Research Articles

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A research article reports the results of original research, assesses its contribution to the body of knowledge in a given area, and is published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. The faculty publications through published and on-going articles/researches are captured in this community

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Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Intimate Partner Violence against Men and Women in Nigeria during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown: An Assessment of Prevalence and Forms
    (Journal of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care, 2024) Ezenwoko, A.Z.; Abubakar, A.U.; Udofia, E.A.; et al.
    Background: The control of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the use of stringent control measures such as lockdowns by many countries of the world. This predisposed people in relationships to intimate partner violence (IPV). This study aimed to assess the prevalence and forms of intimate partner violence against both men and women in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 538 respondents using an online electronic questionnaire which was circulated across the 36 states in Nigeria on social media platforms - nd Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. Data were collected from May 22 - July 27 2020 and descriptive analysis generated using IBM SPSS version 23. Results: The mean age ± standard deviation of respondents was 37.2± 8.0 years. The overall prevalence of IPV was 216 (40.2%). Eighty-six (44.8%) men reported experiencing IPV with sexual violence 54 (28.1%) being the most reported form followed by emotional 49 (25.5), nancial 20 (10.4%) and physical 18 (9.4%) violence. One hundred and thirty (37.6%) women experienced IPV during the lockdown period. The common forms of violence experienced by women were emotional 100 (28.9%), sexual 66 (19.1%), nancial 42 (12.1%) and physical 31 (9.0%) violence. Conclusion: The prevalence of IPV was higher in men than women. The most reported form of violence was sexual in men and emotional in women. This underscores the need for the Federal Government to put in place systems (such as helplines for counselling and legislation) to protect people who are in relationships from IPV.
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    Determinants of vaccination decisions and lived experiences of Ghanaians with the COVID-19 pandemic; a qualitative study
    (Vaccine: X, 2024) Aggrey-Bluwey, L.; Abekah-Nkrumah, G.
    Background: Two years after the WHO declared a state of emergency as a result of the rapid spread of the COVID 19 virus from Wuhan, China, the rate of new infections experienced intermittent flare-ups globally, with vac cinations still ongoing in countries such as Ghana. One year after the implementation of Ghana’s COVID-19 vaccine deployment program, Ghanaians have had the opportunity to reflect on their vaccination decisions, albeit the initial vaccine hesitancy. Objectives: The current paper examined the knowledge and lived experiences of Ghanaians during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the factors influencing their vaccination decisions, one year after COVID-19 vaccinations commenced in Ghana, with special focus on the social and geographical histories which influenced their vaccination decisions. Methodology: A qualitative approach using a case study design was used to conduct in-depth interviews among 25 respondents who were 18 years and above, not pregnant, and willing to participate in the study, between 5th and 23rd September 2022. Data was collected in 5 hotspot areas in Ghana with the highest cumulative case counts. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data which was analyzed using a thematic approach. Findings: Respondents demonstrated a good level of knowledge on COVID-19 and related vaccines. Fear, panic, and anxiety were some of the experiences lived by respondents during the pandemic. The factors influencing vaccination decisions included conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and related vaccines, subjective notions about the COVID-19 disease, and subjective notions about the vaccine. The type of community one lived in, taboos, and previous successful vaccination programs in the community were geographic factors that informed respondents’ decision to vaccinate or not. Social circles, religion, opinion leaders, and media-based campaigns were the social factors that influenced respondents’ decision to vaccinate or not.
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    COVID-19 Pandemic and the Shift to Digital Learning: Experiences of Students in a Community College in Ghana
    (Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 2021) Addae, D.; Amponsah, S.; Gborti, B.J.
    The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impelled many countries all over the world to institute sweeping measures to help reduce infection rates and ultimately its utter elimination. One of the many measures is the closure of schools which concomitantly implied that other innovative strategies to the delivery of subject matter to students while they remain at home be employed in order to avert the likely disruption to the academic calendar of schools. In Ghana, many higher education institutions have turned to the use of digital tools to facilitate teaching and learning. While this was an inevitable move given the prevailing circumstances, it represents a major shift in the teaching and learning experiences of many students in the country due to their familiarization with the traditional face-to-face classroom sessions. This present study explored the unique experiences of 15 conveniently selected students from a two-year college in the country with regard to the sudden shift to digital learning necessitated by the pandemic. This paper identified three main experiences: 1. the use of unregulated social media platforms for learning; 2. high data costs for surfing the internet coupled with instability of internet; and 3. empathy from the lecturers contributed to students’ online learning engagement. These findings serve as an invitation for profound reflection on the unique place of technology-mediated teaching and learn ing in higher education in current and future pandemics.
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    Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to healthcare among people with disabilities: evidence from six low- and middle-income countries
    (International Journal for Equity in Health, 2023) Hunt, X.; Hameed, S.; Ganle, J.; et al.
    Background The pandemic has placed considerable strain on health systems, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), leading to reductions in the availability of routine health services. Emerging evidence suggests that people with disabilities have encountered marked challenges in accessing healthcare services and supports in the context of the pandemic. Further research is needed to explore specific barriers to accessing healthcare during the pandemic, and any strategies that promoted continued access to health services in LMICs where the vast majority of people with disabilities live. Methods Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with persons with disabilities in Ghana, Zimbabwe, Viet Nam, Türkiye (Syrian refugees), Bangladesh, and India as part of a larger project exploring the experiences of people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and their inclusion in government response activities. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results This research found that people with disabilities in six countries - representing a diverse geographic spread, with different health systems and COVID-19 responses - all experienced additional difficulties accessing healthcare during the pandemic. Key barriers to accessing healthcare during the pandemic included changes in availability of services due to systems restructuring, difficulty affording care due to the economic impacts of the pandemic, fear of contracting coronavirus, and a lack of human support to enable care-seeking. Conclusion These barriers ultimately led to decreased utilisation of services which, in turn, negatively impacted their health and wellbeing. However, we also found that certain factors, including active and engaged Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) played a role in reducing some of the impact of pandemic-related healthcare access barriers.
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    Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to healthcare among people with disabilities: evidence from six low- and middle-income countries
    (International Journal for Equity in Health, 2023) Hunt, X.; Hameed, S.; Ganle, J.; et al.
    Background The pandemic has placed considerable strain on health systems, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), leading to reductions in the availability of routine health services. Emerging evidence suggests that people with disabilities have encountered marked challenges in accessing healthcare services and supports in the context of the pandemic. Further research is needed to explore specific barriers to accessing healthcare during the pandemic, and any strategies that promoted continued access to health services in LMICs where the vast majority of people with disabilities live. Methods Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with persons with disabilities in Ghana, Zimbabwe, Viet Nam, Türkiye (Syrian refugees), Bangladesh, and India as part of a larger project exploring the experiences of people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and their inclusion in government response activities. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results This research found that people with disabilities in six countries - representing a diverse geographic spread, with different health systems and COVID-19 responses - all experienced additional difficulties accessing healthcare during the pandemic. Key barriers to accessing healthcare during the pandemic included changes in availability of services due to systems restructuring, difficulty affording care due to the economic impacts of the pandemic, fear of contracting coronavirus, and a lack of human support to enable care-seeking. Conclusion These barriers ultimately led to decreased utilisation of services which, in turn, negatively impacted their health and wellbeing. However, we also found that certain factors, including active and engaged Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) played a role in reducing some of the impact of pandemic-related healthcare access barriers.
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    An integrative literature review on the impact of COVID-19 on maternal and child health in Africa
    (BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2023) Senkyire, E.K.; Ewetan, O.; Azuh, D.; Asiedua, E.; White, R.; Dunlea, M.; Barger, M.; Ohaja, M.
    Africa has the highest rates of maternal deaths globally which have been linked to poorly functioning health care systems. The pandemic revealed already known weaknesses in the health systems in Africa, such as workforce short ages, lack of equipment and resources. The aim of this paper is to review the published literature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child health in Africa. The integrative review process delineated by Whittemore and Knaf (2005) was used to meet the study aims. The literature search of Ovid Medline, CINAHL, PubMed, WHO, Google and Google scholar, Africa journals online, MIDIRS was limited to publications between March 2020 and May 2022. All the studies went through the PRISMA stages, and 179 full text papers screened for eligibility, 36 papers met inclusion criteria. Of the studies, 6 were qualitative, 25 quantitative studies, and 5 mixed methods. Thematic analysis according to the methods of Braun and Clark (2006) were used to synthesize the data. From the search the six themes that emerged include: effects of lockdown measures, COVID concerns and psychological stress, reduced attendance at antenatal care, childhood vaccination, reduced facility-based births, and increase maternal and child mortality. A review of the literature revealed the following policy issues: The need for government to develop robust response mechanism to public health emergencies that negatively affect maternal and child health issues and devise health policies to mitigate negative effects of lockdown. In times of pandemic there is need to maintain special access for both antenatal care and child delivery services and limit a shift to use of untrained birth attendants to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths. These could be achieved by soliciting investments from various sectors to provide high-quality care that ensures sustainability to all layers of the population.
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    COVID-19 pandemic: Ghana and the geographies of blame
    (Springer, 2022) Owusu, B.; Kutor, S.K.; Ablo, A.D.
    The emergence and the rapid spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have resulted in a global public health crisis. The debilitating social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable societies has given rise to questionings, blames, and accusations about how the pandemic has been managed at the national level. This study uses the concept of ’Geographies of blame’ to investigate how the national government, citizenry and other stakeholders have blamed each other for the rise in COVID- 19 cases in Ghana. The study employs a qualitative research approach and administered 45 online surveys to the residents of Accra Metropolis, Ghana, that inquired about who is to be blamed for the rising COVID-19 cases in Ghana. Our results revealed that while the government of Ghana must share the blame due to how they poorly handled the pandemic, the citizens are more to blame for the spread and continued increase of the COVID-19 cases in the country. Based on the results, the study highlights the need for a pro-active and continuous analysis of the ’babel of blame’ as a useful guide to create public awareness and help governments develop and implement strategic plans to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
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    Overview of preparedness and response to COVID-19 in Ghana
    (Ghana Med j, 2021) Sarkodie, B.; Asiedu-Bek, F.; Laryea, D.O.; Ampofo, W.K.; Philips, R.O.; Samba, A.; Aboagye, D.; Nsiah-Asare, A.; Asamoah-Baah, A.; Odame, E.; Ohene, S.; Amoako, Y.A.; Kuma-Aboagye, P.
    The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Ghana is part of an ongoing pandemic caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first two cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Ghana on 12th March 2020. COVID-19 was consequently declared a Public Health Emergency of National Concern, triggering several response actions, including enhanced surveillance, case detection, case management and contact tracing, closure of borders, suspension of international flights, ban on social gatherings and closure of schools. Pre paredness and response plans were activated for implementation at the national, regional, district and community levels. Ghana’s Strategic approaches were to limit and stop the importation of cases; detect and contain cases early; expand infrastructure, logistics and capacity to provide quality healthcare for the sick; minimise disruption to social and economic life and increase the domestic capacity of all sectors to deal with existing and future shocks. The health sector strategic frame focused on testing, treatment, and tracking. As of 31st December 2020, a total of 535,168 cases, including 335 deaths (CFR: 0.61%), have been confirmed with 53,928 recoveries and 905 active cases. All the regions have reported cases, with Greater Accra reporting the highest number. The response actions in Ghana have seen high level political commitment, appropriate and timely decisions, and a careful balance of public health interventions with economic and socio-cultural dynamics. Efforts are ongoing to intensify non-pharmaceutical interventions, sustain the gains made so far and introduce COVID-19 vaccines to reduce the public health burden of the disease in Ghana
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    The Impact of COVID‑19 and Religious Restrictions on the Well‑Being of Ghanaian Christians: The Perspectives of Religious Leaders
    (Journal of Religion and Health, 2021) Osei‑Tutu, A.; Afram, A.A.; Mensah‑Sarbah, C.; Dzokoto, V.A.; Adams, G.
    In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ghana government instituted a ban on social gatherings, including religious gatherings. To understand how the unantici pated restrictions and interruption in normal church routines afected the well-being of congregants in Ghana, we interviewed 14 religious leaders. Thematic analysis revealed psychospiritual impacts including decline in spiritual life, loss of fellow ship and community, fnancial difculties, challenges with childcare, as well as fear of infection. Religious leaders intervened by delivering sermons on hope, faith, and repentance. Some religious leaders sensitized their members on health hygiene and COVID-19-related stigma. The study sheds light on the perceived impacts of COVID-19 and restrictions of religious gatherings on congregants in Ghana.