Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
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Item Influence of Homemakers’ Spending Practices and Consumer Credit Use on Family Welfare at Sakumono Estates, Tema(University Of Ghana, 2019-07) Ba-Ama, M.E.This study was conducted to assess how the spending practices and consumer credit use among homemakers at Sakumono Estates in the Tema Municipality influenced family welfare. The specific objectives were to: examine the income and expenditure patterns of homemakers, investigate the management principles applied by homemakers in the use of money, investigate the perception and consumer credit use by homemakers and identify factors that influenced homemakers’ spending practices and credit use. Five null hypotheses were stated. Ho1: There is no relationship between homemakers’ demographic characteristics (age, educational level, marital status, occupation, income status) and spending practices. Ho2: There is no relationship between homemakers’ demographic characteristics (age, educational level, marital status, occupation, income status) and consumer credit use. Ho3: There is no relationship between homemakers’ spending practices and consumer credit use. Ho4: There is no relationship between homemakers’ spending practices and family welfare. Ho5: There is no relationship between homemakers’ consumer credit usage and family welfare. A proportionate sample of two hundred and fifty-two (252) homemakers was interviewed using a structured interview schedule. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 to generate frequency and percentage distributions. Likert scale scores were used to aggregate spending practices, consumer credit use, perception of consumer credit, family welfare and financial stress. Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient test and simple linear regression analysis were used to test the null hypotheses at 5% level of significance (p = 0.05). The findings revealed that the mean age of the homemakers was 45.5 years with an average household size of five. The majority (70%) had attained post-secondary and tertiary levels. Homemakers earned a mean monthly income of GH¢1,100 from salaries and wages (93.7%). The mean monthly housekeeping money was GH¢600 contributed by both homemakers (98%) and husbands (70%). The top six expenditure categories with high means included education (GH¢539.26), food and non-alcoholic beverages (GH¢252.98), accommodation (GH¢152.11), transportation (GH¢130.60) children’s clothing and footwear (GH¢96.67) and utilities (GH¢82.45). The homemakers were the financial decision-makers (77%). Financial management principles applied included planning or budgeting 226 (89.7%) organizing expenditure (73%), implementing financial plans (75%) and partial evaluation of financial plans (57%). Perception of consumer credit was low (54.4%) but 72% used it for varied reasons. Spending practices were influenced mainly by personal (99.2%), economic (91.2%), social (71.4%) and business factors (63.4%). More than half (55.8%) of the homemakers assessed their spending vis-à-vis family goal attainment as very good and more than two thirds (68.7%) said they had enhanced family welfare. Simple linear regression analysis revealed that age (p=0.01), educational level (p=0.01), occupation (p=0.01) and income status (p=0.01) predicted spending practices whereas educational level (p=0.05) and occupation (p=0.01) predicted consumer credit use. Spending practices (p=0.001), on the other hand, predicted family welfare implying that homemakers who applied good spending practices had enhanced family welfare. It is concluded that to some extent, homemakers spending practices and consumer credit use did influence their family welfare both positively and negatively. It is recommended that stakeholders in the field being examined including the Ministry of Education, Extension workers, Ghana Home Economics Association (GHEA), Microfinance and Consumer Credit institutions, should design practical educational programs for both formal and informal deliveries to provide knowledge and skills required for financial management matters, particularly good spending practices and consumer credit use, to enable both present and future homemakers make informed and effective decisions regarding the use and management of money and credit to enhance family welfare. Also, the stress experienced by homemakers as they perform the important responsibility as financial managers of the household is likely to reduce. Acquisition of such skills by as many homemakers as possible would reduce the stress experienced by homemakers as they perform these important responsibilities which are central to family welfareItem Consumers’ Evaluation of the Quality of Custom-Made Garments Manufactured By Micro and Small Scale Enterprises in Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis, Ghana(University Of Ghana, 2019-06) Sawyerr, N.O.This study evaluated the quality of custom-made garments produced by Micro Small Enterprises (MSEs) in the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana. Using the mixed method approach with multi-stage and convenience sampling techniques, 410 consumers and 36 manufacturers were sampled for the study. The data were collected using focus group discussions, a questionnaire and in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data from the focus group discussions and in-depth interviews while the Pearson‟s correlation coefficient was used to test the relationships between variables in the quantitative data obtained from the questionnaire. The results from the focus group discussions identified four (4) attributes namely: aesthetics, construction/workmanship, finishing and customers service used by consumers to evaluate the quality of their custom-made garments. Analysis of data derived from the questionnaire showed that consumers had high expectations of their custom-made garments with regard to the attributes (aesthetics, construction/workmanship, finishing and customers service) that were identified and they were equally pleased with the garment‟s performance during use and care. Thus, consumers were satisfied with the quality of the custom-made garments made by MSEs in the garment industry. However, a gap analysis based on a comparison of expectation and performance of custom-made garments within the expectancy disconfirmation theory revealed that expectations were higher than the performance regarding all the garment attributes (aesthetics, construction/workmanship, finishing and customers service) identified from the focus group discussions, indicating that consumers were generally dissatisfied with the quality of their custom-made garments. The findings also revealed that most consumers did not seek redress from manufacturers after the dissatisfactory performance of their custom-made garments The findings from the in-depth-interviews with manufacturers indicated that majority were using obsolete machines that could affect the quality of custom-made garments produced. Additionally, manufacturers were using skills they acquired through apprenticeship many years ago without any continuing professional development training. It is recommended that manufacturers implement strategies such as offering to do alterations, providing a customer service hotline for consumers, among others. This may encourage dissatisfied consumers to provide feedback on the performance of their garments for the assurance that their complaints would be handled. Manufacturers should continually improve their skill by attending seminars organised by formal institutions both public and private like NVTI and Technical Universities periodically to improve their skills. These may help MSEs manufacturers to produce garments that are of good quality. Finally, manufacturers should be educated by stakeholders like academia and garment production associations on the attributes identified in this study, as knowledge of these attributes will help them produce garments that satisfy the needs of consumers of custom-made garments.Item Skill-Based Competence and Competitiveness in the Garment-Manufacturing Firms of Ghana.(University of Ghana, 2018-06) Senayah, W.K.This study examines the skills competence of workers in the garment firms and skills-based competitiveness of the garment industries of Ghana. A total of 34 garment firms made up of 27 firms registered with the Association of Ghana Industries and seven firms registered with the Ghana Free Zones Board, as well as 205 workers of the garment industries were selected for the study. The Explanatory Sequential Mixed Method Approach was used for the study in which the quantitative process was first used, followed by the quantitative process. Data were gathered using questionnaires and followed by interviews of some selected workers and management of garment firms. The quantitative data was analysed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and Simple Linear Regression while the interviews were analysed using Thematic Analysis. The results show that the garment firms in Ghana have high levels of skills gaps and shortages in critical skills areas of garment production, such as in computer-aided design, machine repairs, and quality assurance, among others. As a result of the skills gaps and shortages many of the garment firms are operating at a competitive disadvantage. Therefore, it is recommended that the garment firms should collaborate with academic and training institutions to increase the skills capacity of garment workers. Garment firms should also adopt competitive manufacturing strategies such as the use of technology, low-cost and added-value manufacturing among others to increase competitiveness. Finally, the Department of Labour should conduct periodic labour skills analysis so that up-to-date information about labour competencies, challenges and opportunities are known to academics, policy makers and industrial who depend on such information for human resource planning. The labour analysis can be done through some sort of liaison with COTVET and AGI as partners.Item Performance Characteristics of a Suitable Fabric for Ghanaian Public Basic School Uniforms(University of Ghana, 2017-12) Asieduah Danquah, P.Experimental procedures were employed to evaluate three fabric brands (A, B and C) currently used for Ghanaian-Public-Basic-School Uniforms and to select one that met standard specifications by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) for school uniforms. The study was in two phases. Phase one evaluated the fabric brands by using standards test methods recommended by GSA from the International Organisation of Standardisation (ISO) for breaking strength, fibre and weave types, weight, colourfastness and shrinkage to washing characteristics. Based on the Phase one results, fabric B was selected and used for Phase two which involved seam performance evaluation. A 2×3×3 factorial experiment (two brands of sewing threads, three ranges of stitch densities and three cycles of washing) was used to assess the strength, elongation and efficiency of plain seam in the selected fabric. The total number of specimens used for Phase one was 366 and for Phase two, 240. The instruments employed for the investigations were the Standard Launder-Ometer (Gyrowash 315) for washing of specimens, tensile testing machine (Mark-10 Force Gauge Model M5-500) for testing breaking strength and elongation of specimens, sample cutter (James H. Heal, 230/002595) for cutting specimens for weight and weighing balance (Adams equipment, B215846278) for weighing the specimens. The data for the study was analysed by the use of the Predictive Analytic Software (SPSS). Means and standard deviations of the fabrics performance characteristics such as yarn count, weight, strength, elongation and yarn linear density were calculated. Inferential statistics (Analysis of Variance and Independent samples t-test at 0.05 alpha levels) were employed in testing the hypotheses. The findings revealed that all the uniform fabrics studied contained varied proportions of cotton and polyester fibres except one that was a blend of polyester and viscose rayon. Fabrics B and C were blends of cotton and polyester (21% cotton/79% polyester; 1% cotton/99% polyester respectively) while fabric A was 35% Viscose/65% polyester. In all the parameters evaluated fabric brand B met the standard specifications for strength (warp= 401, weft= 372), weight (138g/m2), shrinkage (2% for both warp and weft), and colour fastness (5)significant differences were found among the strengths, weights, elongations and yarn counts of the investigated fabrics. The different brands of sewing threads (A′ and B′) were 100% polyester with brand B′ performing better in terms of seam strength (warp=206N, weft=262N), elongation (warp=40%, weft=26%) and efficiency (warp=60%, weft=61%). Those of A′ were warp 179N and weft 193N for strength, elongation 36% and 20% for warp and weft respectively and efficiency 51% and 45% for warp and weft respectively. With regard to the stitch densities, 14 stitches per 2.5cm (1 inch) performed best in terms of seam strength (warp=225N, weft=276N), elongation (warp=45%, weft=29%) and efficiency (warp=63%, weft=65%). The findings have established the suitability of a fabric used to produce Ghanaian-public-basic-school uniforms and showed that to achieve good quality school uniforms, appropriate selection of fabrics and sewing parameters are important. It is recommended that a copy of the thesis is given to stakeholders in the garment industry in Ghana to organize outreach programmes, seminars, workshops and conferences to educate garment makers on the need to select suitable fabrics, sewing threads and stitch densities for good quality school uniforms production.Item Effects of Infectious Diseases and Malnutrition on the Nutritional Status of Pre-School Children in Selected Areas in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria(University of Ghana, 1998-08) Ekong, A. J.; Orraca-Tetteh, R.; Asibey-Berko, E.; Sefa-Dedeh, S.; Armar-Klemesu, M.; Eka, O. U.; University of Ghana, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, School of Agriculture, Department of Family and Consumer SciencesA research was conducted in some urban and rural areas of Akwa ibom State of Nigeria from August 1990 to July 1991. The objectives were to study the interactions of infectious diseases and malnutrition and their effects on the nutritional status of pre-school children (Study I). The occurrence and distribution of diarrhoeal disease and its relationship to infant feeding practices (Study II) and the influence of socio-economic and environmental factors on the prevalence and severity of infectious diseases (study III). Four hundred and sixty-six (466) pre-school children aged 6 months to 48 months were the subjects. Infant feeding practices were recorded. Follow-up visits involved fortnightly records of morbidity, and 3 monthly anthropometric measurements. The effects of infectious diseases and malnutrition on the growth pattern of the pre-school children were examined. For study I, a 2 x 2 factorial design was used in grouping the Sick/ Malnourished children and the Not Sick/Not Malnourished children into four groups as follows : (1 ) the “Not Sick Not Malnourished”(NSNM) (control group), (ii)The “Sick but Not Malnourished” (SNM), (iii) the “Not Sick but Malnourished” (NSM), (iv)The ’’Sick and Malnourished” (SM).Nutritional status of the children in each group was assessed and compared to that of their age control group. The results showed that the "Sick and Malnourished" (SM) group had low body weight, poor growth, low skinfold thickness, low head circumference, low upper arm circumference, low chest circumference, low muscle circumference, low body fat, low buttocks circumference, low upper thigh circumference, low lower thigh circumference, low calf circumference and low haemoglobin levels compared to other groups. Mean weights of the "Not Sick Not Malnourished" (NSNM) group were significantly (p<0.05) higher throughout all ages when compared to those of the other three groups (NSM, SNM and SM). Mean weight of the "Sick but Not Malnourished" (SNM) group was significantly (p<0.05) higher than those of the malnourished groups (NSM, SM). Subsequently, Mean weight of the "Not Sick but Malnourished" (NSM) group was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of the "Sick and Malnourished" (SM) group. Increase in weight and length/height of children were measured as 3 monthly changes in body weights and lengths/heights. Mean values were based on NCHS/WHO standard. Mean increase in weights and lengths/ heights of the "Not Sick Not Malnourished" (NSNM) group exceeded that of the NCHS/WHO standard.. Mean increase in weights and lengths/heights of the "Sick but Not Malnourished" (SNM) group compared favourably with that of the NCHS/WHO standard. Mean increase in weights and lengths/heights of the "Not Sick but Malnourished" (NSM) and "Sick and Malnourished " (SM) groups were below the NCHS/WHO standard.This study demonstrates synergism between malnutrition and infectious disease, in which the combined effect was greater than the sum of the impact of each condition. It was found in Study II that the incidence of diarrhoea occurred among the children at the ages of 12 months and 24 months of life. There was a gradual increase in diarrhoeal prevalence in infancy. The observed first peak at 12 months coincides with the age of introduction of supplementary foods. The observed second peak at 24 months coincides with age at which children are left crawling on the floor. There is, in general, greater exposure to contamination in areas with poor hygiene and improper sanitation. Place of residence emerged as a strong predictor of diarrhoeal disease in children. The percentage of children who had diarrhoea was higher among the children from the rural areas compared to those from the urban area. During the \ season of high diarrhoeal incidence which is usually from September to January, the percentage of children who had diarrhoea was higher among children from the rural areas. In Study III factor analysis was used to group the children into social strata. The influence of socio-economic and environmental factors on the prevalence and severity of infectious diseases among the children were assessed. The results reveal high incidence of infectious diseases among the low socio-economic class followed by the middle socio-economic class with least occurrence among children from high socio-economic class. Severity of infectious diseases as it affects preschool children according to social strata was also assessed. It was found that severity was highest among children from low socio-economic class. A model was developed using variables used in factor analysis to predict outcome of nutrition and infections. The model reveals that the relative risk of being sick and malnourished were high among children from low socio- economic class and children from families with poor sanitary conditions.