Household economic burden of type-2 diabetes and hypertension comorbidity care in urban-poor Ghana: a mixed methods study.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) predispose households to exorbitant healthcare expenditures in health systems where there is no access to effective financial protection for healthcare. This study assessed the economic burden associated with the rising burden of type-2 diabetes (T2D) and hypertension comorbidity management, and its implications for healthcare seeking in urban Accra.

Methods: A convergent parallel mixed-methods study design was used.

Primary health care response to noncommunicable diseases: an assessment of Wellness Clinics in Ghana.

Background: Globally, there is a significant unmet need for the rapidly growing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Ghana has adopted and implemented Wellness Clinics (WC) nationwide to respond to the rising burden of NCDs. Regrettably, very little is known about WCs, including their structure and the services they offer.

Lay beliefs of COVID-19 vaccine refusal among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region of Ghana: recommendations for improved vaccine uptake.

Background: The COVID-19 vaccine has faced increased hesitancy in Ghana and the Volta region in particular since its rollout. Acceptance of the vaccine among intercity commercial drivers is crucial, especially in the Volta region, as they transport people within and outside the country and could fuel the transmission of the virus if not vaccinated.

Objective: We therefore established lay beliefs surrounding COVID-19 vaccine refusal among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region of Ghana, as well as their recommendations for improved vaccine uptake.

The contextual awareness, response and evaluation (CARE) diabetes project: study design for a quantitative survey of diabetes prevalence and non-communicable disease risk in Ga Mashie, Accra, Ghana.

Diabetes is estimated to affect between 3.3% and 8.3% of adults in Ghana, and prevalence is expected to rise.

Experiences of care-seeking behaviour for sexually transmitted infections among gay and bisexual men: A phenomenological study.

Gay and bisexual men (GBM) are stigmatized in the Ghanaian society and that negatively affect their care-seeking behaviour. We sought to understand the experiences of care-seeking behaviour (CSB) for STIs among gay and bisexual men in Sunyani, capital of Bono Region, Ghana. A respondent-driven sampling was used to collect data from 17 gay and bisexual men in Sunyani based on phenomenological qualitative approach.

Context of boat drowning in Ghana: a mixed qualitative research study.

Background: Drowning is a significant public health challenge globally. In Africa and Ghana, drowning has remained a silent epidemic among poor communities. Limited evidence has challenged advances in drowning knowledge and prevention.

Partner support and women's contraceptive use: insight from urban poor communities in Accra, Ghana.

Background: Despite the benefits associated with contraceptive use, there is a low prevalence of contraceptive use in sub-Saharan Africa and Ghana. Previous studies have partly and consistently attributed the low prevalence of contraceptive use to partner opposition. However, little is known about the influence of men in contraceptive related choices of their partners, particularly within the context of urban poverty.

Nutrition education incorporation into mainstream primary school curriculum in Ghana: Stakeholders' sources of nutrition information and perceived barriers.

Introduction: Nutrition literacy has been cited as a crucial life skill. Nutrition education as a primary school subject has been treated inconsequentially when compared to other subjects. We investigated an aspect of the current state of nutrition education in Ghana by engaging stakeholders about their sources of nutrition information and the perceived barriers in implementing nutrition education in mainstream primary schools.

Lay knowledge of cardiovascular disease and risk factors in three communities in Accra, Ghana: a cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Ghana, and urban poor communities are disproportionately affected. Research has shown that knowledge of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the first step to risk reduction. This study examines knowledge of CVD and risk factors and determinants of CVD knowledge in three urban poor communities in Accra, Ghana.

Institutional mortality rate and cause of death at health facilities in Ghana between 2014 and 2018.

Background: The epidemiological transition, touted as occurring in Ghana, requires research that tracks the changing patterns of diseases in order to capture the trend and improve healthcare delivery. This study examines national trends in mortality rate and cause of death at health facilities in Ghana between 2014 and 2018.

Methods: Institutional mortality data and cause of death from 2014-2018 were sourced from the Ghana Health Service's District Health Information Management System.

Being ready, willing and able: understanding the dynamics of family planning decision-making through community-based group discussions in the Northern Region, Ghana.

Regional contraceptive use differentials are pronounced in Ghana, with the lowest levels occurring in the Northern Region. Community-based health services, intended to promote maternal and child health and family planning use, may have failed to address this problem. This paper presents an analysis of qualitative data on community perspectives on family planning "readiness," "willingness," and "ability" compiled in the course of 20 focus group discussions with residents (mothers and fathers of children under five, young boys and girls, and community elders) of two communities each in two Northern Region districts that were either equipped with or lacking direct access to community health services.

The prevalence and correlates of the double burden of malnutrition among women in Ghana.

Anaemia and underweight or overweight/obesity are major public health problems driving maternal and child mortality in low- and middle-income countries. While the burden of these conditions is recognised, the evidence for the co-occurrence of these conditions is fragmented and mixed, especially at the individual level. Further, many studies have focused on families and communities.

A qualitative appraisal of stakeholders' perspectives of a community-based primary health care program in rural Ghana.

Background: The Ghana Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) initiative is a national strategy for improving access to primary health care services for underserved communities. Following a successful trial in the North Eastern part of the country, CHPS was adopted as Ghana's flagship programme for achieving the Universal Health Coverage. Recent empirical evidence suggests, however, that scale-up of CHPS has not necessarily replicated the successes of the pilot study.

Hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment and control in Ghanaian population: Evidence from the Ghana demographic and health survey.

Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality in Ghana. This study examines the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension among Ghanaian aged 15-49 years. This cross-sectional study retrieved data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS).

Community and individual sense of trust and psychological distress among the urban poor in Accra, Ghana.

Background: Mental health disorders present significant health challenges in populations in sub Saharan Africa especially in deprived urban poor contexts. Some studies have suggested that in collectivistic societies such as most African societies people can draw on social capital to attenuate the effect of community stressors on their mental health. Global studies suggest the effect of social capital on mental disorders such as psychological distress is mixed, and emerging studies on the psychosocial characteristics of collectivistic societies suggest that mistrust and suspicion sometimes deprive people of the benefit of social capital.

Sense of community and willingness to support malaria intervention programme in urban poor Accra, Ghana.

Background: The extensive research on community members' willingness to support malaria interventions ignores the role of psychosocial determinants. This study assesses the impact of individuals' sense of community (perceptions of community cohesion, altruism, seeking help from neighbours and migrant status) on their willingness to participate in a mosquito control programme using data on 768 individuals from the 2013 RIPS Urban Health and Poverty Survey in poor coastal communities in Accra, Ghana. A contingent valuation experiment was employed to elicit individuals' willingness to support the programme by contributing nothing, labour time/money only or both.

Factors associated with treatment-seeking for malaria in urban poor communities in Accra, Ghana.

Background: In Ghana, about 3.5 million cases of malaria are recorded each year. Urban poor residents particularly have a higher risk of malaria mainly due to poor housing, low socio-economic status and poor sanitation.

The double burden of disease and the challenge of health access: Evidence from Access, Bottlenecks, Cost and Equity facility survey in Ghana.

Despite the double burden of infectious and chronic non-communicable diseases in Africa, health care expenditure disproportionately favours infectious diseases. In this paper, we examine quantitatively the extent of this disproportionate access to diagnoses and treatment of diabetes, hypertension and malaria in Ghana. A total of 220 health facilities was surveyed across the country in 2011.