Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Socio-Economic And Cultural Determinants Of Health Care Services Utilization In Ghana, Vickita Akosua Antwiwaa Harvey

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The study examines the relationship between socio-economic and cultural determinants of health care service utilization in Ghana using Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) 2008 data collected by Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in which a two-stage sample design was used. The first stage involved a systematic sampling, with probability proportional to size, of 412 clusters using the 2000 Ghana Population and Housing Census as the sampling frame. At the second stage, systematic samples of 30 households from each cluster were selected, making a total of 12,360 sampled households. According to the GSS, data were not collected in some of the …

African-Born Women’S Birth Experiences In Worcester, Ma, Marianne Sarkis, Anneke Kat, Maya Baum, Bernadine Mayhungu

Local Knowledge: Worcester Area Community-Based Research

How do African Immigrant women interact with the Worcester healthcare system during pregnancy?

This study follows stories told by mostly Ghanaian women living in Worcester in order to understand their challenges in the maternal healthcare system. The researchers seek to understand cultural differences, socio-economic standing and communication challenges that have led to these women having one of the highest infant mortality rates in Worcester. The authors found that their interviews with healthcare providers shed the most light on what discrepancies exist between how the health care providers understand how this population experiences birth opposed to how these women experience birth …

Effects Of Chronic Hepatitis B Infection On Pregnancy And Birth Outcomes In Ghana, Mate Siakwa, Dzigbodi Kpikpitse, Amandus Ankobil, Sylvia C. Mupepi, Mildred John, Patience Doe, Nancy Ebu, Shadrach Dare, E Hansen Owoo

Peer Reviewed Articles

Ghana is a known endemic area for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections, yet the consequences of HBV infection on pregnancy outcomes are unknown. This prospective cohort study was thus conducted among 512 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ghana, between January, 2011 and December, 2013 to determine the effects of hepatitis B during pregnancy on birth outcomes in Ghana. The HBsAg status of all pregnant women was determined by the latex agglutination test while a researcher administered semi-structured checklist was used to collect demographic/obstetric/medical data of respondents. We obtained 262 HBsAg positive and 250 HBsAg …

Women's Navigation Of Maternal Health Services In Ghana's Upper West Region In The Context Of The National Health Insurance Scheme, Andrea C. Rishworth

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In 2008 the sub Saharan African country of Ghana implemented a Maternal Exemption Policy (MEP) within its National Health Insurance Scheme. This policy provides coverage for free antenatal, postnatal, and facility delivery to all pregnant women for a one year period. By removing the fees associated with maternal health services, the MEP was intended to reduce maternal mortality and provide equitable health care for pregnant women. While the MEP is generally regarded as beneficial to the women of Ghana, challenges remain, especially in the poor, marginalized and rural communities of the Upper West Region. Given that access to a skilled …

A Longitudinal Case Study Of The Impact Of Democracy On Food Security In Ghana And Implications For Theory Development, Katelyn Marie Colaric

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reports the results of a qualitative, longitudinal case study of Ghana that examined the impact of democracy on food security within Ghana since its democratization in 1992. First, the study reviews existing literature about food security, a newly-emerging concern in political science, as well as the literature on democracy and human rights. To fill the gaps in existing literature regarding the impact of democracy on food security, [and the author finds it overzealous to prove that democracy always benefits food security levels across varying states, cultures, and years] the thesis examines food security developments in Ghana, a developing …

Increasing Access To Family Planning In Ghana Through Policy Change: Task-Sharing To Enable Auxiliary Nurses To Provide Contraceptive Implant Services, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Ghana has made significant progress toward reducing the maternal mortality ratio but the rate is still unacceptably high. Up to 26 percent of married Ghanaian women have unmet need for family planning and one in four currently married women is using a modern contraceptive method. Satisfying unmet need for family planning could cut the number of maternal deaths by almost a third. One factor contributing to low usage of modern methods is shortage of trained staff, particularly those skilled in providing long-acting reversible and permanent methods. Until recently, implant services were provided primarily by Ghana Health Service (GHS) trained midwives, …

Exposure To Methylmercury Via Fish Consumption In Ghana And An Evaluation Of Methylmercury Toxicity Under A Low Food Ration In Daphnia Pulex, Dzigbodi Adzo Doke

All ETDs from UAB

For many people of the world, fish is a primary source of protein, especially in countries like Ghana, where about 60% of the protein consumed is derived from fish. Fish advisories have been established by some nations to protect the public from harmful health effects linked to eating contaminated fish. Methylmercury (MeHg) is one such contaminant that has resulted in fish advisories. Fish advisories have not been developed in Ghana, although MeHg contamination of aquatic ecosystems is likely due to the long history of mercury (Hg) use in artisanal gold mining. To address this gap in our knowledge, I compiled …