Browsing by Author "Aboh, I.K."
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Item Coping strategies adapted by Ghanaians during the COVID-19 crisis and lockdown: A population-based study(PLOS, 2021) Iddi, S.; Obiri-Yeboah, D.; Aboh, I.K.; Quansah, R.; Owusu, S.A.; Enyan, N.I.E.; Kodom, R.V.; Nsabimana, E.; Jansen, S.; Ekumah, B.; Boamah, S.A.; Boateng, G.O.; Doku, D.T.; Armah, F.A.The COVID-19 pandemic and control measures adopted by countries globally can lead to stress and anxiety. Investigating the coping strategies to this unprecedented crisis is essential to guide mental health intervention and public health policy. This study examined how people are coping with the COVID-19 crisis in Ghana and identify factors influencing it. This study was part of a multinational online cross-sectional survey on Personal and Family Coping with COVID-19 in the Global South. The study population included adults, �18 years and residents in Ghana. Respondents were recruited through different platforms, including social media and phone calls. The questionnaire was composed of different psychometrically validated instruments with coping as the outcome variable measured on the ordinal scale with 3 levels, namely, Not well or worse, Neutral, and Well or better. An ordinal logistic regression model using proportional odds assumption was then applied. A total of 811 responses were included in the analysis with 45.2% describing their coping level as well/better, 42.4% as neither worse nor better and 12.4% as worse/not well. Manyrespondents (46.9%) were between 25–34 years, 50.1% were males while 79.2% lived in urban Ghana. Having pre-existing conditions increased the chances of not coping well (aOR = 1.86, 95%CI: 1.15–3.01). Not being concerned about supporting the family financially (aOR = 1.67, 95%CI: 1.06–2.68) or having the feeling that life is better during the pandemic (aOR = 2.37, 95%CI: 1.26–4.62) increased chances of coping well. Praying (aOR: 0.62, 95%CI: 0.43–0.90) or sleeping (aOR: 0.55, 95%CI: 0.34–0.89) more during the pandemic than before reduces coping. In Ghana, during the COVID-19 pandemic, financial security and optimism about the disease increase one’s chances of coping well while having pre-existing medical conditions, praying and sleeping more during the pandemic than before reduces one’s chances of coping well. These findings should be considered in planning mental health and public health intervention/policy.Item Parenting practices and family relationships during the COVID-19 lockdown in Ghana(Journal of Public Health in Africa, 2022) Owusu, S.A.; Ekumah, B.; Kodom, R.V.; Enyan, N.I.E.; Aboh, I.K.; Quansah, R.; Boamah, S.A.; Boateng, G.O.; Obiri-Yeboah, D.; Doku, D.T.; Nsabimana, E.; Jansen, S.; Ato Arma, F.The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far reaching across almost every sphere of life. Families, which are the basic units of society, have not been spared the ravages of the pandemic. Changes in family daily routines as a result of COVID-19 can affect spousal relationships, parenting and childcare practices. However, the extent to which the pandemic has affected parenting practices and family relationships in Ghana is not known. The goal of this study was to assess how parenting practices and family relationships have been influenced during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. Data for this paper was drawn from an online questionnaire response from 463 participants in Ghana as a subset analysis from a multi-country study on personal and family coping system with COVID-19 pandemic in the global south. The mean score for pre-COVID-19 relationship with partner (36.86) was higher (p<0.0001) than the mean score for during COVID-19 relationship with partner (35.32) indicating that COVID-19 has had negative influence on relationships. The mean score for pre-COVID-19 parenting (32.78) was higher (p<0.0001) compared to the mean score for during COVID-19 parenting (31.40) indicating negative influence on parenting. We have predicted that participants whose coping levels were “Well” on the average, are likely to be doing well in relationship with partners and parenting practices during the COVID-19 period. The challenging public health containment measures of the COVID-19 pandemic have negatively influenced the relationship between partners and parenting practices in Ghana.Item Prevalence and changes in boredom, anxiety and well-being among Ghanaians during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based study(2021) Boateng, G.O.; Doku, D.T.; Enyan, N.I.E.; Owusu, S.A.; Aboh, I.K.; Kodom, R.V.; Ekumah, B.; Quansah, R.; Boamah, S.A.; Obiri-Yeboah, D.; Nsabimana, E.; Jansen, S.; Armah, F.A.Background: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with several adverse health outcomes. However, few studies in sub-Saharan Africa have examined its deleterious consequences on mental health. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence and changes in boredom, anxiety and psychological well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. Methods: Data for this study were drawn from an online survey of 811 participants that collected retrospective information on mental health measures including symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, boredom, and wellbeing. Additional data were collected on COVID-19 related measures, biosocial (e.g. age and sex) and sociocultural factors (e.g., education, occupation, marital status). Following descriptive and psychometric evaluation of measures used, multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationships between predictor variables and boredom, anxiety and psychological well-being scores during the pandemic. Second, we assessed the effect of anxiety on psychological well-being. Next, we assessed predictors of the changes in boredom, anxiety, and well-being. Results: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 63.5% reported better well-being, 11.6% symptoms of anxiety, and 29.6% symptoms of boredom. Comparing experiences before and during the pandemic, there was an increase in boredom and anxiety symptomatology, and a decrease in well-being mean scores. The adjusted model shows participants with existing medical conditions had higher scores on boredom (ß = 1.76, p < .001) and anxiety (ß = 1.83, p < .01). In a separate model, anxiety scores before the pandemic (ß = -0.25, p < .01) and having prior medical conditions (ß = -1.53, p < .001) were associated with decreased psychological well-being scores during the pandemic. In the change model, having a prior medical condition was associated with an increasing change in boredom, anxiety, and well-being. Older age was associated with decreasing changes in boredom and well-being scores. Conclusions: This study is the first in Ghana to provide evidence of the changes in boredom, anxiety and psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings underscore the need for the inclusion of mental health interventions as part of the current pandemic control protocol and public health preparedness towards infectious disease outbreaks.Item Prevalence and changes in boredom, anxiety and well-being among Ghanaians during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based study(BMC Public Health, 2021) Boateng, G.O.; Doku, D.T.; Enyan, N.I.E.; Owusu, S. A.; Aboh, I.K.; Kodom, R.V.; Ekumah, B.; Quansah, R.; Boamah, S.A.; Obiri-Yeboah, D.; Nsabimana, E.; Jansen, S.; Armah, F.A.Background: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with several adverse health outcomes. However, few studies in sub-Saharan Africa have examined its deleterious consequences on mental health. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence and changes in boredom, anxiety and psychological well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. Methods: Data for this study were drawn from an online survey of 811 participants that collected retrospective information on mental health measures including symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, boredom, and well being. Additional data were collected on COVID-19 related measures, biosocial (e.g. age and sex) and sociocultural factors (e.g., education, occupation, marital status). Following descriptive and psychometric evaluation of measures used, multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationships between predictor variables and boredom, anxiety and psychological well-being scores during the pandemic. Second, we assessed the effect of anxiety on psychological well-being. Next, we assessed predictors of the changes in boredom, anxiety, and well-being. Results: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 63.5% reported better well-being, 11.6% symptoms of anxiety, and 29.6% symptoms of boredom. Comparing experiences before and during the pandemic, there was an increase in boredom and anxiety symptomatology, and a decrease in well-being mean scores. The adjusted model shows participants with existing medical conditions had higher scores on boredom (ß = 1.76, p < .001) and anxiety (ß = 1.83, p < .01). In a separate model, anxiety scores before the pandemic (ß = -0.25, p < .01) and having prior medical conditions (ß = -1.53, p < .001) were associated with decreased psychological well-being scores during the pandemic. In the change model, having a prior medical condition was associated with an increasing change in boredom, anxiety, and well-being. Older age was associated with decreasing changes in boredom and well-being scores. Conclusions: This study is the first in Ghana to provide evidence of the changes in boredom, anxiety and psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings underscore the need for the inclusion of mental health interventions as part of the current pandemic control protocol and public health preparedness towards infectious disease outbreaks.Item Prevalence and management of malaria in Ghana: A case study of Volta Region(Etude de la Population Africaine, 2007-01) Mba, C.J.; Aboh, I.K.Volta Region, one of Ghana's ten administrative regions, has the highest prevalence of malaria in the country. The present paper assesses the patterns, levels, and trends of malaria prevalence among inhabitants in the 12 districts of the region, and examines whether those at risk of malaria have assess to protective measures and have effective treatment for malaria in Volta Region. The study focused on secondary analysis of data from the Volta Regional bio-statistical office, Ho, the region's capital, supplemented by the 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. The results show that malaria cases are prevalent in the Jasikan, Hohoe, Kpando, Ho and Keta Districts. Districts that lie within the middle and southern belts enjoy two rainy seasons that are conducive to the vector that causes malaria. Overwhelming majority of the in-patients (41.5%) are children aged 0-4 years, while the number of the in-patient cases generally decreases with advancing age. The majority of children who had fever in the last two weeks (34.8%) were aged 12 - 23 months, followed by 34.4% for age group O -11 months. The highest malaria cases in the region are from the Hohoe district (24.2%) in year 2003, followed by Ho 20.1% in 2000 and 2002, and Keta (17.2%) also in 2003. The least recorded is the North Tongu with 0.9% for 2 different years (2000 and 2002). It is anticipated that with a considerable reduction in poverty levels, households and communities would become increasingly responsible for the improvement of their health status and quality of life.Item Upscaling community-arranged preparedness for preventing maternal mortality in Ghana: A case study of Keta and Akatsi districts of volta region(Journal of International Women's Studies, 2010-05) Mba, C.J.; Aboh, I.K.The main objective of the study is to assess maternal health in Ghana using empirical evidence from Akatsi and Keta districts of the Volta Region. Interviews were conducted from a sample size of 6,250 respondents within the reproductive age group of 15-49 years drawn from both districts in 2007. The results show that most of the women had only basic education and were generally petty traders, farmers and fishmongers. Overwhelming majority of the women stated that there was no community-arranged preparedness to aid them in times of emergency obstetric care. A significant proportion of the women (about 30%) relied on relatives/friends/home or traditional birth attendants (TBAs) to deliver their babies, while the road network in both districts was poor. The Government of Ghana should therefore rehabilitate roads or construct new ones that could help the people transport emergency complications to the health facility on time to prevent deaths. These TBAs should be trained to recognize complications and not to manage complications professionally and they should be motivated to make referrals to mainstream health facilities. The Government of Ghana should aim at increasing girls' participation at all levels of the education system in the country since education is the key to ending poverty.