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A long essay or dissertation or thesis involving personal research, written by postgraduates of University of Ghana for a university degree.
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Item Quality Of Maternal Health-Seeking Behaviour And Pregnancy Outcomes Among Young Women In Ghana(University Of Ghana, 2020-07) Bobo, E.K.Pregnancy among young women is a concern worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries i(LMICs), as they often have a higher incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The utilization of maternal health care services is imperative to reducing the number of perinatal deaths and postnatal complications iamongst ipregnant iwomen. iAttempts ito iexplain ithis isituation ihave ifocusedioniindividual iandihouseholdilevel ideterminants, ibut itheiroleiofineighbourhoodifactors ihas inot ireceived imuch iattention. iUnderstanding ineighbourhood ifactors iassociated iwith imaternal ihealth-seeking ibehaviour iis iimportant. iThis iis ibecause iindividuals ireside iwithin ineighbourhoods iand itheir ihealth-related ibehaviour ican ibe iinfluenced iby ithe icharacteristics ior iconditions iof ithe ineighbourhoodiin iwhichitheyilive. This istudy iposits ithat iquality iof icare iand ineighbourhood-level icharacteristics iare ivery icritical ipredictors iof iyoung iwomen’s iutilization iof imaternal ihealth icare iand ipregnancy ioutcomes iamong iyoungiwomeniin iGhana, iin iadditionito iotheriindividual iandihouseholdicharacteristics. iDrawingion itheories iof ibehavioural imodel iof ihealthiservice iuse, ithe ithree idelays, iand iDonabedian’s iqualityiof icare imodel, ithe istudy iused ia imodified iBehavioural iModel iof iHealth iService iUse iand iQuality iof icareimodelitoiunderstandiindividualiandineighbourhood-level ifactorsionitheiutilizationiofimaternal ihealthcare iservices iandipregnancyioutcomes iamongiyoungiwomeniin iGhana. i Data ifrom ithe i2017 iGhana iMaternal iHealth iSurvey iwas iused ito iconduct ia iquantitative istudy ito iunderstand ithe ieffects iof iindividual iand ineighbourhood-level ifactors ion ithe iquality iof iantenatal icare, iskilled ibirth iattendance, iand ipregnancy ioutcomes. iThe iquantitative istudy iused ia isample iof i2,669 iyoung iwomen ibetween ithe iages iof i15 ito i24 iyears inested iwithin i900 iclusters iacross iGhana. iMultilevel ilogistic iregression imodels iwere iemployed ito iexamine ithe ieffects iof iindividual iand ineighbourhood-level ifactors ion ithe iquality iof iantenatal icare, iskilled ibirth iattendance, iand ipregnancy ioutcomes. iThe iquantitative ianalysis irevealed iboth iindividual iand icommunity-level ifactors ias isignificant ipredictors iof imaternal ihealth ioutcomes iin iGhana. iFor iinstance, iwealthier iwomen iand ithose iwith ihigher ieducation iwere isignificantly imore ilikely ito iutilize ithe iquality iof iantenatal icare iand idelivery iservices. i The ianalysis ialso irevealed ithat iafter icontrolling ifor iother ifactors, iplace iof iresidence, ia ineighbourhood ivariable ihas ino idirect iassociation iwith ithe iquality iof iANC, ihowever, iit ihas ia idirect icontribution ito iskilled ibirth iattendance iand ipregnancy ioutcomes. iNeighbourhood-level irandom ieffects iwere ialso isignificant iand ithere iwas iconfirmation iof inesting iat ithe ineighbourhood ilevel ieven iafter icontrolling ifor iindividual iand ineighbourhood-level ivariables. This istudy iprovides ifurther iempirical ievidence ithat, ito iimprove ithe istrides itowards ireducing ithe irisk iof iadverse ipregnancy ioutcomes iamong iwomen iin iGhana, iinterventions ishould ibe itargeted iat iwomen iin ipoor ihouseholds iliving iin ipoor isocioeconomic iconditions iwith ino iaccess ito iquality imaternal icare iservices. iThis iwould ihave ia isignificant iinfluence ion ithe iliving iconditions iof ithe iwomen iand ithus, ireduce itheir irisk iof ihaving ia inegative ioutcome iof ipregnancy.Item Mainstreaming Women Participation In Local Economic Development Decision Making At The Local Levels: The Case Of Adenta Municipal Assembly(University of Ghana, 2023-05) Dzokoto, K. E.Women constitute more than half of the world’s population, their involvement and participation in all development processes is pivotal for inclusive development. However, “gender inequalities hamper the equal and significant participation of women in Local Economic Development processes. The issue of women’s participation in development, decision making and most importantly, governance, has gained global attention and has necessitated considerable efforts at both international and local levels to bridge the inequality gap between men and women’s participation in governance. Whereas previous studies have focused on gender participation in local economic development processes, little studies are found on mainstreaming women participation in LED implementation and processes at the local government level, thereby creating a gap in knowledge. The study revealed that women are fairly represented on the district LED sub-committee. They form less than one-third of the general assembly membership, needed to take major decisions. This composition does not favor the women as much as it favors men. It is therefore recommended that, there should be complete application of gender responsive approaches in all phases of the LED cycle in district planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation processes to promote women mainstreaming.Item Determinants of Neonatal Mortality in Ghana: Analysis of 2017 Maternal Health Survey Data(University of Ghana, 2019-07) Adongo, E.A.Background: Neonatal mortality contributes about 45% of under-5 mortality globally; 35% in Sub-Saharan Africa; and over 50% of under-5 deaths in Ghana. Though there are existing studies on the determinants of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa, not much has been done in Ghana to describe how community level, sociodemographic, health system, maternal and newborn factors individually or in unison interact to influence neonatal mortality. Objectives: The main objective of the study is to examine the determinants of neonatal mortality in Ghana. Method: This study is an analysis of secondary data from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey (GMHS). The data used in the analysis included only responses from women who delivered live babies in the five years preceding the conduct of the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey and the children lived for at least 28 days. A total of 10,624 respondents were included in the study after data cleaning. Descriptive statistical techniques such as frequency and percentage distribution were used to describe important background characteristics of the women included in the study. Pearson‘s Chi-squares (χ2) test was used to assess the association between the outcome (neonatal death) and independent variables. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to estimate odds ratios and control for potential confounders. Confidence level was held at 95%, and a p< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. All the data analysis was done using STATA 15. Results: The prevalence of neonatal mortality was 2% representing 20 per 1000 live births. Three factors predicted neonatal mortality: ANC attendance, sex of baby, and baby being put on mother‘s chest immediately after birth. Women with only 1 ANC visit were less likely to experience neonatal mortality as compared to women with no ANC visit prior to delivery (AOR=0.11; CI=0.02-0.56, p=0.01). Baby girls were less likely (COR=0.68; CI=0.48-0.20; p=0.03) to die during the neonatal period as compared to boys and this did not change when potential confounders were controlled for in a multiple logistic regression model (AOR=0.68,CI=0.47-0.98; p=0.04). The odds of a baby dying within the neonatal period when a baby was not put on the mother‘s chest immediately after birth was 2.5 times (COR=2.46; CI=1.66-3.65, p=0.00). Conclusion: Community level and sociodemographic factors were not significant determinants of neonatal mortality in Ghana. Rather, neonatal, and maternal characteristics did. It is education to families to seek timely and adequate antenatal care should be intensified. This should be done as a family-centred approach to encourage support from other relevants others from the family. Also, targeted Social and Behaviour Change Communication activities should be intensified on immediate skin-to-skin to prevent neonatal hypothermia and promote successful breastfeeding as well as issues on sex differentiation to improve on neonatal outcomeItem Retirement Experiences of Female Retirees in Accra. A Case Study of Fifteen Women.(University of Ghana, 2001-05) Otoo-Addo, F.Item An Analysis of Women’s Political Participation in Ghana Under Sdg5(University of Ghana, 2019-12) Bannor, B.The representation of women in political and public life has been historically low across the globe despite the efforts being made to reverse the trend. Very few countries have recorded marginal and inconsistent increase in women’s representation. Ghana is not exempted from this global trend. This study focused on analyzing women’s political participation in Ghana in the context of sustainable development, an attempt to identify factors that have positively affected women’s political participation, challenges faced by women occupying and intending to occupy political positions and innovative ways of dealing with these challenges. The methodology was qualitative in design and involved online survey with purposively selected members of the general public and interviews with women parliamentarians, district assembly and unit committee members, political party executives and also representatives from non-governmental organizations. In addition to primary data from respondents, the study relied on secondary data from existing literature to support the work. The study found out that despite domestic and international commitments and efforts to increase women’s political participation, the statistics is still low at both national and local government levels with very marginal rise particularly in the number of contestants for elective positions. Since 1992, women’s representation in the national parliament has been below 13 percent. The study realized that women occupying and intending to occupy political positions face similar and sometimes peculiar challenges including excessive monetization of politics, political party gatekeeping and the ‘godfather’ syndrome and lack of support from family, media and society due to the patriarchal society. It is a wake-up call for all stakeholders. - government, women’s groups, non-governmental organizations, civil society, traditional and religious leaders, development partners and women themselves to work together. The passage of the affirmative action bill into law coupled with proper implementation, monitoring and evaluation by all stakeholders will make a difference in meeting the Sustainable Development Goal 5.Item HIV Testing Among Women Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence in the Central Region of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2020-10) Afari, B.A.Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) increases the risk of HIV infection. Women are most vulnerable to both HIV and IPV. One of the main interventions to control HIV is testing, which enables infected individuals to receive treatment and improved outcomes. However, HIV testing has been lower than expected, globally. Understanding the factors associated with HIV testing especially among high risk populations such as women experiencing IPV is essential to designing targeted interventions to address them. The study sought to examine HIV testing and associated factors among women experiencing IPV. Methods: Secondary data analysis of data generated from a cross-sectional mixed-method two arms unmatched cluster randomized controlled trial was done. The data related to four districts in the Central region of Ghana. The outcome of the study was HIV testing, with IPV, socio-demographic and sexual behavioural factors as exposure variables. Data analysis was performed using STATA IC version 16. Results: The study showed significant association between HIV testing and IPV among women. The prevalence of HIV testing among IPV was 43.3% during lifetime, and 16.2% in past 12 months. About 50.4% of women reported lifetime experience of IPV. Prevalence of economic, emotional, physical and sexual IPV forms were estimated at 10.1%, 36.7%, 32.2% and 18.5% respectively. Factors associated with HIV testing among women experiencing IPV included living inland in coastal areas (AOR:0.51, 95% CI:0.37–0.69), living in community for 10-19 years (AOR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.45–0.97), travelling for work (AOR:1.35, 95% CI:1.01–1.81) and having first sexual experience with a boyfriend (AOR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.26 – 0.66). Conclusion: HIV testing among women experiencing IPV was low. Considering the vulnerability of women experiencing IPV to HIV infection, integrating HIV testing into IPV support services is likely to facilitate early detection and entry to the HIV treatment cascade, which is essential to achieving HIV global goals and offers a unique opportunity to address these overlapping issues simultaneouslyItem Factors Associated with Stillbirths in Achimota Hospital- A Case-Control Study(University of Ghana, 2020-10) Gudugbe, A.K.Background: it is estimated that 2.6 million stillbirths occur worldwide and about 98% of these occur in low and middle income countries mainly sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. Most of the stillbirths occurring in these low resource settings are intrapartum stillbirths occurring at post viable gestations. These are largely preventable through improved intrapartum surveillance and access to caesarean sections. Data on stillbirths in less developed countries is scanty and it is only when risk factors are identified that tailored interventions can be developed to ameliorate them. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the factors associated with stillbirths in the Achimota hospital. Methodology: An unmatched 1:4 hospital based case-control study was carried out among women who delivered at the Achimota hospital between 1st January 2018 and 31st December 2019. Cases were selected using consecutive sampling and appropriate controls selected by simple random sampling and data extracted from the maternal records to determine the exposures; socio-demographic, fetal, obstetric, maternal and health facility factors that are associated with stillbirths. Trained field assistants assisted with the data collection. Data was entered into Microsoft Excel 2016 and univariate and multivariate logistic regression was done using STATA 16 to determine the exposures that were significantly associated with stillbirths. Level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Three hundred and ten (310) participants (62 cases and 248 controls) were recruited for this study. The multivariate logistic model showed that still births were more likely among women who resided in rural area (aOR=4.46, 95% CI 2.05-9.68), those with obstetric complications (aOR=15.88, 95% CI 5.72-44.07), low birth weight (aOR=3.83, 95% CI 1.43-10.26), congenital anomalies (aOR=7.60, 95% CI 1.69-34.32), medical illness and those delivered by caesarean section (aOR=2.38, 95% CI 1.11-5.12). Maternal education (aOR=0.13, 95% CI 0.03-0.54) and term delivery (aOR=0.13, 95% CI 0.05-0.35) were found to be associated with reduced odds for stillbirths. Conclusion: No maternal education, rural residence, preterm delivery, low birth weight, obstetric complications, congenital anomalies, maternal medical illness and delivery by caesarean section were significantly associated with still births among women delivering at the Achimota hospital. Improving fetal surveillance for women with high risk pregnancies as well as screening and optimal management of medical illnesses are essential for reducing the incidence of stillbirths in the hospital.Item A Retrospective Analysis of Socio Demographic and Maternal Factors Affecting Low Birth Weight at St. Theresa's Hosptial, Nkoranza(University of Ghana, 2021-07) Agyemang, Y.P.Background: Globally, it is estimated that in excess of 20 million newborns were delivered with low birth weight (LBW) and contributed more than 80% of neonatal mortality. Sub-Saharan Africa is the second continent (14.3%) to Asia (18.3%) with the highest prevalence of low birth weight babies. Objective: The general objective of the study was to examine the factors affecting low birth weight (LBW) at St Theresa’s Hospital, Nkoranza. Method: This study adopted a facility-based retrospective cross-sectional design to assess the factors that are linked to low birth weight at the St Theresa’s Catholic Hospital, Nkoranza. Due to the outbreak of Covid-19 and associated ethical concerns and time limitations, a retrospective study was appropriate because it allowed the researcher to retrospectively examine the factors affecting low birth weight without having to conduct a prospective cohort study that would have involved recruiting and following up with pregnant women until delivery. To identify factors associated with low birth weight, bivariate analysis using chi-square corrected (Yates) test and Fisher exact test (for situations where the value in the cells of the two-by-two table was less than 5) were done. Those variables that showed p-values of less than 0.05 were assumed to be statistically associated with birth weight. To determine the strength of the associations between independent variables and the outcome (birth weight) variable, those variables found to have p-value less than 0.05 in the bivariate analysis were fitted into multiple logistic regression models where the effect of potential confounders were adjusted for. Odds ratios with their corresponding 95% of confidence intervals (CI) were computed and variables having p-value less than 0.05 in the multiple logistic regression models were considered significantly associated with the dependent variable. Results: The results showed that 49% of the women were aged between 26-35 forming the majority group. The results also showed that 78.8% of the women had at least basic level of education whiles 21.2% of them did not have any form of education. The analysis further revealed that prevalence of low birth weight at the St Theresa Catholic hospital was 9%. This means that, about 9 low birth weight are recorded out of every 100 deliveries at the hospital for the period under review. The findings show that when compared to mothers who had no level of education, those who had at least primary level of education have reduced odds of having low birth weight babies (cOR = 0.17; CI=0.03-0.57; p=0.021). It further shows that the odds of a first child being born low birth weight was 0.5 times (cOR= 0.45; CI=0.13-0.83; p=0.003). After the potential cofounders were controlled for in the logistic multiple regression, the odds increased marginally to 0.51 times (aOR=0.51; CI=0.21-0.85; p=0.001) but still protective. Conclusion: The study revealed that parity, age of mothers and education status of the mother are significantly associated with low birth weight. It however indicates that women aged between 18-25 are at greater risk of having low birth weight. Measures targeting teenage pregnancies should be pursued to avoid early births.Item An Analysis of Women’s Political Participation in Ghana under SDG5(University Of Ghana, 2019-12) Bannor, B.The representation of women in political and public life has been historically low across the globe despite the efforts being made to reverse the trend. Very few countries have recorded marginal and inconsistent increase in women’s representation. Ghana is not exempted from this global trend. This study focused on analyzing women’s political participation in Ghana in the context of sustainable development, an attempt to identify factors that have positively affected women’s political participation, challenges faced by women occupying and intending to occupy political positions and innovative ways of dealing with these challenges. The methodology was qualitative in design and involved online survey with purposively selected members of the general public and interviews with women parliamentarians, district assembly and unit committee members, political party executives and also representatives from non-governmental organizations. In addition to primary data from respondents, the study relied on secondary data from existing literature to support the work. The study found out that despite domestic and international commitments and efforts to increase women’s political participation, the statistics is still low at both national and local government levels with very marginal rise particularly in the number of contestants for elective positions. Since 1992, women’s representation in the national parliament has been below 13 percent. The study realized that women occupying and intending to occupy political positions face similar and sometimes peculiar challenges including excessive monetization of politics, political party gatekeeping and the ‘godfather’ syndrome and lack of support from family, media and society due to the patriarchal society. It is a wake-up call for all stakeholders. - government, women’s groups, non-governmental organizations, civil society, traditional and religious leaders, development partners and women themselves to work together. The passage of the affirmative action bill into law coupled with proper implementation, monitoring and evaluation by all stakeholders will make a difference in meeting the Sustainable Development Goal 5.Item An Examination of the Opportunities and Challenges Facing Women in Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (2000-2019)(University of Ghana, 2019-12) Ansah, M.A.Historical accounts from various countries globally have proven that women were exempt from officially participating in diplomatic activities until the early 1990’s. In Ghana, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has helped implement Ghana’s foreign policy over the years. Although Ghanaian women have participated in decision making, management and development, not enough women in Ghana have played significant roles in politics and public service. Using the qualitative research method, this study looked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and found out how women have had the opportunity to serve there, their numbers in the past and their current representation, as well as the challenges and opportunities they face. Findings from the study indicate that women’s representation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional integration has improved over the years. Although there seem to be more women than men in the Ministry, more men occupy top positions than women. There was a general consensus that the only opportunity available to women that was not equally available to men was paid maternity leave. Opportunities available to women include recruitment and promotions, as these are based on merit from entrance examinations and interviews. Some of the challenges identified included appointments being more favourable to men, work life balance and sexual harassment particularly of women. Additionally, cultural factors hinder women’s advancement due to difficulties for the husbands of female officers to follow them on postings abroad, which has resulted in several cases of infidelity and divorce. A key finding was that, there was no real consensus as to whether or not the Ministry had any policies concerning sexual harassment. Recommendations include making the working environment within the Ministry more sensitive to the family, work life balance, enhancing inclusiveness of males in family life by increasing paternity leave, developing and implementing a sexual harassment policy and committee to address issues pertaining to sexual harassment. Furthermore, data should be made available for further research in the area.