Socio-Demographic and Structural Predictors of Involvement of the Male Partner in Maternal Health Care in Hohoe, Volta Region, Ghana.

Maternal health can be improved if men give support to their partners. This study determined the socio-demographic and structural predictors of male partner involvement in maternal health in Hohoe, Ghana. A descriptive, cross-sectional design was adopted, collecting data through self-administered questionnaires from a multistage sample of 193 respondents and analysing using Stata version 14 at the 0.05 level. Age groups 31-40 years and 41-51 years were 6 times [AOR=6.28, p=0.04] and 4 times [AOR=4.32 (95%, p=0.08] respectively more likely to get involved in maternal health issues compared to age group 20-30 years. Married men were 63% less likely to be involved in maternal issues compared to single men [AOR=0.37, p=0.08]. Men with tertiary and senior high school levels of education were 9 times [AOR=9.13, p=0.001] and 5 times [AOR=4.52, p=0.01] respectively more likely to be involved in maternal health than men with a basic level of education. Men with a high level of knowledge on maternal health were 4 times more likely to be involved in maternal health than men with a low level of knowledge [AOR=4.14, p=0.002]. Strategies to improve male partner involvement in maternal health should target the younger, the legally married, and male partners with a low level of education.

Perceived family support regarding condom use and condom use among secondary school female students in Limbe urban city of Cameroon.

BACKGROUND: HIV/AIDS prevention programs rooted in the social cognitive models are based on the theoretical assumptions that adoption of preventive behaviour (condom use) depends on the individual's perceptions of their susceptibility to HIV/AIDS and the benefits of condom use. However some studies contend that applying such models in the African setting may not be that simple considering that in many societies, people's capacity to initiate health enhancing behaviour are mediated by power relations (parents/guardians) and socialisation processes that are beyond the control of individuals. The relative influence of these family forces on condom use is however unknown in Cameroon. In this study it is hypothesized that adolescents' perceptions of family support for condom use, would encourage condom use among female students in Limbe urban city of Cameroon. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of a probability sample of 210 female students selected from three participating secondary school was adopted, using a self-administered questionnaire to collect data. Pearson Chi-square statistics was used to test association between perceived family support for condom use and condom use. Statistics were calculated using SPSS version 20 software program. RESULTS: Of the respondents, 56.2% reported being sexually active. Of these, 27.4% reported using condoms consistently; 39.1% reported having used condoms during their first sexual intercourse, while 48.7% reported having used condoms during their last sexual intercourse. Majority of the female students exhibited positive perceptions regarding family support for condom use. Respondents who agreed that they feel themselves free to discuss condom use with their parents or any adult member of the family, reported more condom use during first sex than those who disagreed (X2 = 13.021; df = 6; p = 0.043). Likewise respondents who agreed that they feel themselves free to discuss condom use with their parents or any adult member of the family, reported more condom use at least once, than those who disagreed (X2 = 8.755; df = 3; p = 0.033). CONCLUSION: Significant associations between perceptions of family support for condom use and condom use were established in this study. This finding suggests that regardless of the sexual communication patterns within the family, techniques that increase the occurrence of parent and female student's discussion concerning condoms and HIV/AIDS will prove useful in preventing HIV/AIDS among female students in Limbe Urban City of Cameroon.

Application of the socio-ecological model in the efforts to end COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa: The challenges and success stories.

The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) was detected in December 2019 in the Hubei Province of China. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. The WHO thus proposed country and technical guidelines in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper reviewed the preparedness of sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries in ending the pandemic through the adoption of the WHO guidelines. The Socio-Ecological Model was adopted as a conceptual framework in conducting our analysis. We realized that while striving to implement the WHO guidelines, a plethora of microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem factors make it difficult for SSA countries to achieve the desired results aimed at halting the spread of the virus. SSA countries may, therefore, not be able to end the COVID-19 pandemic soon. We recommend various interventions including short- and long-term loan facilities from donor agencies, decentralization of COVID-19 testing to sub-national levels, and increased community engagement to improve risk communication and adherence to public health measures to end the spread of COVID-19 in SSA.

Compliance of commercial motorcycle riders with road safety regulations in a peri-urban town of Ghana.

BACKGROUND: While motorcycles are essential for moving people and goods, they are also, a significant contributor to Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs), making it a public health issue of concern globally. The Hohoe Municipal Hospital records increasing RTAs due to commercial motorcycles. Determining motorcycle riders' compliance with road safety regulations is critical in helping to curb this menace. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was employed involving a multistage sample of 238 motorcycle riders. Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire and entered into Epi Data version 3.2 software and exported to STATA software version 12 for analysis. Descriptive and inferential analyses were done while statistical significance was determined at 95% reliability interval and p-value of 0.05. FINDINGS: The level of compliance with road safety regulations among respondents was 59.2%. The mean age of respondents was 29.9 ± 7.9 years, and all respondents were males. Respondents who did not own their motorbikes were 0.39 times less likely to comply with road safety regulations compared to their counterparts who owned one, while those without alternate occupations were 0.51times less likely to comply with road safety regulations compared to those with an additional occupation. Those aged between 30-39 years and 40-49 years were 2.37 and 4.1 times more likely to comply with road safety regulations, respectively, compared to those aged ≤29 years, and those who did not smoke were 3.15 times more likely to comply with road safety regulations than those who smoked. CONCLUSION: Compliance to safety regulations are fairly low and although motorcycle usage on a commercial basis is yet to be legalised in Ghana, routine education targeting riders who smoke, do not have alternate occupations, do not own motorbikes and younger riders will improve their compliance. Also, riders should be encouraged to obtain their license from the appropriate authorities.

Psychosocial factors influencing contraceptive use among adolescent mothers in the Volta Region of Ghana: application of the Health Belief Model.

Background: Globally, complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among pregnant women aged 15 to 19 years. This study investigated the psychosocial factors influencing contraceptive use among adolescent mothers in the Volta Region using the Health Belief Model (HBM). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 422 adolescent mothers. An interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the strength of association between the independent and the dependent variables at a p-value less than 0.05. Results: The prevalence of contraceptive use was 18.7%. Concerning perceived susceptibility, there was a significant association between contraceptive use and the perception of being at risk of pregnancy complications (p<0.001). Perceived barriers showed a significant association between fear of side-effects of contraceptives and contraceptive use (p=0.007). Concerning perceived self-efficacy, there was a significant association between contraceptive use and confidence to suggest to a partner to use contraceptives (p=0.003); confidence to ask for contraceptives from health facilities (p<0.001) and confidence to use contraceptives (p<0.001). Conclusion: Programmes to increase contraceptive use should aim at heightening the perception of risk of pregnancy complications, reduce barriers to contraceptive use and increase the skills in negotiating contraceptive use.

Predictors of intention to use modern contraceptives among female senior secondary school students in the Kpando Municipality, Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Improving the reproductive health of young women in developing countries requires access to safe and effective methods of fertility control. Volta Region records one of the highest prevalence of teenage pregnancy and adolescents aged 15-19 years are the least acceptors of contraceptives in the Region. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study determined predictors of intention to use modern contraceptives among female Senior Secondary School students in the Kpando Municipality, Ghana. METHOD: A cross-sectional design was adopted, collecting data among a multistage sample of 270 participants, using a pretested self-administered questionnaire and analysing them using Stata software Version 16 at the 0.05 level of significance. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 16.78 ± 1.31. About 40.2% of the sexually experienced participants used a modern contraceptive during ther first sexual encounter. However, the majority (69.3%) had the intention to use modern contraceptives. Regarding subjective norms, the majority of the significant others (63.0%) were not supportive of modern contraceptive use and more than half of the respondents (59.3%) had a positive attitude towards modern contraceptive use, while 54.1% perceived that they had control over modern contraceptive use. The majority (69.3%) had the intention to use modern contraceptives. Perceived behavioural control was the only significant predictor of the intention to use modern contraceptives [AOR= 9.80 (C.I: 5.11, 18.77); p< 0.001]. CONCLUSION: Interventions to increase the perception of control over contraceptive use is of the essence. This will help increase their intention to use modern contraceptives.

Experiences of women undergoing assisted reproductive technology in Ghana: A qualitative analysis of their experiences.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to explore the experiences of women undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technologies namely; Invitro Fertilization and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection at the Finney Hospital and Fertility Centre, New Bortianor, Ghana. METHOD: A qualitative research design was employed to analyse and describe the experiences of the women seeking Assisted Reproductive Technologies. A total of 32 women were invited to take part in the interview, 15 of them accepted the invitation. However, saturation was reached before all interviews had been complete. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the study: the women's experiences, challenges and the roles and contributions of significant others. The women were anxious, stressed-up, exhausted and financially burdened. Spouses and health professionals played significant roles by providing social, emotional and financial support for these women. Significant others such as spouses and close relatives were supportive and provided encouragement to the women. CONCLUSION: The experiences of women undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technologies are multi-dimensional. Thus, psychosocial interventions as part of ART services with health insurance cover may be client-centered and more appropriate for these group of women.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding HIV/AIDS among senior high school students in Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis, Ghana.

BACKGROUND: In Ghana, youths aged 15-24 years constitute the group most vulnerable to HIV infection. Inadequate knowledge, negative attitudes and risky practices are major hindrances to preventing the spread of HIV. AIM: This study sought to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding HIV/AIDS among senior high school (SHS) students. SETTING: Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis, Ghana. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional design was adopted, using a validated self-administered questionnaire, to collect data from a stratified sample of 294 senior students selected from three participating high schools in August 2017. The data collected were analysed using Stata version 12. Descriptive and inferential statistics were at a significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: Among the participants, 61.6% had good knowledge about HIV/AIDS, 172 (58.5%) showed positive attitudes towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) and 79.1% reported HIV-related risky practices. We found a significant association between age and attitudes (p < 0.05). Poor knowledge was associated with being Muslim (aOR = 1.51 and 1.93; CI 1.19-1.91; p = 0.00) and being a student from school 'F' senior high school (F SHS) (aOR = 1.93; CI 1.71-2.18; p = 0.00). Bad attitude towards PLHIV and HIV was associated with ages 15-19 years (aOR = 3.20[2.58-3.96]; p = 0.03) p confirmed; and single marital status (aOR = 1.79[1.44-2.23]; p = 0.00). Bad practices were associated with ages 15-19 years (aOR = 1.72[1.41-2.11]; p = 0.08), belonging to the Akans ethnic group (aOR = 1.57[1.26-1.97]; p = 0.00) or being single (aOR = 1.79[1.44-2.23]; p = 0.00). Associations between misconceptions and HIV transmission were found: HIV can be transmitted by a handshake (aOR = 3.45[2.34-5.68]; p = 0.000), HIV can be cured (aOR = 2.01[2.12-5.04]; p = 0.004) and HIV/AIDS can be transmitted by witchcraft (aOR = 3.12[3.21-7.26]; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Participants generally had inadequate knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS, manifested negative attitudes towards PLHIV and also engaged in risky practices that might predispose them to HIV transmission. Our findings underscore the need for culturally adapted and age-oriented basic HIV information for youths in the metropolis on misconceptions about HIV transmission, negative attitudes of students towards PLHIV as well as the risky practices of students regarding HIV.

Prevalence and associated risk factors of anaemia among women attending antenatal and post-natal clinics at a public health facility in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Anaemia among pregnant women and post-partum mothers is a public health challenge in Ghana, especially in the Volta Region. While literature abounds on anaemia among pregnant women, the same cannot be said for anaemia among post-partum mothers in the region. This study, therefore, examined the prevalence and associated risk factors of anaemia among women attending antenatal care and post-natal care. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional survey recruited 409 pregnant women and 194 post-natal mothers attending antenatal and post-natal care, at the Hohoe Municipal Hospital. Background characteristics were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, blood samples were analysed for the presence of anaemia and malaria parasitaemia and folders were reviewed for estimated blood loss. RESULTS: We found the prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women and post-partum mothers to be 33 and 16% respectively. Higher malaria parasitaemia (2%) was found in pregnant women compared with postpartum mothers (1%). We found that 4% of post-partum mothers had abnormal blood loss (301mls-500mls) whereas 5% of them had postpartum haemorrhage (>500mls) during child birth. A univariate logistics regression of anaemia status on some risk factors in pregnant women showed no significant association between anaemia and any of the risk factors. Among post-partum mothers, only mothers' age was statistically significant in the univariate analysis [COR = 0.27 (95% CI:0.103, 0.72);0.008]. Mothers aged 20-29 were 73% less likely to be anaemic. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women found in this study points to a situation of moderate public health problem according to WHO cut-off values for the public health significance of anaemia. Strategies should therefore be put in place to encourage thorough health education and promotion programmes among both pregnant and post-partum women.

Publication Practices and Responsible Authorship: A Review Article.

Dissemination of research findings through the publication of one's work or a group of contributors is an important part of the research process, as this allows the passing on of benefits to a much wider community. In whatever evocative form this dissemination may take, the onus lies on the author(s) to ensure adherence to the code of ethics as it pertains to the integrity of the information being put out. We publish because we want our findings to be adapted into practice and application, or in some cases may be relevant to policy makers in decision-making. To a large extent in the field of academia, successful publication improves opportunities for academic funding and promotion whilst enhancing scientific and scholarly achievement and repute. A situation may be compromised where intellectual contributions to a scientific investigation do not adhere to the four key guidelines of scholarship, authorship, approval and agreement as well as the protocols of ensuring good publication ethics. The objective of this review is to lay emphasis on universal standards for manuscript authorship and to fostering good practices. This in our view will bring authorship credit and accountability to the attention of our colleagues and readers at large. To achieve this, a systematic and critical review of the literature was undertaken. Electronic databases, academic journals and books from various sources were accessed. Several key search terms relating to responsible authorship, common authorship malpractices, conflict of interest, universal publication guidelines and other authorship related issues, were used. Only references deemed useful from relevant texts and journal articles were included. In this paper, the authors have sought to highlight the pitfalls researchers sometimes entangle themselves within an act of compromise thereby impinging on the ethical and professional responsibilities for the content of a paper under consideration. This article presents the case that authorship has a strong currency that brings not only personal satisfaction but also career rewards based on publication counting. In all cases described here, a universal standard for manuscript authorship will be critical in fostering good practices. As you write and review manuscripts, keep these good practices in mind, and consider ways to bring authorship credit and accountability to the attention of your colleagues and readers.

Perceptions of Factors Associated with Condom Use to Prevent HIV/AIDS among Persons with Physical Disability in an Urban Town of Cameroon: A Qualitative Study.

Persons with disabilities have been identified as one of the groups vulnerable to HIV, due to several challenges posed by their disabilities. They also suffer external stigma from their able bodied peers. However, they have largely been ignored as part of HIV prevention programs, largely due to the perceptions that they are not at risk, and information is not being accessible. About 5.4% of the Cameroon population lives with a disability. In Cameroon, no official statistics exist on perception of factors associated with condom use to prevent HIV among persons with disabilities, which creates a challenge for understanding the extent of the pandemic in this population. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate perceptions of factors associated with condom use among persons with physical disability in an urban town of Cameroon. The qualitative study from which this paper is based, used semi-structured in-depth interviews, conducted with a purposive sample of ten (5 male and 5 female) persons with physical disability, aged 18 years and above, in April 2015. The findings of this study as interpreted according to the components of the Health Belief Model, indicated that perceived susceptibility to HIV, perceived severity of HIV, perceived benefit of condom use, perceived barriers to condom use and perceived self-efficacy for condom use were the factors perceived by persons with physical disability, to be associated with condom use. It is therefore recommended that there should be educational programs in HIV/AIDS targeted specifically at persons with physical disability. These programs should pertinently promote the understanding and perceptions of persons with physical disability of the real threat of HIV/AIDS, and also equip them with condom negotiation skills and strategies to overcome barriers to condom use.