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Unconventional Medical Practices Among Ghanaian Students : A University-Based Survey, Razak Mohammed Gyasi, Williams Agyemang-Duah, Charlotte Monica Mensah, Francis Arthur, Roselyn Torkornoo, Padmore Adusei Amoah Jan 2017

Unconventional Medical Practices Among Ghanaian Students : A University-Based Survey, Razak Mohammed Gyasi, Williams Agyemang-Duah, Charlotte Monica Mensah, Francis Arthur, Roselyn Torkornoo, Padmore Adusei Amoah

Mr. GYASI Razak Mohammed

Research on unconventional medical practices among students has proliferated lately in the global space, hitherto, little is known explicitly in Ghana. This paper teases out insights for recent utilisation patterns of traditional medical therapies at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. A sample of 754, randomly selected undergraduates were involved in a retrospective cross-sectional survey. Data were analysed using multivariate logistic regression and Pearson's χ2 test with p < 0.05 as significant. Overall prevalence of traditional therapies consumption was 89.1% in the last 12 months. Herbal-based products (67%), prayer healing (15%) and body-mind therapies (11%) were principally used and, accessed through purchases from pharmacy shops (29%) and encounter with faith healers (26%). Although students' knowledge on traditional therapies was acquired through family members (50%) and media (23%), literary materials remained significant information routes for Science related students compared to the Non-science related counterparts (p < 0.001). Pursuing Non-science-related programme [odds ratio (OR) 6.154 (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.745–10.111; p < 0.001)] and having Christian faith [OR 2.450 (95% CI 1.359–4.415; p = 0.003)] were strongly associated with students' traditional therapies use. Although students exhibited positive attitude towards unconventional therapies, there is an urgent need to validate …


Pulled In Or Pushed Out : Understanding The Complexities Of Motivation For Alternative Therapies Use In Ghana, Razak Mohammed Gyasi, Felix Asante, Joseph Yaw Yeboah, Kabila Abass, Charlotte Monica Mensah, Lawrencia Pokuah Siaw Jan 2017

Pulled In Or Pushed Out : Understanding The Complexities Of Motivation For Alternative Therapies Use In Ghana, Razak Mohammed Gyasi, Felix Asante, Joseph Yaw Yeboah, Kabila Abass, Charlotte Monica Mensah, Lawrencia Pokuah Siaw

Mr. GYASI Razak Mohammed

The impact of strong cultural beliefs on specific reasons for traditional medicine (TRM) use among individuals and populations has long been advanced in health care and spatio-medical literature. Yet, little has been done in Ghana and the Ashanti Region in particular to bring out the precise “pull” and “push” relative influences on TRM utilization. With a qualitative research approach involving rural and urban character, the study explored health beliefs and motivations for TRM use in Kumasi Metropolis and Sekyere South District, Ghana. The study draws on data from 36 in-depth interviews with adults, selected through theoretical sampling. We used the …


Do Health Beliefs Explain Traditional Medical Therapies Utilisation? Evidence From Ghana, Razak Mohammed Gyasi, Felix Asante, Kabila Abass, Joseph Yaw Yeboah, Samuel Adu-Gyamfi, Padmore Adusei Amoah Jan 2017

Do Health Beliefs Explain Traditional Medical Therapies Utilisation? Evidence From Ghana, Razak Mohammed Gyasi, Felix Asante, Kabila Abass, Joseph Yaw Yeboah, Samuel Adu-Gyamfi, Padmore Adusei Amoah

Mr. GYASI Razak Mohammed

Although the direct impact of health beliefs on unconventional medical therapies consumption are well documented, the previous empirical findings of the relationship have been much inconsistent and theoretically subtle in Ghana. Using social cognitive thesis, this paper examines how relative effects of personal health beliefs influence the use of traditional medicine in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Drawing on a qualitative approach involving rural and urban peculiarities and 36 in-depth interviews, this research study adopts a posteriori inductive reduction model to derive broad- and sub-themes. Results suggest that health-seeking behaviour in Ghana is a socially negotiated process in which cultural …


Geographies And Traditional Therapies Utilization : A Convergence Of Health Behaviors In Rural And Urban Settings?, Padmore Adusei Amoah, Razak Mohammed Gyasi Jan 2017

Geographies And Traditional Therapies Utilization : A Convergence Of Health Behaviors In Rural And Urban Settings?, Padmore Adusei Amoah, Razak Mohammed Gyasi

Mr. GYASI Razak Mohammed

No abstract provided.


Health Literacy And Self-Perceived Health Status Among Street Youth In Kumasi, Ghana, Padmore Adusei Amoah, David Rosser Phillips, Razak Mohammed Gyasi, Adwoa Owusuaa Koduah, Joseph Edusei Jan 2017

Health Literacy And Self-Perceived Health Status Among Street Youth In Kumasi, Ghana, Padmore Adusei Amoah, David Rosser Phillips, Razak Mohammed Gyasi, Adwoa Owusuaa Koduah, Joseph Edusei

Mr. GYASI Razak Mohammed

Street youth often have poor health. A number of studies have been commissioned across contexts to appreciate and address the problem. Conspicuously missing from extant researches about street youth in relation to their health however are those relating to health literacy. This study assesses general health literacy (GHL) and its association with self-perceived health status among street youth in Kumasi, Ghana. Two hundred and ninety street youth with an average age of 18 years (±3.1) participated in the study. The majority (78%) of street youth demonstrated limited GHL. Age, education, and acknowledging the streets as home, were significantly associated with …