, internal assets.Conclusion: This is one of the few studies, which consider developmental assets within the PYD framework beyond the Western context. While we found that mainly internal assets were associated with academic performance, it is important to reiterate that both internal and external assets are theoretically associated with positive outcomes, such as academic performance. Future research may benefit from testing interventions to improve academic performance in the sub-Saharan African contexts by fostering both types of assets. Research is needed to extend the framework to consider more culturally appropriate and contextually relevant assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the return predictability of two indices - the GSEALSH index and the GSEFSII index on the Ghana stock market. We compare results from analyzing the return series between January 4, 2011 and August 28, 2015 using the generalized spectral test, the automatic portmanteau Box-Pierce test and the wild-bootstrapped automatic variance ratio test. A rolling window approach is used to track whether returns are predictable or not through time. It was observed that the GSEALSH index was more highly predictable than the GSEFSII index in all the three tests. The results obtained are consistent with the Adaptive Market Hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Edentulism affects the quality of life and general health of an individual. But in ageing individuals, it has been observed to have greater impact, manifesting in functional, psychological and social limitations. With an increasing older adult population in Ghana, its burden is likely to increase. This study was thus carried out to explore the association between edentulism and quality of life among older Ghanaian adults. Methods: Secondary analysis of WHO's Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Wave 1 in Ghana was conducted using self-reported edentulism as the dependent variable. Participants included a nationally representative sample of adult's aged 50 years and older living in Ghana. Quality of life was measured using the 8 item WHOQOL measure and a single item measure which was a question "How would you rate your overall quality of life?". To assess the association between edentulism and the independent variables, a bivariate analysis was carried out. A Poisson regression model was then performed, adjusting for age, sex, income, education and the diagnosis of a chronic disease condition. A Spearman's correlation analysis was also carried out between the single and multi item measure of quality of life to assess how well they correlate. Results: Edentulism was observed to be associated with significantly lower levels of SWB among older adults using both the single-item and multiple-item measure (WHOQOL). It, however, showed no association with happiness. Among edentulous respondents, females and those with no formal education reported significantly lower quality of life. The WHOQOL correlated positively and strongly with the single-item measure. Conclusion: Edentulism may not be life threatening and yet it has been shown to have a negative effect on the quality of life of older adult Ghanaians. More emphasis may thus need to be placed on the oral health of the aging population in Ghana to avoid it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores relationship between technological orientations and demographics of bottom of the pyramid (BOP) entrepreneurs in Ghana. The study reviewed literature on the BOP concept. Based on the reviewed literature, hypotheses were developed for testing. Data was collected from 287 micro-entrepreneurs using a structured questionnaire. The data collected was analyzed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis. The study found some relationships between technology acceptance, connectivity to networks and entrepreneurial demographics. This provides the information necessary for information communications technology (ICT) and technology companies seeking to expand to these new markets as top of the pyramid markets saturate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In order to measure and analyse the technical efficiency of district hospitals in Ghana, the specific objectives of this study were to (a) estimate the relative technical and scale efficiency of government, mission, private and quasi-government district hospitals in Ghana in 2005; (b) estimate the magnitudes of output increases and/or input reductions that would have been required to make relatively inefficient hospitals more efficient; and (c) use Tobit regression analysis to estimate the impact of ownership on hospital efficiency. Methods In the first stage, we used data envelopment analysis (DEA) to estimate the efficiency of 128 hospitals comprising of 73 government hospitals, 42 mission hospitals, 7 quasi-government hospitals and 6 private hospitals. In the second stage, the estimated DEA efficiency scores are regressed against hospital ownership variable using a Tobit model. This was a retrospective study. Results In our DEA analysis, using the variable returns to scale model, out of 128 district hospitals, 31(24.0%) were 100% efficient, 25(19.5%) were very close to being efficient with efficiency scores ranging from 70% to 99.9% and 71 (56.2%) had efficiency scores below 50% . The lowest-performing hospitals had efficiency scores ranging from 21% to 30%. Quasi-government hospitals had the highest mean efficiency score (83.9%) followed by public hospitals (70.4%), mission hospitals (68.6%) and private hospitals (55.8%). However, public hospitals also got the lowest mean technical efficiency scores (27.4%), implying they have some of the most inefficient hospitals. Regarding regional performance, Northern region hospitals had the highest mean efficiency score (83.0%) and Volta Region hospitals had the lowest mean score (43.0%). From our Tobit regression, we found out that while quasi-government ownership is positively associated with hospital technical efficiency, private ownership negatively affects hospital efficiency. Conclusions It would be prudent for policy-makers to examine the least efficient hospitals to correct widespread inefficiency. This would include reconsidering the number of hospitals and their distribution, improving efficiency and reducing duplication by closing or scaling down hospitals with efficiency scores below a certain threshold. For private hospitals with inefficiency related to large size, there is a need to break down such hospitals into manageable sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear growth from birth to 2 years of children enrolled in the World Health Organization Multicentre Growth Reference Study was similar despite substantial parental height differences among the six study sites. Within-site variability in child length attributable to parental height was estimated by repeated measures analysis of variance using generalized linear models. This approach was also used to examine relationships among selected traits (e.g. breastfeeding duration and child morbidity) and linear growth between 6 and 24 months of age. Differences in intergenerational adult heights were evaluated within sites by comparing mid-parental heights (average of the mother's and father's heights) to the children's predicted adult height. Mid-parental height consistently accounted for greater proportions of observed variability in attained child length than did either paternal or maternal height alone. The proportion of variability explained by mid-parental height ranged from 11% in Ghana to 21% in India. The average proportion of between-child variability accounted for by mid-parental height was 16% and the analogous within-child estimate was 6%. In the Norwegian and US samples, no significant differences were observed between mid-parental and children's predicted adult heights. For the other sites, predicted adult heights exceeded mid-parental heights by 6.2-7.8 cm. To the extent that adult height is predicted by height at age 2 years, these results support the expectation that significant community-wide advances in stature are attainable within one generation when care and nutrition approximate international recommendations, notwithstanding adverse conditions likely experienced by the previous generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between tourist socio-demographics and homestay use has received scant attention from researchers. Insights gained from this study will guide market segmentation and targeting by tourism planners. The main objective of this research was to examine the influence of socio-demographics on tourists’ motivations for choosing homestay in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. Data were collected from 151 international tourists in the Kumasi Metropolis who lived in homestay facilities. Results of t-test and one-way analysis of variance suggest that socio-demographics are influential factors on international tourists’ motivations for choosing homestay. It is concluded that socio-demographics influence tourist motivations for choosing homestay. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: HIV Counselling and Testing (VCT) and knowledge about HIV are some key strategies in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in Ghana. However, HIV knowledge and utilization of VCT services among university students is low. The main objective was to determine the level of HIV/AIDS knowledge and to explore factors associated with the use HIV counselling and testing among private university students in Accra, Ghana. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using structured questionnaires among 324 conveniently selected students enrolled at a privately owned tertiary institution in Accra, Ghana. Results: The respondents consisted of 56.2% males and 43.8% females aged 17 - 37 years. The mean HIV/AIDS knowledge score of was 7.70. There was a significant difference in knowledge of HIV/AIDS by gender where female students had more knowledge about HIV/AIDS than males [t (322) = 2.40, p = 0.017]. The ANOVA results showed that there was a significant difference in HIV/AIDS knowledge according to the age groups [F (3, 321) = 6.26, p = 0. 0001] and marital status [F (3, 321) = 4.86, p = 0. 008] of the sample. Over half of the participants had not tested for HIV, although over 95% of them knew where to access counseling and testing services. The study also revealed a significant association between demographic variables, testing for HIV and intention to test in the future. Participants who were never married (single), aged 17 - 20 years and had knowledge of two routes of HIV transmission were more likely to have taken an HIV test. Males were more likely to take an HIV test in the future than females. Majority of the students receive HIV/AIDS information from both print and electronic media, but few of them received such information from parents. Conclusion: The students HIV knowledge was very good, yet HIV testing were low. Health education and HIV intervention programmes must not only provide accurate information, but must be made to help to equip private university students, especially females to test for HIV consistently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developmental activities of 328 elite soccer players aged under-16 years from Brazil, England, France, Ghana, Mexico, Portugal and Sweden were examined using retrospective recall in a cross-sectional research design. The activities were compared to the early diversification, early specialisation, and early engagement pathways. Players started their involvement in soccer at approximately 5 years of age. During childhood, they engaged in soccer practice for a mean value of 185.7, s = 124.0 h · year−1, in soccer play for 186.0, s = 125.3 h · year−1, and in soccer competition for 37.1, s = 28.9 h · year−1. A mean value of 2.3, s = 1.6 sports additional to soccer were engaged in by 229 players during childhood. Players started their participation in an elite training academy at 11 to 12 years of age. During adolescence, they engaged in soccer practice for a mean value of 411.9, s = 184.3 h · year−1, in soccer play for 159.7, s = 195.0 h · year−1, and in soccer competition for 66.9, s = 48.8 h · year−1. A mean value of 2.5, s = 1.8 sports other than soccer were engaged in by 132 players during this period. There were some relatively minor differences between countries, but generally the developmental activities of the players followed a mixture of the early engagement and specialisation pathways, rather than early diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This research examined national, regional, developmental, and gender differences in children's reported management of anger and sadness. Participants (8-15 years) were 103 Ghanaian children from a village setting, 142 Ghanaian children from a middle-class urban context, 106 Kenyan children from an impoverished urban context, and 170 children from the United States in lower to middle-class urban areas (58.8% Caucasian). Children completed the Children's Anger and Sadness Management Scales (Zeman, Shipman, & Penza-Clyve, 2001) to assess emotion management (i.e., effortful control, over control, under control). Comparisons across nations indicated that Ghanaian youth reported more overt anger expression than youth from Kenya and the United States and less anger inhibition than Kenyan youth. U.S. children reported less overt expression and more constraint over sadness than Kenyan and Ghanaian children, although Kenyans reported being calmer when experiencing sadness than Ghanaian and American youth. Comparing Ghanaian regional contexts, village children reported more anger control than urban children. Regardless of nationality, boys reported more control over sadness than girls who reported more under control of sadness and more over control of anger than boys. Future research is needed to build on these descriptive, preliminary findings examining under-studied cross-national contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this case study the authors examined the functioning of the community-based rehabilitation (CBR) program for people with disabilities in 3 pilot districts after the conclusion of donor support in Ghana. Questionnaire and interview data from 42 people with disabilities, 8 local supervisors, and 3 social workers about program structures, support for people with disabilities, and challenges were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative procedures, involving the use of Leximancer software. The authors found that some CBR structures remained in the communities. Diminished support for disabled peoples’ organizations from communities and local government agencies were key challenges. The problem of volunteer local supervisors wanting to be paid ignited the evidence versus ideology debate around sustainability of CBR programs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) has been recognized as the crux of HIV surveillance, prevention and treatment programs. Since 2000, Ghana government has launched a number of HIV prevention and treatment programs intended to increase VCT services. Despite these efforts, uptake of testing is still low, though many women reported interest in getting tested. The disconnect between intention and action is attributable to several factors, including HIV-related stigma. The study used data from the 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey and fitted complementary log-log models to regress women's desire for and uptake of an HIV test on levels of personal and community stigma. Consistent with findings from previous research, the study revealed significant associations between a number of socio-demographic and socio-cognitive variables and the desire for and uptake of an HIV test by Ghanaian women. Most significantly, the study showed that widespread stigma in the community exert greater negative effects on individuals who endorse stigmatizing beliefs and predispositions, compared to their peers with more favorable attitudes. Since community level educational and risk reduction programs have demonstrable influences on reducing HIV stigma, it is imperative that the Ghana government's ongoing anti-stigma campaigns and other HIV prevention programs take cognizance of the role of community stigma in influencing HIV testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The validity of unblinded randomised trials testing interventions against diarrhoea is severely compromised by the potential for bias. Objective proxy markers for diarrhoea not relying on self-report are needed to assess the effect of interventions that cannot be blinded. Short-term changes in weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) may (due to catch-up growth) not be a clinically important marker for nutritional status. However, even a transient decrease in WAZ could indicate recent diarrhoea, and be interpreted as the effect of an intervention. Methods Using data from two large vitamin A trials from Ghana and Brazil, the immediate effect of the cumulative diarrhoea occurrence over 14 and 28 day time windows on WAZ was explored. Results A very strong linear association was found between the number of days with diarrhoea over the last 14-28 days and WAZ. In both trials, differences in diarrhoea between the trial arms were associated with corresponding differences in WAZ. Conclusion Repeated WAZ measures appear to be a suitable proxy marker for diarrhoea in children, but have disadvantages in terms of specificity and study power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices can help ensure nutrient adequacy and support healthy growth and development. Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) have been proposed to help fill nutrient gaps, but little is known about the impact of provision of SQ-LNS on breastfeeding or complementary feeding practices. In the context of four coordinated randomized controlled nutrient supplementation trials in diverse sites in Africa, we compared IYCF practices at infant age 18 months (after 9-12 months of supplementation) between those receiving and not receiving SQ-LNS. Practices were assessed by caregiver recall. Continued breastfeeding ranged from 74% (Ghana site) to 97% (Burkina Faso site) and did not differ between groups in any site; prevalence of frequent breastfeeding also did not differ. In two sites (Burkina Faso and Malawi), infants receiving SQ-LNS were more likely to meet the World Health Organization recommendations for frequency of feeding (percentage point differences of 12-14%, P < 0.0001 and P = 0.005, respectively; the remaining two sites did not have data for this indicator). Most indicators of infant dietary diversity did not differ between groups in any site, but in the same two sites where frequency of feeding differed, infants receiving SQ-LNS were less likely to have low frequency of consumption of animal-source foods in the previous week (percentage point differences of 9-19% for lowest tertile, P = .02 and P = 0.04, respectively). We conclude that provision of SQ-LNS did not negatively impact self-reported IYCF practices and may have positively impacted frequency of feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]