Browsing by Author "Luginaah, I."
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Item An Assessment of Residents’ Housing Satisfaction and Coping in Accra, Ghana(Springer, 2011) Baiden, P.; Arku, G.; Luginaah, I.; Asiedu, A.B.Aim: The present paper is an original research that explores housing satisfaction and residents’ ability to cope with day-to-day demands, taking into account other dimensions of housing and socio-demographic factors. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional survey (n=562) was randomly administered to residents in three neighbour-hoods (Labone, Asylum Down and Nima) in Accra, Ghana. The association between the outcome variables and housing attributes were analysed using logistic regression. Results: The findings indicate that housing satisfaction was significantly predicted by age, with older people more likely to be dissatisfied with their housing arrangement. Respondents were dissatisfied with housing arrangements if they lived in Nima [odds ratio (OR) =2.75, p<.001], Asylum Down (OR=1.72, p<.01), crowded households (OR=1.158, p<.05) or in compound houses (OR=2.50, p<.001). In the context of housing attribute variables, respondent’s ability to cope with day-to-day demands was significantly associated to their income level. Odour annoyance as an indicator of housing condition emerged as a strong predictor of respondent’s inability to cope with daily demands with OR ranging from 1.68 to 2.33. Those who were dissatisfied with the location of their home as a place to live also reported poor coping abilities (OR=1.86, p<.01). Discussion and conclusions: From the findings, government policy on housing should encourage the construction of more affordable housing units to ease the crowding situation in Accra. There is also a need for the Accra City Council to provide clearer guidelines for both tenants and landlords in response to increasing tenancy disputes in context.Item Association of Arsenic and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes/Infant Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.(Open Access, 2015-05) Quansah, R.; Armah, F.A.; Essumang, D.K.; Luginaah, I.; Clarke, E.; Marfoh, K.; Cobbina, S.J.; Nketiah-Amponsah, E.; Namujju, P.B.; Obiri, S.; Dzodzomenyo, M.Background Exposure to arsenic is one of the major global health problems, affecting > 300 million people worldwide, but arsenic’s effects on human reproduction are uncertain. Objectives We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the association between arsenic and adverse pregnancy outcomes/infant mortality. Methods We searched PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE (from 1946 through July 2013) and EMBASE (from 1988 through July 2013) databases and the reference lists of reviews and relevant articles. Studies satisfying our a priori eligibility criteria were evaluated independently by two authors. Results Our systematic search yielded 888 articles; of these, 23 were included in the systematic review. Sixteen provided sufficient data for our quantitative analysis. Arsenic in groundwater (≥ 50 μg/L) was associated with increased risk of spontaneous abortion (6 studies: OR = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.27, 3.10), stillbirth (9 studies: OR = 1.77; 95% CI: 1.32, 2.36), moderate risk of neonatal mortality (5 studies: OR = 1.51; 95% CI: 1.28, 1.78), and infant mortality (7 studies: OR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.62). Exposure to environmental arsenic was associated with a significant reduction in birth weight (4 studies: β = –53.2 g; 95% CI: –94.9, –11.4). There was paucity of evidence for low-to-moderate arsenic dose. Conclusions Arsenic is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and infant mortality. The interpretation of the causal association is hampered by methodological challenges and limited number of studies on dose response. Exposure to arsenic continues to be a major global health issue, and we therefore advocate for high-quality prospective studies that include individual-level data to quantify the impact of arsenic on adverse pregnancy outcomes/infant mortality.Item Effectiveness of interventions to reduce indoor air pollution and/or improve health in homes using solid fuel in lower and middle income countries: Protocol for a systematic review(Systematic Reviews, 2015-12) Quansah, R.; Ochieng, C.A.; Semple, S.; Juvekar, S.; Emina, J.; Armah, F.A.; Luginaah, I.Background: Indoor air pollution (IAP) interventions are widely promoted as a means of reducing indoor air pollution/health from solid fuel use; and research addressing impact of these interventions has increased substantially in the past two decades. It is timely and important to understand more about effectiveness of these interventions. We describe the protocol of a systematic review to (i) evaluate effectiveness of IAP interventions to improve indoor air quality and/or health in homes using solid fuel for cooking and/or heating in lower- and middle-income countries, (ii) identify the most effective intervention to improve indoor air quality and/or health, and (iii) identify future research needs. Methods: This review will be conducted according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and will be reported following the PRISMA statement. Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, SCOPUS, and PubMed searches were conducted in September 2013 and updated in November 2014 (and include any further search updates in February 2015). Additional references will be located through searching the references cited by identified studies and through the World Health Organization Global database of household air pollution measurements. We will also search our own archives. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment of all included papers will be conducted independently by five reviewers. Discussion: The study will provide insights into what interventions are most effective in reducing indoor air pollution and/or adverse health outcomes in homes using solid fuel for cooking or heating in lower- or middle-income countries. The findings from this review will be used to inform future IAP interventions and policy on poverty reduction and health improvement in poor communities who rely on biomass and solid fuels for cooking and heating. Systematic review registration: The review has been registered with PROSPERO (registration number CRD42014009768 ). © 2015 Quansah et al.; licensee BioMed Central.Item Historical perspective and risk of multiple neglected tropical diseases in coastal Tanzania: Compositional and contextual determinants of disease risk(Public Library of Science, 2015) Armah, F.A.; Quansah, R.; Luginaah, I.; Chuenpagdee, R.; Hambati, H.; Campbell, G.Background: In the past decade, research on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) has intensified in response to the need to enhance community participation in health delivery, establish monitoring and surveillance systems, and integrate existing disease-specific treatment programs to control overlapping NTD burdens and detrimental effects. In this paper, we evaluated the geographical distribution of NTDs in coastal Tanzania. Methods and Findings: We also assessed the collective (compositional and contextual) factors that currently determine risks to multiple NTDs using a cross sectional survey of 1253 individuals in coastal Tanzania. The results show that the effect size in decreasing order of magnitude for non-binary predictors of NTD risks is as follows: NTD comorbidities > poverty > educational attainment > self-reported household quality of life > ethnicity. The multivariate analysis explained 95% of the variance in the relationship between NTD risks and the theoreticallyrelevant covariates. Compositional (biosocial and sociocultural) factors explained more variance at the neighbourhood level than at the regional level, whereas contextual factors, such as access to health services and household quality, in districts explained a large proportion of variance at the regional level but individually had modest statistical significance, demonstrating the complex interactions between compositional and contextual factors in generating NTD risks. Conclusions: NTD risks were inequitably distributed over geographic space, which has several important policy implications. First, it suggests that localities of high burden of NTDs are likely to diminish within statistical averages at higher (regional or national) levels. Second, it indicates that curative or preventive interventions will become more efficient provided they can be focused on the localities, particularly as populations in these localities are likely to be burdened by several NTDs simultaneously, further increasing the imperative of multi-disease interventions. © 2015 Armah et al.Item Housing and health in three contrasting neighbourhoods in Accra, Ghana(Elsevier, Social Science & Medicine, 2011) Arku, G.; Luginaah, I.; Mkandawire, P.; Baiden, P.; Asiedu, A.B.Although the literature on housing and health is extensive, most research comes from developed countries. Relatively little work on the topic has been done in developing countries such as Ghana where socio-economic and cultural characteristics are generally different. This paper reports on primary research that investigates the relationship between housing and self reported general and mental health in Accra, Ghana. The study focused on how the social and economic dimensions of housing, specifically, demand, control and material attributes (affordability, dwelling type) influence individuals’ attachment to their home as a refuge for daily living. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a randomly selected sample (n ¼ 562) in three contrasting neighbourhoods. Overall, housing conditions, demand and control residents have to where they live, emerged as significant predictors of self reported general and mental health status. The influence of these variables superseded well known correlates of health status, income and educational attainment, attesting to their importance in a worsening housing environment. The findings point to the need for policy that recognizes that housing is not only a physical shelter but also an important health resource.Item Of waste facility siting and relational geographies of place: Peri-urban landfills, community resistance and the politics of land control in Ghana(Land Use Policy, 2020-04-02) Oteng-Ababio, M.; Kansanga, M.M.; Ahmed, A.; Kuusaana, E.D.; Luginaah, I.The siting of landfills in peri-urban spaces is seen as both a solution to land scarcity in inner cities and a development opportunity for rural hinterlands. Despite the widespread reliance on landfills for managing urban waste in Ghana, their operation tends to ignite land use conflicts at different scales. However, existing studies on the drivers of these conflicts have mostly failed to situate local resistance within the broader political economy of land control. Drawing on a longstanding landfill conflict in northern Ghana, this contribution shows how under the guise of landfills, the land question in peri-urban spaces is contested. While at face value the landfill struggle appears to be fuelled by the associated poor environmental conditions and health risks of waste from the inner city, our findings reveal the role of diverse incongruities including: (i) the crafty tactics deployed by state institutions in land acquisition for 'public interest', (ii) payment of unrealistic consideration, and (iii) diversion of designated public lands to undeclared uses. Amid these contestations, the notion of territorial belonging by peri-urban communities often runs counter to statutory ordering by the government who hold such hitherto private lands for ‘public interest’. Powerful local actors such as chiefs hide behind community agitations with hopes of controlling land if such contestations materialize. These dynamics have ramifications for the achievement of the New Urban Agenda of Habitat III, which focuses on secondary cities. A sustainable resolution of landfill-related conflicts must therefore begin with addressing the land question in peri-urban spaces.Item The Relationship Between Climate Change, Globalization And Non-Communicable Diseases In Africa: A Systematic Review(PLOS ONE, 2024) Siiba, A.; Baatiema, L.; Kangmennaang, J.; Luginaah, I.Climate change and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are considered the 21st Century’s major health and development challenges. Both pose a disproportionate burden on low- and middle-income countries that are unprepared to cope with their synergistic effects. These two challenges pose risks for achieving many of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and are both impacted by globalization through different pathways. While there are important insights on how climate change and or globalization impact NCDs in the general literature, comprehensive research that explores the influence of climate change and or globalization on NCDs is limited, particularly in the context of Africa. This review documents the pathways through which climate change and or globalization influence NCDs in Africa. We conducted a comprehensive literature search in eight electronic databases—Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Global Health Library, Science Direct, Medline, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. A total of 13864 studies were identified. Studies that were identified from more than one of the databases was automatically removed as a duplicate (n = 9649). Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), guidelines, a total of 27 studies were eventually included in the final review. We found that the impacts of climate change and or globalization on NCDs act through three potential pathways: reduction in food production and nutrition, urbanization and transformation of food systems. Our review contributes to the existing literature by providing insights into the impact of climate change and or globalization on human health. We believe that our findings will help enlighten policy makers working on these pathways to facilitate the development of effective policy and public health interventions to mitigate the effects of climate change and globalization on the rising burden of NCDs and goal 3 of the SDG, in particular.Item Respiratory and non-respiratory symptoms associated with pesticide management practices among farmers in Ghana's most important vegetable hub.(Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2019-11-04) Quansah, R.; Bend, J.R.; Armah, F.A.; Bonney, F.; Aseidu, J.; Yawson, D.O.; Adu, M.O.; Luginaah, I.; Essumang, D.K.; Abdul-Rahaman, A.; Cobbina, S.; Iddi, S.; Tersigni, M.; Afful, S.; Osei-Fosu, P.; Nketiah-Amponsah, E.The data presented here are from the Offinso North District Farm Health Study (ONFAHS), a population-based cross-sectional study among vegetable farmers in Ghana. The paper addresses knowledge, pesticide handling practices, and protective measures related to pesticide use by self-reported symptoms for 310 adult farmers who completed a comprehensive questionnaire on pesticide management practices and health. In addition, an inventory was prepared using information supplied by pesticide sellers/dealers in this district. We report that cough and wheezing (but not breathlessness) are positively associated with stirring pesticide preparations with bare hands/drinking water while mixing/applying pesticides, and stirring pesticide preparations with bare hands/drinking water/smoking cigarettes while mixing/applying pesticides. There is a significant exposure-response association between the number of precautionary measures practiced while handling pesticides and cough and wheezing but not with breathlessness. We also found unsafe practices to be associated with sexual dysfunction, nervousness, and lack of concentration. The results also suggest a negative association between practice of any precautionary measure when mixing/applying pesticides and sexual dysfunction, nervousness, and lack of concentration. We found that in spite of the fact that farmers have adequate knowledge about the environment and health effects of pesticides, several unhygienic practices are in widespread use, indicating that knowledge is not necessarily always translated in action. Further action is necessary to promote the safe use of pesticides and to replace existing poor management practices among these and other farmers in Ghana.Item Urinary Pesticide Residual Levels and Acute Respiratory Infections in Children Under 5 Years of Age: Findings From the Offinso North Farm Health Study(SAGE, 2022) Akyeampong, E.; Bend, J.R.; Luginaah, I.; Yawson, D.O.; Cobbina, S.J.; Armah, F.A.; Adu, M.O.; Essumang, D.K.; Iddi, S.; Botwe, P.K.; Quansah, R.Background: Several environmental factors are associated with the risk of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs) and upper respiratory infections (URIs) in children under 5 years of age (YOA). Evidence implicating chemical pesticides remains equivocal. There are also no data on this subject in these children in Ghana. This study investigated the association between urinary pesticide residual levels and the risk for ALRIs/URIs in children under 5 YOA. Methods: The participants for this study were from the Offinso North Farm Health Study, a population-based cross-sectional study. Two hundred and fifty four parents/guardians who had answered affirmatively to the question “Has your child ever accompanied you to the farm?” were interviewed on household socio-demographic and environmental factors, being breastfed, child education, age, gender, and respiratory infection. One hundred fifty children were randomly selected to provide the first void urine. Results : The proportion of children with ALRI was 22.1% and those with URI was 35.8%. We observed a statistically significant exposureresponse relation of p,p′-DDE (tertile) with ALRI (1.7-3.2 μg/L urine: prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.22 [1.05-1.70], ⩾3.2 μg/L urine: 1.50 [1.07-3.53] [P-for trend = .0297]). This observation was in children older than two YOA (P-for trend = .0404). Delta-HCH and beta-HCH (2-levels) were significantly associated with ALRI but not URI. The risk of ALRI increased with deltamethrin levels in an exposure-response manner (2.5- 9.5 μg/L urine: 2.10 [1.37-3.24], ⩾9.5 μg/L urine: 4.38 [1.87-10.32] [P-for trend = .0011]) and this was also observed in children older than two YOA. Similar observation was noted for URI. Bifenthrin (>0.5 μg/L urine) was positively associated with ALRI and URI whereas permethrin (⩾1.2 μg/L urine) was not associated only with URI. Conclusions : The present study supports the hypothesis that exposure to chemical pesticides is associated with respiratory infections in children under 5 YOA.Item “We have done nothing wrong”: Youth miners’ perceptions of the environmental consequences of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Ghana(The Extractive Industries and Society, 2022) Osei, L.; Arku, G.; Luginaah, I.Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) has gained prominence across sub-Saharan Africa for generating employment and ameliorating hardships for rural populations, especially the youth. However, the associated destructive environmental impacts raise questions about its suitability as employment avenue for youth when considered within the mining-sustainability discourse. This article contributes to the discussions on ASM and its effect on the environment by investigating how youth artisanal and small-scale miners perceive the environmental implications of their own operations in the Upper East Region (UER) of Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with forty-five (45) ‘youth’ miners and three (3) purposely sampled government officials. Overall, the findings suggest that ASM operators do not consider themselves perpetrators of environmental destruction. More importantly, most youth ASM operators seem to lack considerable knowledge on the long-term harm their work may be posing to the environment. Those who acknowledged that activities resulted in environmental degradation argued that their financial needs for survival supersedes any immediate or long-term environmental cost. Given the low level of education among miners about the environmental implications of their activities, the findings call for an urgent need for proper education among ASM miners. Furthermore, in light of the fact that government’s policy of criminalizing ASM seems to constantly fail; there needs to be a shift from criminalizing ASM operators towards collaborative engagements in their quest to protect Ghana’s fragile environment