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UGSpace is the institutional repository of the University of Ghana. UGSpace is an open access electronic archive for the collection, preservation and distribution of digital materials to:
- facilitate the deposit of digital content of a scholarly or heritage nature
- and ultimately share, preserve and promote the intellectual output of the University in a managed environment.
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- Review books or articles provide a critical and constructive analysis of existing published literature in a field, through summary, analysis, and comparison, often identifying specific gaps or problems and providing recommendations for future research. These are considered as secondary literature since they generally do not present new data from the author's experimental work. Review articles can be of three types, broadly speaking: literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. It also the researcher to stay abreast of new literature in the field.
- Grey literature consists of research and information produced outside conventional publishing channels, such as reports, policy briefs, working papers, and conference materials. It offers valuable insights and data that complement peer-reviewed sources, supporting research, policy, and practice.
- The J. H. Kwabena Nketia Archives preserve Ghanaian and African cultural heritage through music, oral traditions, photographs, and audiovisual collections. Guided by Professor Nketia’s vision that African traditional arts must be collected, preserved, practiced, and continually inspire creative expression, the Archives serve as a living resource for scholarship, teaching, and innovation
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Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Impact Of An Interactive Smartphone Application On Glycaemic And Blood Pressure Control Among Diabetes And Hypertension Patients In Ghana: A Quasi-Experimental Study(Heliyon, 2026-05-11) Aovare, P.; Chilunga, F.P.; Hayfron-Benjamin, C.F.; Laar, A.; et al.Background: Mobile technology has the potential to improve cardiometabolic disease management in sub-Saharan Africa, but data on its effec tiveness are limited. In this quasi-experimental study, we investigated the impact of an interactive smartphone application (app) on glycated he moglobin (HbA1c) and blood pressure in individuals with type 2 diabetes or hypertension in Ghana. Methods: Individuals with type 2 diabetes or hypertension in Greater Accra public clinics were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. The intervention group received smartphones with a health app providing alerts, medication reminders, and progress monitoring. The control group received standard care. The study assessed changes in HbA1c, glycaemic control (HbA1c < 48 mmol/mol), blood pressure (BP), and BP control (<140/90 mmHg) over six months. Multivariable linear, Cox, and Poisson regression analyses adjusted for demographics, lifestyle, comorbidities, baseline HBA1c, BP and medications were used to evaluate the outcomes. Clustering effects were accounted for using generalized estimating equations and frailty models. Results: The study included 874 participants (mean age 58 years, 64.6% female). Over the six-month period, the proportion of individuals with optimal glycaemic control increased by 11.5% in the intervention group compared to 3.0% in the control group. In the fully adjusted model, the intervention was significantly associated with improved glycaemic control at the final visit (Relative Risk [RR] = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.01–1.10), though no significant association was observed for quarterly glycaemic control (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.78–1.12). For BP control, the intervention group improved by 15.2%, compared to 9.8% in the control group. In the fully adjusted model, the intervention was significantly associated with improved BP control at the final visit (RR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.03–1.36) and for quarterly BP control (HR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.17–1.83). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that interactive smartphone application is associated with improvement in BP and glycaemic control among Ghanaian patients and highlight the potential of digital health solutions in chronic disease management. Future research should identify strategies to optimize the integration of interactive smartphone applications into standard care in Ghana.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Non-O157 Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia Coli (STEC) In Africa: A One Health Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Prevalence, Antimicrobial Resistance, And Clinical Outcomes(Scientific Reports, 2026-04-01) Donkor, E.S.; Odoom, A.; Akinduti, P.A.; Darkwah, S.; et al.Non-O157 Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli (non-O157 STEC) pathogens cause considerable debilities and were reviewed for its prevalence, antimicrobial Resistance, and clinical outcomes in Africa from a One Health perspective. Following the PRISMA guidelines, studies reporting non-O157 STEC in human, animal, environmental and food samples from African countries were retrieved from African Journals Online, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and PubMed. Retrieved data were analyzed using random-effects model by the DerSimonian–Laird method and assessment of risk-of-bias for individual studies, with Egger’s test. Of 22 included studies, most were conducted in Northern Africa (59%, n = 13). The most frequently reported STEC serogroups were O26 (26.60%), O45 (8.21%), O111 (7.6%), O121 (3.34%), O145 (4.10%), O78 and O91 (4.10%). Virulence genes including Stx1 (24.9%), stx2 (19.7%), and eae were commonly detected in isolates from human samples than in isolates from other sources. Pooled prevalence of non-O157 STEC in African countries was 20.7% (95% CI: 11.1–30.2, I2 = 97.4%, p = 0.0001) with combined human-animal sources pooled prevalence of 27.3% (95% CI: 9.2–45.3; I2 = 98.6%; p = 0.0001). More than 10% pooled resistance to commonly used antibiotics and high proportion of strains harboring blaTEM, blaVIM, blaNDM, blaCTX, blaOXA encoding ESBLs, tet variants for tetracycline, sul1 and sul2 encoding resistance for sulphamethoxaole, and qnrS (for fluoroquinolone resistance) were recorded. Non-O157 STEC associated infections showing clinical presentations characterized by diarrhea, gastroenteritis, and UTI which were mostly observed in children < 5 years. The prevalence rates and antimicrobial resistance pattern of non-O157 STEC serogroups is a growing concern to African populations and clinical outcomes. There is a need for public enlightenment on prevention of non-O157 STEC with One Health approach.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Newborn Screening Results For Sickle Cell Disease From The ASH Consortium On Newborn Screening In Africa (CONSA)(blood advances, 2026-05-01) Segbefia, C.I.; Zapfel, A.; Awuonda, B.O.; et al.The Consortium on Newborn Screening in Africa (CONSA), launched by the American Society of Hematology in 2020, is designed to initiate and expand sustainable newborn screening (NBS) programs for sickle cell disease (SCD) across sub-Saharan Africa. This multiyear pilot program includes 11 clinical sites in 7 countries, namely Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. After extensive training of laboratory and clinical personnel, dried blood spots were collected from newborns and tested by isoelectric focusing at central laboratories within each country. Positive samples were confirmed, and the affected infants were invited into clinical care for penicillin prophylaxis, malaria prevention, routine immunizations, and family education. As of November 2025, almost 175 000 samples have been collected and assessed. The overall prevalence of SCD was 1.46%, with the highest prevalence in Mwanza, Tanzania (2.00%). The majority of positive screening results were homozygous HbSS (81.5%), along with compound heterozygous HbSC (11.0%) and HbSβ + thalassemia (7.5%). Hemoglobin S trait was common throughout the countries with an average of 16.17%, whereas hemoglobin C trait had an incidence of 1.59% and was found primarily in Ghana and Nigeria. Additional hemoglobin variants were also detected in several countries. Confirmatory samples have been documented in about one-third of infants with a positive screening result, with 87.8% of those confirmed to have SCD. Fewer than half of the affected infants have documented clinical follow-up at CONSA sites for various logistical and financial reasons. CONSA has made great strides in promoting NBS for SCD in sub-Saharan Africa, but gaps in the confirmatory testing and enrollment into clinical care persist.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Modeling The Structural And Electronic Properties Of Tetragonal BaTiO3: A Comparative Study Using Density Functional And Many-Body Approaches(Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, 2026-05-20) Amoyaw, N.; Egblewogbe, M.N.Y.H.; Atarah, S.A.; Gebreyesus, G.The accurate description of the structural and electronic properties of tetragonal BaTiO3 remains a challenge for density functional theory (DFT) due to self-interaction errors, particularly in the partially filled Ti(3d) orbitals. In this work, we systematically investigate the performance of sev eral first-principles approaches, including Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof revised for solids (PBEsol), PBEsol+U, PBEsol+U+V, HSE06, and G0W0+Bethe–Salpeter equation (BSE), for modeling the structural and electronic properties of this prototypical ferroelectric oxide. The on-site Hubbard U(Ti(3d)) and intersite V (Ti(3d)–O(2p)) parameters are computed self-consistently using dens ity functional perturbation theory. We show that PBEsol+U incorrectly stabilizes the cubic phase by suppressing Ti–O hybridization, whereas the inclusion of the intersite V term restores the tet ragonal structure, yielding accurate lattice parameters and atomic displacements. Among the methods considered, PBEsol+U+V provides the best agreement with experimental structural data. All approaches predict an indirect band gap, with PBEsol significantly underestimating its value. Hybrid HSE06 and G0W0+BSE calculations yield substantially improved band gaps, with G0W0+BSE predicting 3.30 eV, in close agreement with experiment. While PBEsol+U+V improves the electronic structure relative to semilocal DFT, it remains less accurate than hybrid and many-body approaches. These results clarify the role of intersite interactions in stabilizing the ferroelectric phase of BaTiO3 and highlight the strengths and limitations of commonly used electronic-structure methods for modeling complex oxides.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Measuring Gross Motor Skills In African Children Using The PERF-FIT(Communications Medicine, 2026-04-30) Smits-Engelsman, B.; Coetzee, D.; Doe-Asinyo, R.X.; et al.Background: Africa is facing a rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), driven by shifts in lifestyle and dietary habits. Children with delays in motor coordination are less likely to participate in physical activity, active play, and sports, placing them at increased risk for obesity, reduced physical fitness, and cardiovascular diseases. Existing motorperformancetestsforschool-agedchildrenwerenotdesignedforAfricanpopulations and lack culturally valid normative data. Methods: As part of an African-led initiative, the PERFormance and FITness test battery (PERF-FIT) was developed to assess motor performance and motor skill-related physical fitness in children aged 6–12 years. The PERF-FIT test battery is open-source, contextually relevant, and tailored for low-resource settings. This study involved the collection of motor performance data from a large sample of African children to establish age-andsex-specific normative values. Results: This study generates normative data for motor skills in African children aged 6–12 years (n =2604), stratified by age and sex. These norms complement the previously validatedpsychometricpropertiesofthePERF-FIT,confirmingitsreliabilityandapplicability across diverse African contexts. Conclusions: The PERF-FIT test battery provides a culturally appropriate and psychometrically sound tool for assessing motor performance in African children. It serves as a valuable resource for clinicians, educators, and policymakers to monitor motor skill related physical fitness and detect motor delays in children aged 6–12 years in African countries.