Browsing by Author "Mohammed, Aliyu"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Is pulmonary tuberculosis in pregnant women a problem in Ghana? Observations and lessons from the National Tuberculosis Prevalence Project
    (Wolters Kluwer - Medknow, 2019) Awua‑Boateng, Nana Yaa; Mohammed, Aliyu; Aglanu, Leslie Mawuli; Acheampong, Godfred; Amuasi,J. H.; Bonsu,F.A.; Phillips, Richard Odame; Owusu-Dabo, Ellis
    Background: Despite appropriate prevention and control measures, tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis of the disease in pregnancy is usually challenging, as the symptoms may be attributed to the pregnancy. Little is known about the true burden of the disease and its associated risk factors among pregnant women. This study sought to assess the prevalence of TB among pregnant women and associated sociodemographic characteristics in Ghana. Methods: The study used nationally representative data gathered from the national TB project in 2013. A total of 1747 pregnant women were sampled from 56 randomly selected diagnostic health centers across the ten regions of Ghana. TB was confirmed with Ziehl–Neelsen staining technique using morning sputum samples from pregnant women who reported coughing for more than 2 weeks. We assessed how the observed TB prevalence differed by some sociodemographic characteristics and other factors. We further examined the regional spatial distribution of pregnant women with TB in the country. Results: Up to 11.2% of the pregnant women had a history of cough during pregnancy. Eighteen (1.1%) cases of TB were confirmed among the pregnant women during the 2‑year period, with the Eastern region of the country recording the highest (n = 13, 72%), followed by Volta region ( n = 2, 11.1%). No cases were recorded in five regions. The geographical region of residence was the only determinant of TB in pregnancy significantly associated with TB (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Although the burden of TB was found to be low, appropriate control measures have to be put in place to detect the disease during the early stages of pregnancy to safeguard the health of the expectant mother and the unborn child.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The use of mobile phones as a behaviour change communication and surveillance tool for the prevention of malaria and other febrile illnesses among children under-five at the Asante Akyim North District of Ghana
    (KNUST, 2018-07) Mohammed, Aliyu
    ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Worldwide, millions of children under-five continue to die before their fifth birthday due to preventable infectious diseases including malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea; sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for almost half of these deaths. The situation is not different in Ghana, where the under-five mortality rate in 2014 was reported to be 60 per 1,000 live births. Existing evidence suggests that the practice of healthy behaviours by families and communities, coupled with early diagnosis and treatment of childhood febrile illnesses could greatly accelerate reductions in under-five mortality. Mobile technology has been suggested to improve health outcomes by supporting the delivery of health services, even in the most remote and resource poor settings in developing countries. Despite its demonstrated applicability to the health sector, empirical evidence to support its usefulness as a Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) and surveillance tool is fraught with continuous scepticism. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the effect of delivering BCC intervention via mobile phones on malaria prevalence in children under-five at the Asante Akyim North District. Additionally, the feasibility of use of mobile technology for monitoring common childhood disease symptoms was assessed. METHODS: A Quasi-experimental nonequivalent study design was employed using a random sample of 334 caregivers with children under-five from two sub-districts of the Asante Akyim North district and assigned to either an intervention or control group. Caregivers in the intervention group received bi-weekly voice SMS on malaria for twelve months. They were also given a toll-free health line to call and report disease symptoms of their sick children during the period of the intervention. The effect of the intervention on prevalence of malaria in the children, knowledge on malaria and health behaviours of caregivers were assessed using logistic regression and nearest neighbour propensity score matching analysis to estimate the treatment effect (ATETnn) using Stata 13. Spatial distribution of childhood malaria cases were also geo-statistically assessed using ArcGIS 10.2. The feasibility of the mobile technology for monitoring disease symptoms and providing valid data was assessed using Cohen Kappa statistics and predictive values. RESULTS: Among children under-five whose caregivers received the intervention, malaria prevalence significantly decreased from 73.9% at baseline to 43.5% at endline vii (p<0.001) compared with children in the control group, where a reduction of 76.1% to 58.9% (p<0.001) was observed. Children whose caregivers received the intervention were significantly less likely (odds ratio [AOR] = 0.53, p-value ≤0.01, 95% CI = 0.34, 0.83) to experience malaria compared with children in the control group. The spatial distribution of malaria revealed significantly high-cluster areas in the control site and low-cluster areas in the intervention site at post-intervention. The post intervention treatment effect showed a statistically significant reduction in malaria prevalence (ATETnn = -0.170, tnn = -3.07, 95% CI = -0.28, -0.03) compared to the baseline estimate (ATETnn = -0.02, tnn = -0.26, 95% CI = -0.14, 0.09). Receiving the intervention significantly improved the knowledge (odds ratio [AOR] = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.09, 2.99) and health behaviours: attitude (odds ratio [AOR] = 2.58, p-value ≤0.001, 95% CI =1.61, 4.15) and behaviour (odds ratio [AOR] = 2.03, p-value ≤0.01, 95% CI =1.29, 3.19) of caregivers in the intervention group compared with caregivers in the control group. Additionally, with the aid of the mobile phone technology, based on phone calls from caregivers, a total of 52 potential childhood cases were identified. Common symptoms reported included fever (46.0%, n=24), cough (52.1%, n=25), diarrhoea (40.0%, n=18) and vomiting (39.2%, n=20). An assessment of the validity of the symptom reports between the mobile technology and that of clinician’s revealed the highest agreement for fever (percentage agreement, 84.9%, kappa=0.70, p<0.001, sensitivity=86.7%, NPV=88.2%), good agreement for diarrhoea (percentage agreement, 74.2%, kappa=0.44, p<0.007, sensitivity=70.0%, NPV=84.2%) and vomiting (percentage agreement, 73.7%, kappa=0.46, p<0.002, sensitivity=68.8%, NPV=77.3%), with cough showing a fair agreement (percentage agreement, 67.7%, kappa=0.37, p<0.0129, sensitivity=80.0%, NPV=78.6%). CONCLUSION: The findings of the study provide support for using mobile phone technology as a BCC tool for disseminating health messages to caregivers in a bid to reduce malaria incidence and mortality in children under-five, and monitoring symptoms of childhood illnesses. Further research could assess the cost-benefit of implementing this intervention on a larger scale.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    This disease is not meant for the hospital, it is Asram’: Implications of a traditionally-defined illness on healthcare seeking for children under-5 in rural Ashanti, Ghana
    (PLOS Glob Public Health, 2022-09-08) Acheampong, Princess Ruhama; Mohammed, Aliyu; Twumasi-Ankrah, Sampson; Sylverken, Augustina Angelina; Owusu, Michael; Acquah-Gyan, Emmanuel; Adjei, Timothy Kwabena; Otupiri, Easmon; Owusu-Dabo, Ellis; 0000-0001-8986-1648
    Every child has the right to survive, grow and develop. However, in spite of the considerable global gains that have been made in child survival, Sub-Saharan Africa still has the highest child mortality rates and accounts for the greatest burden of mortality globally. The majority of these children die without ever reaching a health facility. The practice of appropriate healthcare-seeking behaviour has a great potential to reduce the occurrence of severe and life-threatening childhood illnesses. Several factors, however, influence healthcare-seeking behaviour, including perceptions of the cause of illness and socio-cultural perspectives.This study seeks to understand local concepts of a traditionally-defined illness complex,Asram, and its influence on healthcare seeking behavior of mothers/caregivers. This qualitative study was conducted from October 2019 to February 2020. Four Focus Group Discus sions were conducted with mothers/caregivers of children under-5 and 22 Key Informant Interviews with mothers/caregivers of children who had Asram, health workers at district, facility, and community levels, and Asram healers. Participants were selected from two rural communities, Akutuase and Wioso of the Asante Akim North district in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Data analysis was carried out iteratively throughout data collection, using a thematic analysis approach. The study shows that Asram is a childhood illness complex that is perceived to have been acquired spiritually and/or inherited. Nine types of Asram were described. This childhood illness was said to be treatable by Asram healers who had subspecialties in treatment approaches that were determined by the Asram type reported. Mothers/caregivers trusted Asram healers and preferred to call on them first. This was found to be the main reason for delays in seeking healthcare for children under-5 who showed symptoms of Asram. Asram is a childhood illness complex that is believed to be bet ter managed outside the health facility setting. This study complements existing knowledge and creates opportunities for further research and the introduction of more effective interventions in the effort to improve child survival in rural communities.