Browsing by Author "Agyekum, M.W."
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Item Acceptability of COVID-19 Vaccination among Health Care Workers in Ghana(Hindawi, 2021) Agyekum, M.W.; Afrifa-Anane, G.F.; Kyei-Arthur, F.; Addo, B.Because health care workers are a reliable source of health information, their acceptance or rejection of COVID-19 vaccines can influence the general population’s uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. In this study, we sought to determine the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among health care workers in Ghana. Using a cross-sectional design, we collected data from 234 health care workers through a self-administered online survey from 16 January to 15 February 2021. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed using STATA version 15. ,The findings revealed that 39.3% (n = 92) of health care workers intended to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. Factors such as sex (AOR = 0.451; CI 95% 0.240–0.845; p = 0.013), category of health care workers (AOR = 2.851; 95 CI%: 1.097–7.405; p =0.031), relative being diagnosed with COVID-19 (AOR = 0.369; CI 95% 0.145–0.941; p =0.037), and trust in the accuracy of the measures taken by the government in the fight against COVID-19 (AOR = 2.768; CI 95%: 1.365–5.616; p = 0.005) proved to be significant predictors of the acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine. Concerns about the safety of vaccines (n =93, 65.5%) and the adverse side effects of the vaccines (n = 23, 14.8%) were identified as the main reasons why health care workers would decline uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana. ,e self-reported low intention of health care workers in Ghana to accept COVID-19 vaccines necessitates an urgent call from the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders to address health care workers’ concerns about the safety and adverse side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, as this would increase vaccine uptake. Interventions must also take into consideration sex and the category of health care workers to achieve the desired results.Item The association between paternal characteristics and exclusive breastfeeding in Ghana(PLOS, 2021) Kyei-Arthur, F.; Agyekum, M.W.; Afrifa-Anane, G.F.Studies have shown that partners play an influential role in exclusive breastfeeding practice and that they can act as either deterrents or supporters to breastfeeding. However, there are limited studies on the influence of partners’ characteristics on exclusive breastfeeding in Ghana. This study examined the association between partners’ characteristics and exclusive breastfeeding in Ghana. This cross-sectional study used data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. Infants less than 6 months old (exclusively breastfed or not) with maternal and paternal characteristics were included in the study. A total of 180 participants were used for the study. A binary logistic regression was used to examine the influence of partners’ characteristics on exclusive breastfeeding. Partners’ characteristics such as education, desire for children, religion, and children ever born were associated with exclusive breastfeeding. Mothers whose partners had primary education (AOR = 0.12; CI 95%: 0.02–0.93; p = 0.04) were less likely to practice exclusive breastfeeding compared to those whose partners had no formal education. Also, mothers whose partners desired more children (AOR = 0.20; CI 95%: 0.06–0.70; p = 0.01) were less likely to practice exclusive breastfeeding compared to those whose partners desire fewer children. Improving EBF requires the involvement of partners in exclusive breastfeeding campaigns/ programmes. A more couple-oriented approach is required by health practitioners to educate and counsel both mothers and partners on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding in GhanaItem Birth Weight, Birth Size and Exclusive Breastfeeding in Ghana(University of Ghana, 2019-07) Agyekum, M.W.Despite the widespread advocacy for exclusive breastfeeding, and associated health, social and economic benefits, there is a low prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in both developed and developing countries. Whilst several studies have been conducted on exclusive breastfeeding, few of such studies have linked birth weight and birth size independently with exclusive breastfeeding. Given that there is limited data on birth weight, birth size is often used as a proxy for birth weight. However, there is an inconclusive discussion on the relationship between birth weight and birth size. The extent to which the perception of the mother on the size of the infant (perceived birth size) or actual measurement (birth weight) influence exclusive breastfeeding is not known. In addition, there is limited information on the experiences of health workers and mothers on exclusive breastfeeding. To understand this phenomenon, the study examined the relationship between birth weight and birth size and their influence on exclusive breastfeeding. Furthermore, the study examined experiences of exclusive and non-exclusive breastfeeding mothers and health workers. A mixed research method approach was used to achieve the objectives of this study. Quantitative data was taken from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey while the qualitative method used an in-depth interview involving sixteen exclusive and non-exclusive breastfeeding mothers and four health workers. A binary logistic regression was used to examine the influence of birth weight and birth size on exclusive breastfeeding whilst the qualitative data was analysed thematically. The results of the study showed that exclusive breastfeeding prevalence is 54.8%. The majority (85%) of the infants were of normal birth weight. About 52% of the infants were perceived by their mothers to be of small birth size. On maternal characteristics, about two-thirds of the mothers had secondary education, married with at least one child and slightly more than one-third were Akan. Also, the findings showed that there was a low or weak relationship between birth weight and birth size. Exclusive breastfeeding was significantly predicted by birth weight, birth size and other factors such as the age of the child, household wealth quintile, ethnicity, and religion. The results of the qualitative analysis showed that mothers relied on birth weight rather than birth size to practice exclusive breastfeeding. Furthermore, the decision of the mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding was also based on information received at the health facilities, type of work engaged in, and advertisement. Both health workers and mothers expressed that exclusive breastfeeding served as a family planning method, makes children healthy and is very economical. Some of the challenges faced by exclusive breastfeeding mothers include pressure from family members, dizziness and breast sag. Mothers indicated that discontinuation of exclusive breastfeeding was due to insufficient flow of breast milk. Also, mothers eat healthy food and breastfeed when needed to manage exclusive breastfeeding. In addition, counselling and monitoring mothers, maternity leave and advertisement were identified by health workers as ways of improving exclusive breastfeeding practice. The study concludes that both birth weight and birth size were significant predictors of exclusive breastfeeding. However, validation of the relationship between birth weight and birth size showed a low relationship. In the qualitative analysis, the results showed that mothers rely more on the birth weight of infants rather than the perceived birth size to practice exclusive breastfeeding. Health talk at the health facilities is very essential towards the practice of exclusive breastfeeding. Due to the limited data on birth weight, this study recommends that health workers should be sensitised to record birth weight of infants at birth especially for deliveries occurring outside the health facilities as well as encouraging mothers to keep their health records book. Furthermore, maternity leave should be extended from three months to at least six months to help working mothers to complete exclusive breastfeeding practice.Item Enablers and inhibitors of exclusive breastfeeding: perspectives from mothers and health workers in Accra, Ghana(International Breastfeeding Journal, 2022) Agyekum, M.W.; Codjoe, S.N.A.; Dake, F.A.A.; Abu, M.Background: Despite the health and economic benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, there is evidence of a decline globally and in Ghana. Previous studies addressing this problem are mostly quantitative with only a few of such studies using qualitative or mixed methods to examine the predictors, benefits, ways of improving and managing exclusive breastfeeding, and the challenges associated with exclusive breastfeeding from the perspective of exclusive and nonexclusive breastfeeding mothers, and health workers. This study employs the health belief model to examine the experiences of mothers and health workers regarding exclusive breastfeeding to fill this gap in the literature. Methods: A cross-sectional qualitative study involving in-depth interviews was conducted among health workers and mothers attending child welfare clinic at two polyclinics in Madina, Accra-Ghana in 2019. Purposive sampling was used to select health facilities and participants for the study. Twenty participants comprising ten exclusive breastfeeding mothers, six non-exclusive breastfeeding mothers and four health workers were interviewed for the study. The data were analyzed based on emerging themes from inductive and deductive coding. Results: The decision to practice exclusive breastfeeding was based on mothers’ work, advertisement on exclusive breastfeeding and education on breastfeeding provided by health workers. Insufficient flow of breast milk, pressure from family and friends, and insufficient breast milk for infants were among the reasons for discontinuing exclusive breastfeeding. The factors that help improve exclusive breastfeeding include eating healthy food and breastfeeding on demand, while counselling and monitoring, restricting advertisement on infant formula and granting maternity leave for breastfeeding mothers were identified as factors that can facilitate the practice of exclusive breastfeeding. Conclusion: Different levels of experience affect and shape exclusive breastfeeding practice in Ghana. The decision to practice exclusive breastfeeding, as well as the challenges and strategies employed in managing exclusive breastfeeding, emanates from mothers’ personal experiences and interactions with institutional factors. In view of this, there should be counselling on the management of challenges associated with exclusive breastfeeding and provision of accurate information on exclusive breastfeeding to enable mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding.Item Enablers and inhibitors of exclusive breastfeeding: perspectives from mothers and health workers in Accra, Ghana(2022) Agyekum, M.W.; Codjoe, S.N.A.; Dake, F.A.A.; Abu, M.Background: Despite the health and economic benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, there is evidence of a decline globally and in Ghana. Previous studies addressing this problem are mostly quantitative with only a few of such studies using qualitative or mixed methods to examine the predictors, benefits, ways of improving and managing exclusive breastfeeding, and the challenges associated with exclusive breastfeeding from the perspective of exclusive and nonexclusive breastfeeding mothers, and health workers. This study employs the health belief model to examine the experiences of mothers and health workers regarding exclusive breastfeeding to fill this gap in the literature. Methods: A cross-sectional qualitative study involving in-depth interviews was conducted among health workers and mothers attending child welfare clinic at two polyclinics in Madina, Accra-Ghana in 2019. Purposive sampling was used to select health facilities and participants for the study. Twenty participants comprising ten exclusive breastfeeding mothers, six non-exclusive breastfeeding mothers and four health workers were interviewed for the study. The data were analyzed based on emerging themes from inductive and deductive coding. Results: The decision to practice exclusive breastfeeding was based on mothers’ work, advertisement on exclusive breastfeeding and education on breastfeeding provided by health workers. Insufficient flow of breast milk, pressure from family and friends, and insufficient breast milk for infants were among the reasons for discontinuing exclusive breastfeeding. The factors that help improve exclusive breastfeeding include eating healthy food and breastfeeding on demand, while counselling and monitoring, restricting advertisement on infant formula and granting maternity leave for breastfeeding mothers were identified as factors that can facilitate the practice of exclusive breastfeeding. Conclusion: Different levels of experience affect and shape exclusive breastfeeding practice in Ghana. The decision to practice exclusive breastfeeding, as well as the challenges and strategies employed in managing exclusive breastfeeding, emanates from mothers’ personal experiences and interactions with institutional factors. In view of this, there should be counselling on the management of challenges associated with exclusive breastfeeding and provision of accurate information on exclusive breastfeeding to enable mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding. Keywords: Exclusive breastfeeding, Decision making, Discontinuation, Enablers and inhibitors, GhanaItem Facilitators and barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake among women in two regions of Ghana: A qualitative study(PLOS ONE, 2022) Afrifa-Anane, G.F.; Larbi, R.T.; Addo, B.; Agyekum, M.W.; Kyei-Arthur, F.; Appiah, M.; et al.Abstract Although COVID-19 vaccines are available, evidence suggests that several factors hinder or facilitate their use. Several studies have found gender differences in COVID-19 vaccine uptake, with women less likely to vaccinate than men in many countries, including Ghana. These studies, however, have primarily been quantitative. This study used a qualitative approach to examine the facilitators and barriers to vaccine uptake among women in Ghana. Using a cross-sectional descriptive qualitative research design, 30 women in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions of Ghana were conveniently sampled and interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Fifteen (15) interviews were conducted in each region. The data were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using QSR NVivo version 10 software. Among the key factors that facilitate COVID-19 vaccination are the desire to protect oneself and family against COVID-19, education about COVID-19 vaccines, seeing others receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and vaccine being cost-free. On the other hand, long queues at the vaccination centres, fear of side effects, misconceptions about the vaccines, and shortage of vaccines were the main barriers against COVID-19 vaccination. The study results show that individual, institutional, and vaccine-related factors facilitate or hinder COVID-19 vaccination among women. Addressing these factors need continuous comprehensive health education, and ensuring vaccine availability at vaccination sites will improve women’s uptake of the COVID-19 vaccines.Item Factors associated with rural-urban safe disposal of children stools in Ghana(BMC Research Notes, 2024) Frempong-Ainguah, F.; Agyekum, M.W.; Yeboah, S.B.; Nyieku, F.E.Introduction The burden of children’s disease in many low- and middle-income countries is associated with poor sanitation, including unsafe disposal of children’s stool. Infants and toddler stools pose a greater public health risk than adults. Studies on stool disposal in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Ghana have focused on prevalence, patterns, and associated factors. Nevertheless, these studies have not focused on factors that independently influence rural and/or urban child stool disposal. This study, therefore, examines factors associated with safe child stool disposal in rural areas separately from urban areas towards Ghana’s readiness for ending open defecation by 2030. Methodology We examined young children’s faecal disposal, drawing on the sixth round of the nationally representative Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted in 2017/18. This study was restricted to children under two years, yielding a sub-sample of 3,476. Responses of caregivers or mothers who disposed of children less than two years faecal age, their characteristics in addition to the child’s age in months were analysed. A binary logistic regression was used to examine the factors associated with the safe disposal of young children’s stools. Results In the aggregated data, only 22% of households, regardless of their residence, dispose of their young children less than two years stools safely. From the disaggregated data, the rural analysis shows that 26% of young children’s stools were safely disposed of, compared to 16% in the urban analysis. The urban analysis shows that the child’s age, sex and caregiver’s marital status were significantly associated with safe disposal of stools. On the other hand, child’s age, caregiver listening to radio and household access to improved toilet facilities were significant in the rural analysis. Conclusion The safe practice of stool disposal was very low. The results of this study show that urgent and different policies and strategies are needed to address child stool disposal in urban residences compared to rural residences if we are to meet SDG targets of ending open defecationItem Perceptions about COVID-19 preventive measures among Ghanaian women(PLOS ONE, 2023) Kyei-ArthurI, F.; Agyekum, M.W.; Afrifa-Anane, D.F.; Larbi, R.T.; Kisaakye, P.Though the advent of COVID-19 vaccines has significantly reduced severe morbidity and mortality, infection rates continue to rise. Therefore, adhering to COVID-19 preventive mea sures remains essential in the fight against the pandemic, particularly in Africa, where vacci nation rates remain low. However, the perceived risk associated with COVID-19 and public education and awareness campaigns has waned over time. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is consistently high among women globally. This study, therefore, assessed the facilitators, and barriers to adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted among Ghanaian women. Twenty-seven in-depth interviews were conducted with women in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim into English. The data were analysed using NVivo 10 software. While some participants found the use of face masks as the easiest, others found it as the most difficult. In addition, institutional and policy decisions such as access to water and the use of public transport impacted individual level adherence to preventive measures. In conclusion, the fight against COVID-19 is not over; hence public education and the provi sion of facilities that would enhance compliance with preventive measures should continue to be prioritised.Item Perceptions about COVID-19 preventive measures among Ghanaian women(PLOS ONE, 2023) Kyei-Arthur, F.; Agyekum, M.W.; Larbi, R.T.; et al.Though the advent of COVID-19 vaccines has significantly reduced severe morbidity and mortality, infection rates continue to rise. Therefore, adhering to COVID-19 preventive mea sures remains essential in the fight against the pandemic, particularly in Africa, where vacci nation rates remain low. However, the perceived risk associated with COVID-19 and public education and awareness campaigns has waned over time. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is consistently high among women globally. This study, therefore, assessed the facilitators, and barriers to adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted among Ghanaian women. Twenty-seven in-depth interviews were conducted with women in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim into English. The data were analysed using NVivo 10 software. While some participants found the use of face masks as the easiest, others found it as the most difficult. In addition, institutional and policy decisions such as access to water and the use of public transport impacted individual level adherence to preventive measures. In conclusion, the fight against COVID-19 is not over; hence public education and the provi sion of facilities that would enhance compliance with preventive measures should continue to be prioritised.Item Postpartum contraceptive initiation and use: Evidence from Accra, Ghana(Women’s Health, 2022) Agula, C.; Henry, E.G.; Asuming, P.O.; Obeng-Dwamena, A.; Toprah, T.; Agyekum, M.W.; Shah, I.; Bawah, A.A.Background: Postpartum contraceptive use reduces unintended pregnancies and results in better health outcomes for children and women. However, there is a dearth of knowledge on postpartum contraceptive use in Ghana, particularly among women in low-income urban settings. To shed light on strategies that might enhance access to postpartum family planning services in low-income urban settings, we examined contraceptive use among postpartum women in Accra, Ghana, at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months following the birth and the methods used. The predictors of modern contraceptive use in the 12-month postpartum period were also examined. Methods: Data come from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2018 among 624 women aged 16–44 years who reported giving birth in the past 13–31 months prior to the interview. We generated descriptive statistics to examine the prevalence of contraceptive use among postpartum women at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after birth. We further estimated a binary logistic regression to examine the predictors of modern contraceptive use at 12 months postpartum. Results: Forty percent of postpartum women never used any contraceptive method during 1 year after birth and of those who used a method, 40% relied on traditional methods. Moreover, 29% of women started using a method the immediate 1 month post-birth. Results further show that postpartum modern contraceptive uptake was positively associated with higher education, having more live births, and being currently in a union. Conclusions: Findings highlight that there may be opportunities to improve the quality of counseling during antenatal and postnatal care visits by clients to ensure fully informed choices regarding postpartum contraception. Community outreach by health providers/promoters or similar models should be promoted in low-income population settings to educate postpartum women on modern contraceptive use. Women who plan to use traditional methods should be provided with information on the consistent and correct use of these methodsItem Use of any contraceptive method among women in rural communities in the eastern region of Ghana: a cross-sectional study(BMC Public Health, 2023) Yeboah, I.; Agyekum, M.W.; Christian, A.K.; et al.Background In Ghana, there is an increase in contraceptive use for traditional and modern methods in rural areas. This study seeks to examine the prevalence and determinants of current use of any contraceptive method among women of reproductive age in the rural Eastern Region of Ghana. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among women of reproductive age in the rural Eastern region of Ghana. A structured questionnaire was used to interview women in rural Lower Manya and Upper Manya Krobo districts of Eastern region who were selected using a simple random sampling technique. The data were analysed using Stata version 16. A Binary logistic regression was used to examine the determinants of current use of any contraceptive use (traditional and modern methods). Results The prevalence of contraceptive use was 27.8%. In the adjusted analysis of binary logistic regression, contraceptive use was significantly lower (aOR=0.24; 95%CI=0.10–0.56; p=0.001) among respondents aged 41–49 years compared to those aged 18–35 years. Contraceptive use was significantly lower among migrants (aOR:0.53; 95%CI:0.28–0.99; p=0.048) compared with non-migrant. Conclusion The prevalence of any contraceptive use among rural women was low. Government and other stakeholders need to create awareness about contraception in the rural areas of Eastern region of Ghana and that would help increase contraceptive methods utilization. In addition, family planning programs should target migrants to design an intervention to increase contraceptive use in rural areas.