Determinants of the choice of disposal methods among residents in urban areas in Southern Ghana.

The choice of household disposal methods continues to be an area of concern globally. Several pieces of research have been conducted to identify the determinants of the choice of disposal methods. Unfortunately, these pieces of research have not explored all the factors that can influence households' choices of disposal methods. Premised on this, the paper contributes to existing literature by exploring the factors that influence households' decision to adopt a particular solid waste disposal method. Using the Oforikrom Municipality, as a case study, the paper relies on household surveys and in-depth interviews with key informants from the relevant institutions. Field observations and spatial analysis were also conducted to gather further evidence. The study reveals that the factors that informed households' decision to adopt particular disposal methods were educational levels, type and nature of dwelling unit, urbanized nature of the community, waste disposal facilities, and environmental concerns of the households. Other identified factors include household size, affordability, and convenience of the household. The study recommends that a key to success in terms of proper waste disposal among residents is to ensure the availability and accessibility of disposal facilities and the proper regulation of waste management organizations as well as disposal sites. These will contribute to minimizing the adverse effects of poor solid wastes disposal practices.Implications: This article is intended to deepen the understanding of solid wastes disposal practices in urban areas and to contribute to literature on the factors that influence the choice of a particular disposal method among residents in these areas. Findings and recommendations from this research are intended to inform policy decisions on how to effectively improve solid waste management, specifically at the household level, in urban areas in Ghana, and beyond.

Towards quality primary health care: the dilemma of Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) in health service provision in Ghana.

PURPOSE: Over the past two decades, Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) has been a pragmatic strategy towards universal Primary Health Care (PHC) in Ghana. However, the ability and capacity of these facilities to deliver quality primary health care remain an illusion as they are still crumbling in myriad challenges. These challenges are translated to the poor-quality services provision and low community utilization of CHPS facilities. The study presents a comparative analysis of three communities in the Kassena-Nankana East Municipality, Ghana. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Using a mixed-method research design, the study gathered and analysed data from 110 households, three community health officers (CHOs) and three community leaders using semi-structured questionnaires and interview guides. FINDINGS: The findings indicated that the facilities do not have the requisite inputs such as drugs and supplies, logistics, appropriate health personnel, good infrastructure, funding support necessary to deliver quality and appropriate healthcare services that meet the health needs of the communities. For the CHPS to realize their full potentials as PHC facilities, it is required that the needed inputs such as logistics, drugs and appropriate staff are in place to facilitate the activities of CHOs. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Due to the limited number of participants and selection of the study communities, the results may generalization. Also, the researchers acknowledged the inability to interview the district level health officials and the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Assembly during the field visits. This could have provided in-depth knowledge on the findings of this research as well as the validation of the results from the communities' perspective. Several attempts were made to contact and interview district-level authorities which proven futile due to the unavailability of targeted respondents. This resulted in limiting the studies at the community level. However, this limitation does not disprove the findings of this study. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The article implications for planning primary health care strategies include a keen assessment of community health needs and institutional management of primary health care facilities, equip PHC facilities with adequate resources such as drugs and appropriate staffing to provide the health needs of the communities. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The paper fulfils the gap in the literature by providing empirical data on how the challenges of primary health care facilities affected the provision of high quality service and how this can affect community's use of the facilities.