Browsing by Author "Mumuni, A."

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Climate-Related Vulnerability and Migration: A Comparative Study of Buoku and Bofie-Banda Communities in the Wenchi District
(University of Ghana, 2010-06) Mumuni, A.
The population mobility and environment nexus has received a lot of attention in the field of population-environment studies in recent times. Increasing concerns about consequences of climate change for human population have further fueled the interest in the subject. The interest has not, however, resolved the debate on exactly what constitutes climate-induced movement, how to explain it, or what the magnitude is. The study examines the extent to which migration has been used as a livelihood strategy in response to climatic changes. The study uses a mixed method approach of both qualitative and quantitative instruments. Twenty four households were involved in the qualitative study whilst 100 households were interviewed in Bouku and Bofie-Banda respectively in the Wenchi District in the Brong Ahafo Region in the quantitative survey. Data were analysed using analytic and descriptive statistics to examine the direct and indirect influences of climate change on the decision to migrate at the household level. The results indicate that, the mean deviation of the mean of experience of only flood or drought is positive in the savanna zone when other independent variables and covariates are controlled whilst that of the forest zone is negative. People, consciously or unconsciously, either adapt to situations or migrate to other communities when they have no alternative choices. Farmers in Bofie-Banda presently cultivate cassava and cashew which, they say, is able to do well under the current rainfall regime in the area. Farmers in Bouku have started cultivating tiger nuts as an additional crop that is able to bring income to the family no matter the weather situation. Among other things, it is recommended that sustainable adaptation strategies to climate related environmental events should be promoted in rural communities in Ghana.
Flooding and Diarrhoeal Disease Incidence in Urban Poor Communities in Accra, Ghana. Investigating the Effects of Risk Perception Measures
(University of Ghana, 2013-12) Mumuni, A.; Codjoe, S.N.A.; Adiku, S.K.; Dodoo, F.
Flooding is an environmental challenge faced by many nations in the 21 st Century. Studies have shown that recent floods in cities are responsible for the outbreak of cholera and non-cholera diarrhoea, but there is little work on the risk perceptions of diarrhoea resulting from flooding. Also, it is not known how risk perceptions of diarrhoea mediate the relationship between flooding and diarrhoeal disease. The risk perceptions people develop resulting from their exposure to floods is the key driver of the measures they will employ to avert the health effects of it. Measurement of risk perceptions has, therefore become an important topic to policy makers concerned with risk management, communication and safety issues. Accurate measurement of risk perceptions is considered a crucial aspect of managing hazards as it directs the development of hazard mitigation strategies. This study examines how three risk perception measures of diarrhoeal disease explain the flooding and diarrhoeal disease relationship in urban poor communities in Accra. Two main sources of data were used for the study. Firstly, time series data on rainfall from the Ghana Meteorological Agency and data on reported diarrhoea cases from the Center for Health Information Management, Ghana Health Services, for Ashiedu- Keteke sub-Metropolitan Area of Accra were used to examine the relationship between flooding and diarrhoeal disease in the study communities. Second, cross-sectional data from two urban poor neighbourhoods (Agbogbloshie and James Town) in Accra, Ghana, consisting of five enumeration areas (EAs) from Agbogbloshsie and nine enumeration areas from James Town, were used to examine the effects of the three risk perception measures on the relationship between flooding and diarrhoeal disease. A total of 401 households involved in the study were asked to rate the chance of a member of their household being diagnosed with diarrhoeal disease within the first four weeks after the October 26 th 2011 flooding of Accra on a 0-100% numerical risk perception scale and a verbal and comparative risk perceptions scale with five descriptive categories each. The study employed the Granger causality test to examine whether flooding predicts incidence of diarrhoea in the Ashiedu-Keteke sub-Metropolitan area of Accra. To examine the effect of risk perceptions on the relationship between flooding and diarrhoea, binary logistic regression analysis was used. The study revealed that flood Granger cause incidence of diarrhoea in the Ashiedu-Keteke sub-Metropolitan Area of Accra. Experience of the October 26 th , 2011 floods predict incidence of diarrhoea in the study communities. The numeric, verbal and comparative risk perception measures were all significant predictors of incidence of diarrhoea in households. Overall, the numeric risk perception measure did best in identifying households at high or low risk of diarrhoea than the verbal and the comparative risk perception measures. Other significant predictors of diarrhoeal disease were household source of drinking water, distance to the nearest refuse collection point and presence of cockroaches in households. The study recommends research into risk perceptions of people in addressing critical global issues and also calls for education on water and sanitation, which are critical in diarrhoeal disease transmission in the event of flooding.