ICT: Breaking Barriers to Contraceptives Information and Usage among Adolescents in the Sunyani East Municipality, Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana

Introduction: Information Communication Technology (ICT) is the use of computers, mobile phones and internet to access, process, receive, send, and use various kinds of data and information. With the expansion of mobile phone users and availability of internet services, teenagers are now using ICT to create awareness and use contraceptives, an area considered to be the preserved of married couple. Purpose: The paper examines how the application of ICT by teenagers broken traditional and religious barriers to accessing and utilizing contraceptive information in the Sunyani East Municipality. Methodology: The research design was a mixed method combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. The target population was teenagers between the ages of 11 and 19 years in Senior High and Junior High Schools. Out of 87 schools, 16 schools were randomly selected using simple random sampling technique. The total sample size was 212 teenagers. Data was collected from the respondents, using interviews, questionnaires and focus group discussions. The paper found that ICT is a major means of accessing, sharing and using information about contraceptives by the teenagers, information is hard to access because of societal perceptions, sociocultural and psycho-religious barriers. Findings: The paper found that ICT has impact on their perceptions, utilization or otherwise, because they now the effects of various kinds of contraceptives. Recommendation: The paper recommends that teenagers should be given proper ICT education to enable them use credible websites on the internet to get contraceptive information. Education should be intensified through the mass media, free lectures, radio and television discussions to augment the use of ICT to expand the number of teenagers using contraceptive.

Availability of low vision services and barriers to their provision and uptake in Ghana: practitioners’ perspectives

Background: Provision and uptake of low vision services are essential. Objective: To assess the availability of low vision services and barriers to their provision and uptake in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana from the perspective of eye care practitioners. Methods: A descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional study design using semi-structured questionnaires was used to collect information from eye care practitioners selected from 58 eye care facilities in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana. Results: Forty-four eye care practitioners from Ashanti region and 10 from Brong Ahafo region responded to the question- naire. Seventeen (34%) of the 50 eye care facilities who reported having patients seeking low vision services in their facilities provided such services. Lack of low vision devices (94.4%) and equipment (87%) were reported to be the main barriers to the provision of low vision services. Major barriers to low vision services uptake were lack of awareness (88.7%), high cost (70.4%) and social unacceptability of low vision assistive devices (59.3%). Conclusion: Lack of adequate low vision services and barriers to their provision and uptake impact negatively on efforts to prevent visual impairment and blindness in Ghana. Keywords: Low vision services; provision; barriers.

The Rhetoric and Farmers’ Lived Realities of the Green Revolution in Africa: Case Study of the Brong Ahafo Region in Ghana

This paper presents a political ecological analysis of the drivers and impacts of Green Revolution technologies – including improved seeds, chemical fertiliser and other agrochemicals – in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. We identify national government, foreign investment and philanthro-capital as key drivers in shaping both narratives and uptake of Green Revolution technologies at the local level. Drawing from interviews and focus groups, our findings demonstrate that Green Revolution technologies deliver a range of negative local-level socio-ecological impacts, including increasing the overall costs of production, as well as exacerbating poverty and inequality amongst farmers. Our findings demonstrate the disconnection between claims that Green Revolution technologies increase food security and income, and lived experiences of farmers.

Unravelling the Multifaceted Development Consequences of Agricultural Land Grabbing on Rural Migrant Women in Ghana

The study examines how agricultural land grabbing has affected rural migrant women in Ghana. This has been done through the use of the convergent parallel mixed method of case study design, with emphasis on two land grabbed communities—Kobre in Brong Ahafo region and Agogo in Ashanti region of Ghana. The results showed that the manifestations of land grabbing have led to: (a) Strong experiences of land alienation and thwarted re-connection of rural migrant women to alternative lands; and (b) coerced participation of rural migrant women in low-value economic fields and changes in their geographical positions. These outcomes have affected the livelihood conditions of the migrant women negatively. The study, therefore, recommends the State and other key stakeholders to develop comprehensive guidelines that specifically protect rural migrant women in their access to and use of land and related resources in the phase of land-based investments.

Evaluation of timeliness of treatment initiation among smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana, 2015

Background: We evaluated timeliness and factors influencing treatment initiation (TI) among smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB+) patients in Brong Ahafo Region (BAR), Ghana.Design and Setting: We conducted a cross-sectional study in health facilities (HF) in six districts in BAR, from November 2014 to May 2015. Newly diagnosed smear positive PTB patients were selected randomly proportionate to size of facility cases. Timeliness of symptoms, diagnosis, TI and factors for delay were assessed using structured questionnaire. Patient delay was defined as presentation to a health care provider after 21 days of the onset of TBrelated symptoms and TI delay as therapy initiated after 30-days of onset of TB-related symptoms. We determined median patient timeliness, HF, and TI timeliness. We identified factors associated with TI delay using logistic regression.Results: There were a total of 237 PTB+ patients; median patient timeliness of 30 days (IQR:14, 60). The median health facility timeliness was 8 days (IQR:4, 10); and the median TI timeliness was 36 days (IQR:25, 69). Majority (58.7%) of patients delayed in seeking treatment. TI delay was associated with: unemployment [aOR=7.4, 95%CI(1.9–28.8)], fear of losing job [aOR=3.4, 95%CI(1.3–8.5)], traditional healer as first port of call [aOR=10.6, 95%CI(13.0-66.8)], and initially being treated for HIV [aOR=4.9, 95%CI(1.6-14.8)].Conclusion: There were delays in treatment initiation and patient treatment seeking timeliness. One-third of patients would prefer traditional healers/self-treatment/drug store as an option. A concerted effort by stakeholders is needed toimprove behaviour change communication on good health seeking behaviour for persons living with TB to reduce delays in seeking treatment.Keywords: Pulmonary tuberculosis; timeliness, delay; Brong Ahafo Region; GhanaFunding: The study was funded by the authors