Browsing by Subject "Accessibility"
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Item Access Barriers Encountered By Persons With Mobility Disabilities In Accra, Ghana(Journal of Social Inclusion, 2019) Naami, A.The environment is a critical factor for participation for everyone. The need for accessible transportation and a built environment for persons with disabilities to enjoy their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms cannot be overemphasized. This study sought to understand the daily experiences of persons with mobility disabilities with physical and transportation barriers in Accra-Ghana. Photovoice methodology was used to enable participants to tell their stories about access barriers that they encountered daily. A total of 153 pictures remained, out of 431, after the final selection of pictures that best communicated participants’ experiences with accessibility. These pictures were accompanied by 95 narratives corresponding to the content of the pictures as well as the messages that the participants sought to communicate. The pictures were taken from 11 different physical and transportation environments. Evidence from the study demonstrates the existence of barriers in the built environment and transportation, which impact negatively on the psychological and social lives of persons with mobility disabilities. The need for the removal of identified barriers to empowering persons with disabilities for sustainable development cannot be overemphasized. The paper, therefore, concludes with recommendations targeting the government, social workers, and disability activists about strategies to improve access to participation for persons with mobility disabilities.Item Access to Basic Services among Male and Female-Headed Migrant Households in Old Fadama, Accra(University of Ghana, 2017-07) Botchway, N.E.E.Old Fadama is an informal settlement which lacks legal recognition and is often exempted from the city’s planning and development agenda. Basic services such as toilet, electricity, water, bathhouse and housing are often under pressure due to the high population within the area. Studies done on the accessibility of basic services within the area often focus on the migrant household as one unit without distinguishing between those of the male and female migrant households and their differences in accessibility of basic services. This study seeks to investigate the extent of financial and physical accessibility of basic services to the male and female- headed migrant households of Old Fadama. This study examined the physical and economic accessibility of basic services among male and female-headed migrant households within Old Fadama. In addition, it discussed their coping strategies as well as the effect of acessibility on their livelihoods. The study employed the use of the mixed method approach involving the issuing of seventy-two (72) and forty-eight (48) structured questionnaires to male and female-headed migrant households respectively. In-depth interviews were also conducted with officials from Ghana Water Company Limited, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Electricity Company of Ghana, Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, Ministry of Works and Housing as well as an opinion leader within the community. The study revealed that basic services such as water, toilet, bath house and waste collection bins were not found within the residence of male and female-headed migrant households. They therefore relied on informal vendors to provide them with these services, due to the refusal of service providers of these basic services to extend their services to them. Informal vendors charged exhorbitant prices forcing migrant households to develop various coping strategies so as to meet their household needs. Female-headed migrant households spent more than their male counterparts in accessing basic services. To meet household needs, they engaged in multiple livelihoods. Their male counterparts on the other hand, were willing but unable to engage in multiple livelihoods due to the lack of jobs and unavailable capital to start their own. Male households therefore relied more on their networks and agency than their female counterparts in order to access basic services or survive in the urban poor space of Old Fadama. The study recommended for a dialogue between the government and appropriate institutions about the future of Old Fadama which should include a possible relocation of the entire market and slum area to a more planned vicinity with a check on the sprouting of illegal structures. Additionally, it recommended a possible check on the activities of private vendors of water, waste, public toilets and baths as well as other services so as to prevent extortion by these businesses of urban poor individuals.Item Accessibility Of Academic Library Services To Distance Learners: A Study Of University Of Ghana Library System(University of Ghana, 2015-07) Bubuama, C.K.A.This study seeks to investigate the accessibility of academic library services to distance learners, with specific reference to University of Ghana Library System (UGLS). The general objective of the study is to assess the level of awareness and accessibility of library services to distance students. A survey was conducted and one hundred and thirty eight (138) Level 400 distance learning students in the Accra Learning Centre together with University librarian of the University of Ghana were selected by the convenience and purposive sampling methods to collect primary data using questionnaires and interviews respectively. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and thematic analysis are used to analyze the completed questionnaire and interview responses respectively. The results from the findings revealed that a greater proportion of the respondents were not aware of the library services and programmes. Moreover, it was discovered that most of the subjects acquired their IT training through personal effort other than the University‘s. In addition, the study revealed that quite a number of the respondents were at the intermediate level with regard to IT or computer knowledge. Furthermore, distance learners had no remote access to library electronic resources and other databases and therefore did not strongly agree to the provision of their information needs through social media services. It was also evident that information needs of respondents were mostly not provided for adequately. The study recommended the following to the management of the University of Ghana Library System (UGLS); awareness creation of library resources, user education on Information Literacy of library resources and programmes, encouraging the use of social media, training/user education and initiation on borrowing of library resources.Item Accessibility of Rice Farmers to the Ghana School Feeding Programme and its Effect on Output(Agris On-line Papers in Economics and Informatics, 2015) Shaibu, A.F.; Al-Hassan, R.M.The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) is the Ghanaian version of a Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSP) that has a mandate to give one hot meal a day to school children in public schools from kindergarten through to primary six. The programme was launched in 2005 with the goal of contributing to poverty reduction and increased food security in Ghana. One of the key objectives of the programme is to boost domestic food production by sourcing GSFP raw materials locally, and providing a sustainable market for local food producers in the community. To analyse accessibility of rice farmers to the Ghana School Feeding Programme and its effect on production in three districts of the Northern Region of Ghana, a formal cross section survey of 100 small holder rice farmers was conducted. The transcendental logarithmic production function was applied to analyse the programme's effect on rice output in the three districts using access to the GSFP and other input variables. Our results show that farm labour, farm size, and fertilizer application were significant in increasing farmers' output while access to the GSFP market was not. Again there is no significant difference between the output of those who had access to the school feeding programme and those who do not.Item Adapting Disability Research Methods and Practices During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Experiences from the Field(Institute of Development Studies, 2022-07) Banks, L.M.; Willan, S.; Inglis-Jassiem, G.; Dunkle, K.; Ganle, J.; Shakespeare, T.; Khan, R.S.; Hameed, S.; Machisa, M.; Watson, N.; Carpenter, B.; Smythe, T.People with disabilities are often excluded from research, which may be exacerbated during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. This article provides an overview of key challenges, opportunities, and strategies for conducting disability-inclusive research during the pandemic, drawing on the experience of research teams working across ten countries on disability-focused studies. It covers adaptations that are relevant across the project lifecycle, including maintaining ethical standards and safeguarding; enabling active participation of people with disabilities; adapting remote research data collection tools and methods to meet accessibility, feasibility, and acceptability requirements; and promoting inclusive and effective analysis and dissemination. While this article is focused on adaptations during the pandemic, it is highly likely that the issues and strategies highlighted here will be relevant going forward, either in similar crises or as the world continues to move towards greater digital communication and connectedness.Item Adaptive Capacity and Cassava Farmers’ Adoption of Soil Conservation Techniques in the Wenchi Municipality of Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana(University of Ghana, 2017-07) Asiamah, R.N.Climate change and its variability are serious issues in the agriculture sector. They have serious consequences on the soil, hence, affecting agricultural production which in turn affects food security. As a result of the impacts of climate change on the soil, farmers need to adopt techniques that conserve the soil but the techniques cannot be adopted except the farmer has the capacity to adopt them. Hence, this study assesses farmers’ capacity to adopt three of the soil conservation techniques (mulching, ridging and mounding) as an adaptation strategy to climate change in the Wenchi Municipality. In assessing farmers’ adaptive capacity, the study described farmers’ perception of climate change and its variability using descriptive statistics. Adaptive capacity index using attributes (knowledge, use, availability, accessibility and consultation about the three techniques) were developed to determine farmers’ capacity to adopt the soil conservation techniques. Scores from 0.25 to 1 were assigned to the attributes depending on the farmer’s level of the attributes. The ordered logit model was used to estimate factors that affect farmers’ adaptive capacity, and the effect of adaptive capacity on the adoption of these techniques using multinomial logit. The results reveal that farmers perceived changes in climate variables. It is shown that on the average, farmers in the Wenchi Municipality have moderate capacity to adopt the three soil conservation techniques. The ordered logit model reveals that geographical location (Akrobi), farm size, access to extension services, other sources of income, and perception of a decreased rainfall are factors that influence the capacity to adopt soil conservation techniques. The multinomial logit model revealed that high adaptive capacity has a positive effect on the level of adoption of the soil conservation techniques. Therefore, the study recommends policy makers such as MOFA and extension officers to encourage farmers to adopt the soil conservation techniques and initiate trainings to enhance farmers’ adaptive capacity as high adaptive capacity is positively related to the adoption of the techniques.Item An Empirical Assessment Of The Impact Of Access To Credit On Farm Output: A Case Study Of Sefwi-Wiawso Municipality Ghana(Journal of Social Economics Research, 2019) Aduhene, D.T.; Boadu, S.; Obeng, E.The study examined the socio-demographic features of farmers and credit accessibility in the Sefwi-Wiawso Municipality Ghana. It also identifies the sources and factors influencing access to credit in the Sefwi-Wiawso Municipality. Primary data were obtained from 1,200 households and farmers within the Sefwi-Wiawso Municipal. The empirical analysis employed a logistic regression technique, the Tobit model, and the Endogenous Switching Regression Model (ESRM) to explore the accessibility of credit on productivity in the agriculture sector. The results revealed that age and gender are statistically significant in determining access to credit from both the logit and the endogenous regression models. The endogenous switching regression model further reveals that educational status, land ownership, and access to knowledge on credit significantly influence the amount of credit received by a particular farmer within the Sefwi-Wiawso Municipality. These findings have practical implications for the modernization of the Agriculture sector in Ghana. It is therefore important for various stakeholders to increase financial literacy among farming communities and financial institutions to increase credit accessibility in the Agriculture sector. It is therefore recommended that extension services provision, diversification of agriculture production, and easy access to credit from financial institutions in the Municipality be established to ensure increased agriculture production.Item Are essential medicines available, reliable and affordable in low-middle income countries?(Journal of Cancer Policy, 2019-03) Eden, T.; Burns, E.; Freccero, P.; Renner, L.; Paintsil, V.; Dolendo, M.; Scanlan, T.; Khaing, A.A.; Pina, M.; Islam, A.; Chunda-Liyoka, C.; Kouya, F.; Molyneux, E.A critical challenge for reducing the cancer survival disparity between children living in low-middle income countries (LMICs) and those in high income countries (HICs) is the apparent lack of consistent supplies of reliable, good quality, effective and affordable essential medicines for curative, supportive and palliative care in LMICs. Using a semi-structured 17 point questionnaire we asked ten paediatricians in nine countries for their perceptions of availability, accessibility, affordability and quality of the drugs they needed to treat their patients with cancer. All the countries needed to procure and import some or all of the required essential medicines. Despite their countries signing up to the latest World Health Organisation Essential Medicines Listing there were inconsistent supplies of key medicines. This occurred sometimes due to inadequate global production of some drugs but more often to failure of adequate registration, procurement, importation and distribution. Costs played a significant role regarding prompt importation in some of the countries and cheaper biosimilar drugs were procured often without certification of quality production and provenance. Where families carried the whole financial burden of drug costs the doctors cited it as a major but not the only reason for treatment refusal or subsequent abandonment. Only a concerted effort by each country, the WHO, ethical pharmaceutical companies and all worldwide medical and nursing groups, with the help of parent support organisations across the world can overcome the failure of access to, affordability of and ensured quality of these off -patent, generic drugs. This applies not just to childhood cancer but all medicines for communicable and non-communicable diseases.Item Determinants of Accessibility of Loans by Household Enterprises in Developing Countries: Evidence from Ghana(University of Ghana, 2018-07) Turkson, D.The problem of access to loans faced by household enterprises (HEs) is the motivation for this study. The study examined the determinants of access to loans in the various financial sectors. The objective of this study was to identify the factors that influence HEs’ access to loans in general and also their access to formal and informal loans, and also new strategies to finance HEs. The study focused on entrepreneurial characteristics and enterprise features that influence access to loans in Ghana. The study employed an informal enterprise survey of 729 household enterprises conducted in 2013 by the World Bank in Ghana. The Heckman Probit regression with sample selection model was used to estimate the determinants of access to loans because of the possibility of sample selection bias. But the ordinary Probit Model was later used for the estimations since there was no existence of selection bias. The results for total loans revealed that entrepreneur’s gender, household size, HE size and possession of assets are all positive significant factors that influence HEs’ access to loans. For the formal financial market, the results showed that the determinants of formal loans are entrepreneur’s experience, HE age, HE size and possession of asset. All these significant determinants of access to formal loans showed a positive relationship except HE age which indicated a negative relationship. Finally, the determinants of access to informal loans are entrepreneur’s gender and household size. In view of this, the study recommended that financial institutions should provide free training programs geared towards equipping HE entrepreneurs with the right loan application skills. Also, the government should formulate policies directed towards giving loans to female entrepreneurs in order for their HEs to move beyond survival to the place of growth and expansion. In addition, the government should provide loans for HEs in the transition from young to adulthood to enable such enterprises to cater for their sharp increase in cost.Item Food availability, accessibility and dietary practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multi-country survey(Cambridge University Press, 2021) Jafri, A.; Mathe, N.; Aglago, E.K.; Konyole, S.O.; Ouedraogo, M.; Audain, K.; Zongo, U.; Laar, A.K.; Johnson, J.; Sanou, D.Objective: To investigate the perceived effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown measures on food availability, accessibility, dietary practices and strategies used by participants to cope with these measures. Design: We conducted a cross-sectional multi-country online survey between May and July 2020. We used a study-specific questionnaire mainly based on the adap tation of questions to assess food security and coping strategies from the World Food Programme’s ‘Emergency Food Security Assessment’ and ‘The Coping Strategy Index’. Setting: The questionnaire was hosted online using Google Forms and shared using social media platforms. Participants: A total of 1075 adult participants from eighty-two countries com pleted the questionnaire. Results: As a prelude to COVID-19 lockdowns, 62·7 % of the participants reported to have stockpiled food, mainly cereals (59·5 % of the respondents) and legumes (48·8 %). An increase in the prices of staples, such as cereals and legumes, was widely reported. Price increases have been identified as an obstacle to food acquisition by 32·7 % of participants. Participants reported having lesser variety (50·4 %), quality (30·2 %) and quantity (39·2 %) of foods, with disparities across regions. Vulnerable groups were reported to be facing some struggle to acquire adequate food, especially people with chronic diseases (20·2 %), the elderly (17·3 %) and children (14·5 %). To cope with the situation, participants mostly relied on less preferred foods (49 %), reduced portion sizes (30 %) and/or reduced the number of meals (25·7 %). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted food accessibility and availability, altered dietary practices and worsened the food insecurity situation, particularly in the most fragile regions.Item Geographic accessibility to public health facilities providing tuberculosis testing services at point-of-care in the upper east region, Ghana(BMC Public Health, 2019-05-27) Adu, K.M.; Kuupiel, D.; Apiribu, F.; Bawontuo, V.; Adogboba, D.A.; Ali, K.T.; Mashamba-Thompson, T.P.Background: In Ghana, limited evidence exists about the geographical accessibility to health facilities providing tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic services to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, we aimed to assess the geographic accessibility to public health facilities providing TB testing services at point-of-care (POC) in the Upper East Region (UER), Ghana. Methods: We assembled detailed spatial data on all 10 health facilities providing TB testing services at POC, and landscape features influencing journeys. These data were used in a geospatial model to estimate actual distance and travel time from the residential areas of the population to health facilities providing TB testing services. Maps displaying the distance values were produced using ArcGIS Desktop v10.4. Spatial distribution of the health facilities was done using spatial autocorrelation (Global Moran’s Index) run in ArcMap 10.4.1. We also applied remote sensing through satellite imagery analysis to map out residential areas and identified locations for targeted improvement in the UER. Results: Of the 13 districts in the UER, 4 (31%) did not have any health facility providing TB testing services. In all, 10 public health facilities providing TB testing services at POC were available in the region representing an estimated population to health facility ratio of 125,000 people per facility. Majority (60%) of the health facilities providing TB testing services in the region were in districts with a total population greater than 100,000 people. Majority (62%) of the population resident in the region were located more than 10 km away from a health facility providing TB testing services. The mean distance ± standard deviation to the nearest public health facility providing TB testing services in UER was 33.2 km ± 13.5. Whilst the mean travel time using a motorized tricycle speed of 20 km/h to the nearest facility providing TB testing services in the UER was 99.6 min ± 41.6. The results of the satellite imagery analysis show that 51 additional health facilities providing TB testing services at POC are required to improve geographical accessibility. The results of the spatial autocorrelation analysis show that the spatial distribution of the health facilities was dispersed (z-score = − 2.3; p = 0.02).Conclusion: There is poor geographic accessibility to public health facilities providing TB testing services at POC in the UER of Ghana. Targeted improvement of rural PHC clinics in the UER to enable them provide TB testing services at POC is highly recommended.Item Healthcare service delivery to refugee children from the Democratic Republic of Congo living in Durban, South Africa: a caregivers’ perspective(BMC medicine, 2018-09) Meyer-Weitz, A.; Oppong Asante, K.; Lukobeka, B.J.Background Refugees are generally considered a vulnerable population, with refugee children (newborn and young children) being particularly so. Access to healthcare for this population remains a challenge. The main purpose of this study was to explore refugee caregivers’ perceptions of their children’s access to quality health service delivery to their young children in Durban, South Africa. Methods This study used an explanatory mixed methods design, purposively sampling 120 and 10 participants for the quantitative and qualitative phases, respectively. Participants were administered a self-developed questionnaire that assessed demographic information of participants, socioeconomic status and living standard, medical history of children, satisfaction and experiences with healthcare services and refugees’ networks and social support. A semi-structured interview schedule was developed to elicit in-depth and more detailed information from the participants on the quantitative areas that were investigated. Frequencies were calculated and a χ2 test was used to explore the factors associated with refugees’ satisfaction of the healthcare provided and thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Results The majority (89%) of caregivers were women, with over 70% of them aged between 30 and 35 years. Over 74% of caregivers visited public clinics for their children’s healthcare needs. The majority of caregivers (95%) were not satisfied with healthcare services delivery to their children due to the long waiting hours and the negative attitudes and discriminatory behaviours of healthcare workers, particularly in public healthcare facilities. Conclusion These findings underscore the need to address health professionals’ attitudes when providing healthcare for refugees. Attitudinal change may improve the relationship between service providers and caregivers of refugee children in South Africa, which may improve the health-related outcomes in refugee children.Item Potential barriers to rapid testing for human immunodeficiency virus among a commuter population in Johannesburg, South Africa(HIV/AIDS - Research and Palliative Care, 2015-07) Tshuma, N.; Muloongo, K.; Setswe, G.; Chimoyi, L.; Sarfo, B.; Burger, D.; Nyasulu, P.S.Background: This study aimed to determine barriers to accessing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counseling and testing (HCT) services among a commuter population.Methods: A cross-sectional, venue-based intercept survey was conducted. Participants were recruited during a 2-day community campaign at the Noord Street taxi rank in Johannesburg, South Africa. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire loaded onto an electronic data collection system and analyzed using Stata software. Factors contributing to barriers for HCT were modeled using multivariate logistic regression.Results: A total of 1,146 (567 male and 579 female) individuals were interviewed; of these, 51.4% were females. The majority (59.5%) were aged 25–35 years. Significant factors were age group (15–19 years), marital status (married), educational level (high school), distance to the nearest clinic (.30 km), area of employment/residence (outside inner city), and number of sexual partners (more than one). Participants aged 15–19 years were more likely to report low-risk perception of HIV as a barrier to HCT (odds ratio [OR] 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–2.59), the married were more likely to report low-risk perception of HIV as a barrier to HCT (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.13–1.96), and those living outside the inner city were more likely to report lack of partner support as a potential barrier (OR 1.94; 95% CI 1.34–2.80), while those with a high school education were more likely to report poor health worker attitude as a potential barrier to HIV testing (OR 2.17; 95% CI 1.36–3.45).Conclusion: Age, marital status, occupation, educational level, area of employment and residence, distance to the nearest clinic, and number of sexual partners were factors significantly associated with barriers to HIV testing in the study population. Future HIV intervention targeting this population need to be reinforced in order to enhance HIV testing while taking cognizance of these factors. © 2015 Tshuma et al.Item What Support Systems do Women Caring for Preterm Infants at Home Require in Urban Ghana? A Qualitative Study(Springer, 2021) Tibil, P.E.; Ganle, J.K.Introduction: Caring for preterm infants and ensuring their survival beyond neonatal intensive care units remain a challenge in many low-income settings. While studies highlight the difficulties of caring for preterm infants at home, few have focused on the forms, sources, and accessibility to support systems. This study explored the forms of support systems women caring for preterm infants at home in urban Ghana require, and their accessibility to such support systems. Methods: An explorative cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted. A total of 19 women who were caring for preterm infants aged 2–6 months at home were purposively sampled. In-depth interviews were conducted and thematic content analysis used to analyse the data. Results: Women reported four main forms of support which they require: psychosocial support, practical support, material support and spiritual support. However, accessibility to these support systems was highly unequal, often depended on one’s social status and the quality of one’s family and interpersonal relationships prior to giving birth to a preterm infant. Conclusion: Women caring for preterm infants at home require a variety of support systems; but effective accessibility remains a challenge for many in urban settings. Interventions to strengthen community and home-based support for women caring for preterm infants at home, including use of social media-based peer support groups, are urgently needed.