A systematic review and meta-analysis of food handling practices in Ghana vis-a-vis the associated factors among food handlers during 2009 and 2022.

Foodborne diseases (FBDs) are a major public health concern, especially in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, such as Ghana, where poor food handling practices (FHPs) are prevalent. To estimate the pooled proportion of good FHPs and the associated factors among Ghanaian food handlers, this systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to aid scholars, practitioners and policymakers in devising FBD-preventable interventions. The scientific databases PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, African Journals Online, ProQuest, and Directory of Open Access Journals were systematically searched until April 19, 2023, for relevant literature. Observational studies meeting the inclusion criteria of reported good FHPs among food handlers were included. Three authors independently searched the database, assessed the risks of bias and extracted the data from the shortlisted articles. A random-effects model with the DerSimonian and Laird model was used to estimate the pooled effect size of FHPs and the pooled odds ratio (POR) of FHP-associated factors. Out of the 2019 records collated, 33 with a total sample size of 6095 food handlers met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. The pooled proportion of good FHPs among Ghanaian food handlers was 55.8% [95% Cl (48.7, 62.8%); I2 = 97.4%; p < 0.001]. Lack of food safety training [POR = 0.10; 95% CI (0.03, 0.35); p = 0.001] and inadequate knowledge of food hygiene [POR = 0.36; 95% CI (0.01, 10.19); p < 0.001] were identified as the critical good FHP-associated factors. The study showed that the proportion of good FHPs among Ghanaian food handlers was 55.8%. To increase knowledge of food hygiene among food handlers, the Ghanaian Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is recommended to provide regular training on food safety for the well-being of the general public.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Tuberculosis and HIV services in Ghana: An interrupted time series analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) burden, coupled with unprecedented control measures including physical distancing, travel bans, and lockdowns of cities, implemented to stop the spread of the virus, have undoubtedly far-reaching aftereffects on other diseases. In low and middle-income countries (LMICs), a particular worry is the potential impact on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Tuberculosis (TB), as a consequence of possible disruption to health services and limiting access to needed life-saving health care. In Ghana, there is a paucity of information regarding the impact of COVID-19 on disease control, particularly TB and HIV control. This study sought to contribute to bridging this knowledge gap. METHOD: The study involved the analysis of secondary data obtained from the District Health Information Management System-2 (DHIMS-2) database of Ghana Health Service, from 2016 to 2020. Data were analysed using an interrupted time-series regression approach to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on TB case notification, HIV testing, and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) initiations, using March 2020 as the event period. RESULTS: The study showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic period, there was an abrupt decline of 20.5% (955CI: 16.0%, 24.5%) in TB case notifications in April and 32.7% (95%CI: 28.8%, 39.1%) in May 2020, with a median monthly decline of 21.4% from April-December 2020. A cumulative loss of 2,128 (20%; 95%CI: 13.3%, 26.7%) TB cases was observed nationwide as of December 2020. There was also a 40.3% decrease in people presenting for HIV tests in the first month of COVID-19 (April 2020) and a cumulative loss of 262620 (26.5%) HIV tests as of December 2020 attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. ART initiations increased by 39.2% in the first month and thereafter decreased by an average of 10% per month from May to September 2020. Cumulatively, 443 (1.9%) more of the people living with HIV initiated ART during the pandemic period, however, this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted TB case notifications and HIV testing and counselling services, However, ART initiation was generally not impacted during the first year of the pandemic. Proactive approaches aimed at actively finding the thousands of individuals with TB who were missed in 2020 and increasing HIV testing and counselling and subsequent treatment initiations should be prioritised.

Factors associated with COVID-19 knowledge among Ghanaians: A national survey.

BACKGROUND: Adequate knowledge about COVID-19 in a population may be relevant in the fight to control its spread among the populace. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the factors associated with real knowledge of COVID-19 among Ghanaians to promote effective dissemination of appropriate information aimed at containing the spread. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey and computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI) was conducted among Ghanaians aged 18 years and above across the 260 districts of Ghana. The survey assessed the level of knowledge of COVID-19 and its associated factors and compared differences between perceived and real knowledge. One district health promotion officer per district was trained for the data collection. Participants were recruited via use of phone directories of both organized and non-organized local district groups. Phone calls were made to randomly selected phone contacts to schedule options for participation in the study. We used multivariable logistic regression to investigate the associated factors of COVID-19 knowledge among respondents. RESULTS: Of the 2,721 participants who completed the survey, the majority (99.3%) were aware of the existence of the COVID-19 outbreak, had good knowledge on infection prevention (87.0%) and rated their knowledge about COVID-19 as good (81.7%). Factors associated with COVID-19 knowledge were: age ≥56 years (aOR = 0.5; CI: 0.3-0.8; p = 0.002), tertiary education (aOR = 1.8; CI: 1.2-2.6; p = 0.003), residing in Greater Accra region (aOR = 2.0; CI: 1.1-3.6; p = 0.019), not infected with the novel coronavirus (aOR = 1.5; Cl: 1.0-2.1; p = 0.045), knowing an infected person (aOR = 3.5; CI = 1.5-7.9; p = 0.003), good practice of effective preventive measures (aOR = 1.2: Cl: 1.1-1.5: 0.008), not misinformed (aOR = 0.7; Cl: 0.5-0.9; 0.015), and perceiving spreading speed of the virus as slow (aOR = 0.7; Cl: 0.5-0.9; 0.007). CONCLUSION: The study found good knowledge regarding COVID-19, control measures, and preventive strategies. The Ghana Health Service should continuously provide accurate information to educate the media and citizens to prevent misinformation, which is vital in stopping the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The impact of implementing HIV prevention policies therapy and control strategy among HIV and AIDS incidence cases in Malaysia.

Malaysia is faced with a high HIV/AIDS burden that poses a public health threat. We constructed and applied a compartmental model to understand the spread and control of HIV/AIDS in Malaysia. A simple model for HIV and AIDS disease that incorporates condom and uncontaminated needle-syringes interventions and addresses the relative impact of given treatment therapy for infected HIV newborns on reducing HIV and AIDS incidence is presented. We demonstrated how treatment therapy for new-born babies and the use of condoms or uncontaminated needle-syringes impact the dynamics of HIV in Malaysia. The model was calibrated to HIV and AIDS incidence data from Malaysia from 1986 to 2011. The epidemiological parameters are estimated using Bayesian inference via Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation method. The reproduction number optimal for control of the HIV/AIDS disease obtained suggests that the disease-free equilibrium was unstable during the 25 years. However, the results indicated that the use of condoms and uncontaminated needle-syringes are pivotal intervention control strategies; a comprehensive adoption of the intervention may help stop the spread of HIV disease. Treatment therapy for newborn babies is also of high value; it reduces the epidemic peak. The combined effect of condom use or uncontaminated needle-syringe is more pronounced in controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Nutritional status of in-school children and its associated factors in Denkyembour District, eastern region, Ghana: comparing schools with feeding and non-school feeding policies.

BACKGROUND: Childhood malnutrition still remains a major public health problem impacting negatively on the academic aptitude of school-aged children (SAC) particularly in limited resource countries. The Government of Ghana in collaboration with the Dutch Government introduced the school feeding programme (SFP) to boost the nutritional status of SAC in the country. This study sought to compare the nutritional status of SAC enrolled in schools with the SFP and SAC enrolled in schools without the SFP in place for the purpose of identifying which group has the higher rate of malnutrition. METHODS: A multi-stage sampling was used to select 359 SAC between 5 and 12 years who are enrolled in primary one to six. Twelve public schools were selected, of which 6 schools benefit from the SFP and the other six do not. Anthropometric measurements were conducted for the subjects and SPSS version 20.0 was used for data entry and analysis. Chi square test was carried out to determine the difference between the two groups of schools. RESULTS: Of the total of 359 subjects, 55.1% were from schools that do not implement the SFP and 44.9% were from schools that implement the SFP. The prevalence of stunting among children in schools on the SFP was 16.2% compared with 17.2% among children in schools that do not implement the SFP. The prevalence of thinness was two times higher (9.3%) among children in schools on the SFP than in children in schools that do not implement the SFP (4.6%) (p = 0.028). The prevalence of overweight among children in schools on the SFP was 1.9% and 0.0% for children in schools that do not implement the SFP. Sub district, sex, age of pupil, area of residence and community type were significantly associated with stunting (p = 0.002), (p = 0.008), (p = 0.008), (p < 0.001) and (p = 0.007) respectively. CONCLUSION: Overweight and thinness were higher among children in schools on SFP than in children in schools without SFP. An evaluation of the implementation of the school feeding programme is recommended for future studies.