Determinants of exclusive breastfeeding: a study of two sub-districts in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana.

Introduction: Optimal breastfeeding rates have not been encouraging globally with sub-optimal feeding being customized in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, in the Atwima Nwabiagya district of Ghana, the message of Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) has caught up well with many nursing mothers. we examined the determinants of EBF vis-à-vis performance of a community based growth promotion strategy in the Atwima Nwabiagya district of the Ashanti region of Ghana.

Traditional healers as service providers in Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme: the wrong way forward?

Concerned with the negative impacts of user fees on healthcare access and utilisation, following the enactment of a law in 2003, the Ghanaian government replaced the 'cash-and-carry' system with a National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Even though many Ghanaians rely on traditional medicine (TRM) for reasons of culture, cost and personal preference, the incipient NHIS does not cover the services of TRM practitioners. Consultations with health policy-makers suggest that, in as much as the government recognises the invaluable contributions of TRM practitioners and would like to incorporate them in the incipient scheme, the provision of TRM in the country is still too disorganised, with few if any formal protocols and codes of conduct.

Bayesian structured additive regression modeling of epidemic data: application to cholera.

Background: A significant interest in spatial epidemiology lies in identifying associated risk factors which enhances the risk of infection. Most studies, however, make no, or limited use of the spatial structure of the data, as well as possible nonlinear effects of the risk factors.

Methods: We develop a Bayesian Structured Additive Regression model for cholera epidemic data.

The use of traditional medicine by Ghanaians in Canada.

Background: Research into health and health-care seeking behaviour amongst immigrant populations suggests that culturally-based behaviours change over time towards those prevalent in the host culture. Such acculturation of immigrant groups occurs as part of the interaction of immigrants with mainstream culture. This study examined the acculturation of Ghanaian immigrants in Greater Toronto Area (Canada) focusing particularly on attitudes towards and usage of Ghanaian traditional medicine (TRM).