Knowledge, attitude and preventive practices of COVID-19 among deaf persons in the Greater Accra region of Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, studies continue to investigate the KAP of COVID-19 among diverse groups. We examined the KAP of COVID-19 among deaf persons living in the Ayawaso North Municipality in Accra. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used for this study. Our sample comprised deaf persons registered with the Municipal Directorate. In all, 144 deaf persons were interviewed using an adapted KAP COVID-19 questionnaire. RESULTS: Regarding knowledge, majority of the deaf persons (> 50%) were not in the know of 8 out of 12 items of the knowledge subscale. For attitude, deaf persons (> 50%) showed optimistic attitude in all 6 items of the attitude subscale. Deaf persons "always" practised 5 items and "sometimes" practised 4 items in the preventive practices to COVID-19. A positive moderate and significant correlation existed between the subscales. Regression analysis showed that, a one-unit increase in knowledge will result in a 1.033-unit increase in preventive practices while a one-unit increase in knowledge will result in a 0.587-unit increase in attitude. CONCLUSIONS: Campaigns about COVID-19 should emphasize the teaching of the science of the virus and the disease and not just the preventive practices, paying special attention to deaf persons.

Associations of Social Networks with Physical Activity Enjoyment among Older Adults: Walkability as a Modifier through a STROBE-Compliant Analysis.

The available evidence suggests that social networks can contribute to physical activity (PA) enjoyment, which is necessary for the maintenance of PA over the life course. This study assessed the associations of active and sedentary social networks with PA enjoyment and ascertained whether walkability moderates or modifies these associations. A cross-sectional design compliant with STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) was employed. The participants were 996 community-dwelling older Ghanaians aged 50 years or older. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to analyse the data. After adjusting for age and income, the study found that the active social network size (ß = 0.09; p < 0.05) and sedentary social network size (ß = 0.17; p < 0.001) were positively associated with PA enjoyment. These associations were strengthened by walkability. It is concluded that active and sedentary social networks may better support PA enjoyment in more walkable neighbourhoods. Therefore, enabling older adults to retain social networks and live in more walkable neighbourhoods may be an effective way to improve their PA enjoyment.

Assessment of knowledge, practices, and barriers to pharmacovigilance among nurses at a teaching hospital, Ghana: a cross­sectional study.

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.