Publications by authors named "K Boakye"

The study sought to compare the number of cycles (NOS) for the first and second thirty-seconds (FASTS) within 1 min of accommodative facility (AF) and vergence facility (VF) testing to explore possibilities of reducing testing time to 30 s. In this cross-sectional study, a multistage sample of school children (aged 8-17 years) was taken through ocular-visual screening. Eligible participants (586) underwent refraction, stereo-acuity measurement, AF testing using ± 2D lens flippers, and VF testing using 3 BI/12 BO flipper prisms.

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Cocoa-growing areas in Ghana have experienced a rise in mining activities affecting cocoa cultivation and increased concentrations of potentially toxic metals in the soil, which can accumulate in cocoa beans. This study evaluated potential toxic metal contamination in cocoa beans and soils from cocoa farms in mining and non-mining areas in Ghana. We used X-ray fluorescence and an ICP-MS to determine metal concentrations, and a Zeeman mercury analyzer to determine mercury.

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Background: Outdoor physical activity (PA) is an important component of overall health; however, it is difficult to measure. Passively collected smartphone location data like Google Location History (GLH) present an opportunity to address this issue.

Objectives: To evaluate the use of GLH data for measuring outdoor PA.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Advances in health have made HIV more manageable, but stigma and discrimination continue to hinder efforts to end the pandemic in Ghana by 2030, prompting a study on the experiences of people with HIV (PWH) in healthcare settings.
  • - A mixed-methods study with 420 participants found that 13.8% had experienced stigma, primarily in communities and homes, with common forms including gossip, verbal harassment, and physical assault affecting access to healthcare and mental health.
  • - Key predictors of stigma included being female and having TB-HIV co-infection, while self-employed individuals reported lower odds of facing stigma at clinics, indicating social dynamics in stigma experiences among PWH.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two methods (phoropter Risley prism and prism bar) for measuring fusional vergence amplitudes in school-aged children with normal vision, ages 8 to 17.
  • A total of 422 children participated, with results showing that measurements from the phoropter Risley prism were generally higher than those from the prism bar, indicating statistically significant differences.
  • The findings revealed that while some differences were clinically meaningful, the two methods are not interchangeable for measuring fusional vergence in African schoolchildren, as no agreement was found in the analysis.
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