Publications by authors named "Abdulai Abubakari"

Background: Strictly following antiretroviral therapy (ART) is essential in managing HIV and AIDS and attaining viral suppression. However, adherence to ART remains a complex challenge among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) and it is influenced by various individual and socio-cultural factors. Also, there is limited data as far as the studies on determinants of ART adherence in the Tamale Metropolis is concerned.

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Despite consistent evidence highlighting the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months, EBF duration sometimes falls short of six months or exceeds it. This research seeks to explore factors influencing the practice of optimal duration of EBF and identify factors associated with suboptimal EBF durations. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 16 districts across four Northern regions of Ghana with 2000 caregivers of children under five years old.

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Latrine ownership and utilization is an integral part of the Community-Led Total Sanitation concept. This study assessed ownership and utilization of latrines in selected Open Defecation and Open Defecation-Free communities within the Bole district. A cross-sectional survey design and quantitative approach were employed in this study.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to analyze HSG findings and infertility trends among Ghanaian women over five years.
  • A total of 2324 women were assessed, with a significant number experiencing primary infertility, particularly those younger than 32 years.
  • Key findings included high rates of tubal blockage and other abnormalities, with overall infertility rates increasing over time.
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Objective: This study assesses change in caregiver practices after integrating responsive care and early learning (RCEL) in nutrition and health services and community platforms in northern Ghana.

Design: We trained health facility workers and community health volunteers to deliver RCEL counselling to caregivers of children under 2 years of age through existing health facilities and community groups. We assessed changes in caregivers' RCEL practices before and after the intervention with a household questionnaire and caregiver-child observations.

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Background: The consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) has been linked to the global epidemic of obesity and chronic disease. Following the economic growth, urbanization, and attractive market for beverage companies, the consumption of SSBs is a rising public health challenge in low and middle-income countries. Hence, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of SSBs consumption and associated factors among women of reproductive age group in two SSA countries.

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Introduction: Postnatal care (PNC) is critical for the newborn and the mother, as it offers the opportunity to examine the mother and child to ensure early and timely intervention of any obstetric anomalies that might have gone unnoticed during delivery. However, there is a lack of data on PNC utilization and associated determinants in Ghana. Meanwhile, it is suspected that the PNC service should be more patronized by mothers, particularly within the first 2 days after delivery; therefore, investigating PNC utilization and associated factors could inform policies to enhance PNC uptake.

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Introduction: Understanding the experiences of women diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) can improve screening, management, and postpartum care. Therefore, this study sought to investigate experiences on the screening and management of GDM among diagnosed women.

Methods: This was a facility-based explorative qualitative design among five purposively sampled women diagnosed with GDM who were receiving care from healthcare professionals.

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Background: The first two years of life is a vital period for promoting optimal growth, development and health. The lifelong nutritional habit and overall health of children is influenced by their early age feeding practice. Ethiopia is among the top five countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with the highest burden of zero fruits/vegetables consumption.

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Objectives: To assess the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitation among Health Care Professionals (HCPs) in the Kintampo North Municipality of Ghana.

Design: An analytical cross-sectional study.

Setting: The study was carried out in the Kintampo North Municipality.

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Introduction: dietary intake and optimal gestational weight gain are important factors leading to a positive outcome for both mothers and their infants. Women who consume inadequate diet and gain inadequate weight during pregnancy are at risk of bearing a baby with low birth weight, whereas those who gain excessive weight are at increased risk of preeclampsia, having macrosomal babies, and gestational diabetes. The study aimed to assess the effect of maternal dietary intake, gestational weight on birth weight among pregnant women in Tamale Metropolis.

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Objectives: We sought to determine the clinical presentations and ultrasonographic features of uterine fibroids in adult Ghanaians.

Methods: Between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2021, 4279 ultrasound-confirmed cases of uterine fibroids were retrieved. The data obtained, which included age, clinical presentations, and sonographic features were analyzed.

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Background: Globally, growth monitoring and promotion (GMP) of infants and young children is a fundamental component of routine preventive child health care; however, programs have experienced varying degrees of quality and success with enduring challenges. The objective of this study was to describe implementation of GMP (growth monitoring, growth promotion, data use, and implementation challenges) in two countries, Ghana and Nepal, to identify key actions to strengthen GMP programs.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured key informant interviews with national and sub-national government officials (n = 24), health workers and volunteers (n = 40), and caregivers (n = 34).

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Background: COVID-19 has severely impacted health systems and the management of non-COVID-19 diseases, including malaria, globally. The pandemic has hit sub-Saharan Africa less than expected; even considering large underreporting, the direct COVID-19 burden was minor compared to the Global North. However, the indirect effects of the pandemic, e.

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Background: The importance of radiology in this era of evidence-based medicine cannot be disputed. This has resulted in the increase in demand for radiologists. Thus, the issue of whether there would be sufficient numbers of medical students to meet this growing demand needs further probing.

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Introduction: Menstruation is crucial in the reproductive lives of all women. The advent of menses in most settings is accompanied by physical and psychological health, religious, social, and cultural implications. The research intends to identify determinants of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) practices among adolescent girls in Junior High Schools in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region of Ghana.

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Introduction: menstrual hygiene (MH) is important for all women, yet it is still a neglected issue in many parts of the world. In most traditional African contexts, including Ghana, menstruation is largely treated as a taboo and humiliating topic that is rarely discussed openly. The main aim of this study is to assess perceived factors influencing menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls in Ghana´s Savannah Region, West Gonja Municipality.

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Objective: This study aimed to investigate schools' preparedness for menstrual hygiene management in the West Gonja Municipality of Ghana.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study with a mixed-methods approach.

Setting: Junior high schools in the West Gonja Municipality.

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Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an independent risk-factor for cardiovascular diseases. Plant-based dietary-patterns have been shown to reverse the effects of these cardiovascular risk-factors. Our study therefore aimed to investigate the potential roles moringa, moringa-plantain combined, and other plant based dietary-patterns could play in controlling glycaemia among persons with type-2-diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).

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The testing capacity for SARS-CoV-2 in Africa is rather limited. Antigen detection rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) are a cheap and rapid alternative to reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests, but there is little data about their performance under real life conditions in tropical countries. The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of a standard Ag-RDT in a population of a major hospital in northern Ghana.

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The surge in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) globally requires a health system tailored approach towards prevention, detection and management. We estimated the prevalence of GDM using diverse recommended tests and diagnostic thresholds, and also assessed the risk factors and obstetric outcomes, including postpartum glycemia. Using a prospective cohort design, 446 singleton pregnant women without pre-existing diabetes did GDM tests in five hospitals in Ghana from 20-34 weeks using fasting plasma glucose (FPG), one-hour and 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

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Background: Dietary recommendation help persons with diabetes adopt to healthy eating habits to achieve optimal glycemic control. Socioeconomic-status and neighborhood support system can influence adherence to dietary recommendation. The purpose of our study is to assess the association of household-socioeconomic status and neighborhood-support system with adherence to dietary recommendation among persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

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