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Introduction:Road traffic injury is of great public health concern, as it stands as the eighth leading cause of death globally with the most affected being the youth aged 15-29 years. It is projected that by 2030, road traffic deaths will become the fifth leading cause of death globally unless urgent action is taken to avert it. Lack of employment has forced many youths in Sub-Saharan Africa into the commercial use of motorcycles known commonly as “Okada”business. Unfortunately, most of these riders do not undertake any formal and structured training or are licensed to be riders. Motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable road users in Ghana; they contribute to about 34% of all road traffic injuries. There is a progressive increase in motorcycle-related accidents as a result of the rise in the use of these bikes for commercial transport despite it being illegal. Statistics from the National Road Safety Commission of Ghana indicate that in 2020 road traffic crashes involving motorcycles killed 1,056 and injured 4,684 commuters. The primary aim of this study is to identify the prevalence and the associated risk factors for motorcycle accident cases and to assess the knowledge of motorcyclists’ on-road regulations on admission at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, a national referral point for all emergency cases in Ghana. Methods:The study employed a cross-sectional design that used a structured questionnaire to collect data from 200 respondents using a systematic sampling technique for enrolment. Pearson's Chi-square test statistics were used to estimate the association between helmet usage and respondents’ knowledge level of road regulations on selected socio-demographic characteristics. Results: The results revealed that demographic characteristics such as age (p Conclusion: Motorcycle-related accidents could be reduced through law enforcement agencies, continuous mass education using all media available and helmet use. Also, there should be a collaboration between all road sectors and road users to find a solution to the current motor accident trend.

Context: Hypertension is known to affect more than one billion of the world's population with complications such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Compliance with hypertension therapy is the extent to which one's behavior in following a diet plan, taking medications, or making lifestyle changes corresponds to the agreed recommendations from a health-care provider. This research explores factors influencing noncompliance to hypertension treatment in the North Dayi District of the Volta Region, Ghana. Aims: To determine the prevalence of noncompliance to hypertension therapy in patients diagnosed with hypertension in the study population. 1. To evaluate the knowledge of patients on hypertension. 2. To ascertain contributing factors influencing noncompliance to the treatment of hypertension. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2021 to February 2021 in the North Dayi District. A sample of 191 respondents diagnosed with hypertension for at least 1 month with or without comorbidities and on treatment were selected using the systematic sampling method. An Adherence Barrier Questionnaire was adopted to assess reliability in the responses. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were done using noncompliance to hypertension therapy as the outcome of interest. Statistical Analysis Used: Fisher's Exact, logistic regression, Cronbach's alpha analysis. Results: Data were collected from 191 study participants between the ages of 25 and 101 years with an average age estimated at (62.2 ± 13.5) years. The prevalence of nonadherence to hypertension treatment in this study was 31.4% in the North Dayi District Hospital. The reported Marital status and Default review were statistically significant predictors of adherence to hypertension treatment at a chosen 95% Confidence Level. Conclusion: The degree of non-compliance to hypertension treatment was less than fifty per cent among respondents. The data suggests that strategies should be developed to help reduce waiting times for consultation at the Hypertension Clinic by the District Hospital in collaboration with other stakeholders.

Background: The incidence of schistosomiasis in Ghana and more specifically in the Asuogyaman District had become a noticeable record following the creation of the Akosombo Dam in the early 1960s. This has inevitably since placed an enormous burden on the health service delivery systems in the geographical area. Mass Drug Administration (MDA) of Praziquantel has been used worldwide as a preventive and treatment intervention measure for the disease, and the study area is no exception. The study, therefore, aimed to assess the impact of MDA on the prevalence and associated risk factors of schistosomiasis in eight (8) selected riverine communities within the district. Methods: A descriptive retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted involving 896 respondents with ages ranging from 2 to 82 years and a mean age of 17±13.78 years. Data were obtained from the Volta River Authority (VRA) Public Health and Environmental Department. Pearson’s chi-square tests and logistic regression models were used to assess the association and predict the relationship between variables. Findings: Out of the 896 respondents, 93 (10.4 %) tested positive for Schistosoma haematobium. Proportionally, the Nyameben community had a high prevalence of 25.8% while Mami-Waterkope, and Mangoase both had a low prevalence of 3.2 %. The average uptake of Praziquantel was 41% across the study area. From the bivariate analysis, the respondents’ community of residence was noted as the only statistically significant variable contributing to infection. Respondents aged 13-39 were 1.68 times more likely to be infected compared to their younger counterparts after controlling for all other covariates in the predictive model. Conclusion: Mass Drug Administration had a tremendous effect on reducing the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis to the present level of 10.4%. However, some “hotspots” like the Nyameben community will require special attention to reduce the high prevalence disease rate. Communities with low uptake of Praziquantel had a relatively high prevalence of schistosomiasis.

Introduction: Alcohol consumption is a key obstacle to sustainable human development. It is noted worldwide that alcohol consumption and use contribute to 3.3 million deaths every year. The United Nations classified individuals between the ages of 15 to 25 years as youths. The use of alcohol at this critical stage of life can lead to serious health outcomes, such as causing harm to vital body organs like the liver. Negative social and behavioral consequences such as unsafe sexual behavior are also consequences associated with alcohol use, and this has become a major public health issue globally. Various advertisements both in print and electronic media are contributing factors that encourage alcohol use among the youth. This study, therefore, aimed at determining the prevalence of alcohol use and also to identify the influence of exposure to advertisements of alcoholic beverages on consumption, perceptions, and knowledge on its health implications. Methodology: A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study design was used in this study. A total of 297 youths were sampled in four (4) suburbs within the Ashaiman Municipality in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana to participate in the study using a well-structured questionnaire.

Myopia (short-sightedness) is recognized as significant global health and socioeconomic problem that will affect billions of people in the subsequent decades. The increasing prevalence of myopia has huge social and educational consequences on society. Myopia exists expansively among students and affects not only their physical health and academic work, but also predisposes them to other ocular complications such as myopic retinopathy, glaucoma, and blindness. The main objective of this study was to determine risk factors associated with myopia among selected Garrison Junior High School students in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

Background: Usage of family planning services in developing countries has been found to avert unintended pregnancies, and drastically reduce maternal and child mortality. Men as the main decision-makers in most of African families have an important role to play towards acceptance of family planning methods; however, its usage still remains low. The primary ob-jective of this study was to investigate the factors that influence male in-volvement in family planning. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted within the Tema Metropolis in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The chosen research approach provided an oppor-tunity to interact with adult male respondents to access their perceived factors that contribute to their level of involvement in family planning programs. A stratified sampling technique was used to recruit 227 partici-pants aged (19 - 58) years using a well-structured questionnaire. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were respectively conducted to estimate frequencies, measure the level of associations and predict outcomes on selected variables outputs. Results: The study revealed that a little over two-thirds (68.72%) of the respondents disagreed that total family planning is an issue for only women. The majority (83.26%) of the respondents, said their communities accept the act of men accompanying their wives or partners for family planning services, though 36.12% of them reported that their family and friends see it strange for men to attend family planning with their wives/partners. Among the 34.4% of respondents who reported ever attending any such family planning clinic, 56.41% have attended just once. Marital status, employment status and knowledge about family planning of respondents were positively associated with male involvement in family planning (p-value

Introduction: In spite of the national target of achieving at least an 80% skilled delivery, skilled health providers attended to just 56.2% of deliveries in 2016 according to the Ghana Health Service annual report. The highest proportion of ANC registrants in the Akuapem South District in the Eastern Region of Ghana who sought skilled attendance at birth for the past 3 years has been about 36% as recorded in 2017. The fundamental factors responsible for this low skilled delivery in the district are poorly understood. The aim of this study, however, was to explore the factors that contribute to the uptake of skilled delivery in the Akuapem South District. Methodology: This cross-sectional study involved 371 women in the reproductive ages (15 - 49 years) who had delivered within the last 12 months preceding January 2019, and have been residents in the research communities during the period of pregnancy. A convenient sampling technique was used to select all 371 respondents from 15 communities. Structured questionnaires were used for the interviews by trained staff. Results: The prevalence of skilled delivery among respondents in this district as revealed by this study was 65.77% despite the 97.04% reported ANC attendance for at least once. Significant influencers of the uptake of skilled delivery were; maternal age, mother and partner’s educational level, partner’s occupation, the attitude of health staff/midwives, distance to the nearest health facility, transportation fare, and availability of medical equipment in the nearest health facility. Conclusion: Even though the overall ANC attendance was high, including women who made more than three visits, uptake of supervised delivery is a major challenge. There is, therefore, the need for the Akuapem South District Health Directorate to fully strengthen the adopted WHO’s goal that focuses on ANC at the individual facility levels.

Breast cancer is a global health concern in terms of morbidity and mortality. Risksharing mechanisms such as health insurance provide resources and promote access to healthcare. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between health insurance coverage and clinical outcome of breast cancer patients. The study employed retrospective design involving the use of secondary data from the patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Between the period of 2015 to 2019, 250 patients’ records were reviewed from a sample size of 300 patients over 5 year patients’ follow-up period. A descriptive and Kaplan Meier survival analysis was performed to determine the patients’ survival rate. Seventy-two percent of the patients had health insurance cover at the time of diagnosis. Insurance status was found to be significantly associated with survival (p-values= 0.036). Insurance cover had 1.42 hazard ratio (p=0.036, 95% CI: 1.023-1.980). Patients with health insurance coverage at the time of diagnosis had a higher survival rate. No significant association was found among the demographic characteristics and the patients’ clinical outcomes.

Aim: This study attempted to 1) assess the factors contributing to teenage pregnancy in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality; 2) specifically determine whether peer influence and sexual behaviour, electronic media and poverty, knowledge and use of contraceptives, and sex education contributed to teenage pregnancy; and 3) also determine the prevalence of teenage pregnancy and finally solicit for suggestions on how to curb the problem. The findings will help inform policymakers to further set in place measures to mitigate its adverse effects. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the prevalence of teenage pregnancy and its predictors among the target population between January and March 2019. Structured questionnaires were administered to 223 selected teenagers in a face-to-face interview setting within eight selected communities in the municipality by trained fieldworkers. Descriptive estimates including the prevalence of the condition were calculated. Both crude and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the level of associations between selected variables. Conclusion: Teenage pregnancy is a public health threat in the municipality. There is, therefore, the need for the establishment of more “teenage health corners” to cater for the health needs of the teenagers. An extensive and devoted focus on girl-child education is also an important solution to deal with the increasing prevalence of teenage pregnancy.

The Volta River Authority Hospital (VRAH) is a district hospital associated with a large public works project in Akosombo, Ghana, that has developed a reputation for high-quality care. We hypothesized that this stems from a culture of safety and standardized processes typical of high-risk engineering environments. To investigate this, we evaluated staff and patient perceptions of safety and quality, as well as perioperative process variability. The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys were used to evaluate staff and patient perceptions of safety. Perioperative general surgery and obstetrical procedure observations generated process maps, which were analyzed for variability and waste. Thirty-one SAQs were administered. 83% of workers held a positive perception of teamwork, and 77.4% held a positive perception of safety culture. Fifteen HCAHPS surveys of surgical inpatients showed a median hospital rating of 10 [IQR 8.5–10] on a ten-point scale. 90% gave maximal scores for pain management and 84.4% for nurse communication. Ten general surgery and obstetrical procedures were observed for which process map analysis was notable for no consistent waste steps and 100% adherence to the World Health Organization Safe Surgery Checklist. Surveys suggest an institutional commitment to safety with strong teamwork culture and patient communication. Perioperative process mapping supports this culture, with low levels of variability and waste, and is useful for evaluating standardization of care. VRAH demonstrates the feasibility of delivering high standards of perioperative care in a low-resource setting.

Background: There is limited scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of aphrodisiacs and more worrying is the fact that potential adverse health effects could result from the abuse of aphrodisiacs. Despite the safety concerns raised by the FDA on the...

Purpose: Improve allocation of breast cancer resources across Ghana's Eastern Region by systematically assessing and mapping breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment capacity. Methods: A survey to assess breast cancer care capacity was developed and administered to hospitals in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Hospitals were stratified based on their available services. All facilities were mapped using GPS coordinates to demonstrate the location and distance between key services using thresholds of 10, 25, and 45km for screening, diagnostic, and surgical treatment capacity respectively. Results: Thirty-three (out of 34) hospitals in the Eastern Region were surveyed: 27 (82%) hospitals provide basic screening services (clinical diagnosis with clinical breast exam), 11 (33%) provide pathologic diagnosis, and 3 (9%) provide those services in addition to basic surgical care. A total of 53% of the population lives within a 10km travel distance of screening services, 64% within 25km of diagnostic services, and 78% within 45km of surgical treatment. Ninety-four percent of facilities have a general practitioner; 55% have a radiology technician; 39% employ a surgeon. Oncology specialists, and pathology personnel are only available in 1 facility across the Eastern Region. Limited chemotherapy is available at 2 hospitals, endocrine therapy at 1 hospital, and radiotherapy is not available. Conclusion: No hospitals are able to provide the full spectrum of care outlined by the Basic NCCN Framework Guidelines, which are intended for use in low resource settings. Although 82% of hospitals provide screening, only half the population lives within reasonable distance of these services. Few hospitals offer diagnosis and surgical treatment services. This geospatial analysis suggests two priorities in order to cost-effectively expand breast cancer services: increase the quantity of screening hospitals in targeted locations, and enhance treatment services at hospitals already providing diagnosis and surgery. Citation Format: Moustafa Moustafa, Meghan Mali, Fidel Lopez-Verdugo, Ousman Sanyang, Grace Ayensu-Danquah, Justin Sorensen, Jonathan Nellermoe, Stephen Manortey, Alison Goldsmith, Irina Ofei, Alberta Biritwurm-Nyarko, Raymond Price, Edward Sutherland. Mapping Breast Cancer Resource Availability Across Ghana's Eastern Region [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 9th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Global Cancer Research and Control: Looking Back and Charting a Path Forward; 2021 Mar 10-11. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2021;30(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 21.

Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men 40 years and above globally. Incidence and mortality rates are higher in African men as they grow older. Prostate cancer is amenable to early detection by screening which can prevent and reduce cancer deaths. Unfortunately, it is often detected late in the Ghanaian population due to lack of voluntary screening. This study assessed the knowledge and practices of prostate cancer screening uptake among men in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality (LMKM) in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The study employed a cross-sectional design that used quantitative methods (structured questionnaire) to collect data from 363 respondents using a multistage sampling technique. Chi-square test statistics were used to estimate the association between the knowledge, practices and perception (dependent variables) and socio-demographic characteristics (independent variable) of respondents. Multiple binary logistic regression model was used to measure the strength of association between the variables at a 95% Confidence Interval. The majority (79.3%) of respondents were of the Ga-Adangme ethnic group, were in the 40-49 years age bracket (44.4%) and married (70.8%). Except for age group, marital status, ethnicity and number of biological children, all socio-demographic characteristics were significantly associated with prostate cancer screening uptake (p 0.05). Only religious affiliation and family history of prostate cancer were significantly associated with perceptions on prostate cancer. The study showed that most men in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality were aware of prostate cancer. This, however, did not translate into practice. Public health interventions should have Ministry of Health liaise with the National Health Insurance Scheme to roll out a free prostate cancer screening and prevention program in the District hospitals to ensure early screening.

Background Loss of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients to follow-up increases HIV-related morbidity and mortality. This study identified the factors associated with loss to follow-up (LTFU) in an urban health facility in Ghana. Methods A 12-y retrospective study was conducted using routinely collected data from the National Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Control Programme (NACP) on persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) from 2006 to 2017 at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital. Convenience sampling was used to select the study area. All gathered data were exported to Stata 14 statistical software for analysis. Results A total of 4330 PLWHA initiated ART between January 2006 and December 2017. Of these, 1166 (26.9%) were lost to follow-up over the 12-y period. The factors associated with LTFU included being a Muslim (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.31 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.05 to 1.65]), having CD4 Conclusions Some of the determinants of LTFU in the hospital are comparable to those found in other parts of Africa and could be addressed using existing interventions.

Background: Female adolescents are unduly disadvantaged regarding the risks of unintended pregnancies that are associated with poor outcomes which often results in infant or maternal death. This study sought to explore factors that influence female adolescents’ knowledge level of their sexual and reproductive health (SHR) information in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted using a self-administered structured questionnaire. A purposive sampling method was used to select a total of 336 respondents from four Senior High Schools in the municipality to participate in the survey. Data obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and a multivariate logistic regression.Results: Findings from this study revealed that the majority of the students had good access to SRH information where the teacher and the media play a crucial role as a source of information. Contrary to the good access to health information, the majority (39.29%) of the respondents demonstrated a low level of comprehensive knowledge. The result from the analysis further revealed that 28.57% of the respondents admitting to being involved in sexual intercourse with 48.96% registering the use of contraceptive at the time of the study. A Pearson’s chi-square test for association revealed that there is a significant statistical association between the respondent’s access to SRH information with some of their demographic characteristics and their main sources of information based on a predetermined p-value lower than 0.05. Respondents exposed to social media as information source were found to be nine times more likely to have access to SRH information compared to their counterparts, after adjusting for all other covariates.Conclusion: Sexual and reproductive health information is accessible to female adolescents but they lack an adequate level of comprehensive knowledge, therefore, an effective education and communication program is required to contribute towards the understanding of communicated messages. Additionally, the data reveal that the sources of information are associated with the respondents’ level of knowledge.

Practitioners of community-based participatory research (CBPR) must overcome numerous barriers in order to include research participants as equal partners in decision-making. The decision-making processes of stakeholders (including research participants) of one international CBPR project based in the middle belt of Ghana were analyzed through qualitative focus group and interview data, as well as direct observation of formal meetings. Using modified grounded theory to interpret our data, we find that despite the intentions of extracommunity stakeholders, ordinary community members do not experience full ownership of the governance of the research enterprise. We conclude that organizational philosophy, cultural expectations, and environmental context can help to explain differential perceptions of stakeholders and function as barriers to full partnership.