INTRODUCTION: Nurses' expertise and recommendations from nurses are essential sources of opinions and recommendations for policy development. Nurses must be actively involved in politics, and nursing could play an essential role in shaping health policy. However, the influence of political efficacy, political astuteness, and health policy advocacy exposes a gap in the current knowledge. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study utilized descriptive correlational design and mediating analysis. Purposive sampling was used to select six hospitals in Ghana, and simple random sampling was used to select five hundred and seventy-nine nurses. The study used the Political Efficacy Scale, Social Justice Advocacy Scale, and the Political Astuteness Inventory. The data were analyzed by mean and Standard deviation, Pearson coefficient, ANOVA, and GLS mediation. RESULTS: Nurses in Ghana had a low political efficacy and health policy advocacy. Moreover, political astuteness had moderate astuteness. A Pearson Correlation coefficient showed a moderately significant positive relationship between political efficacy and health policy advocacy. Furthermore, political astuteness and health policy advocacy showed a statistically significant low positive relationship. There was no significant difference in political efficacy and health policy advocacy when age, academic qualification, nurses' rank, and years of professional experience were considered. Political astuteness partially mediated the relationship between political efficacy and health policy advocacy. CONCLUSION Nurses in Ghana have limited belief in their ability to understand and affect politics and have limited participation in healthcare advocacy initiatives. Furthermore, nurse respondents have the adequate ability of a nurse to understand political knowledge, political participation, and legislative understanding to advocate health policies.
Nurses ; Ghana

This research assessed the experience of stakeholders and the efficacy of integrating traditional medicine into the Ghanaian health system using the Ashanti Region as the focal point. Elements of an integrative healthcare delivery model including philosophies/values, structure, process and outcome were used to conduct a quality assessment of the integrated health system in Ghana. Each element clearly showed that Ghana is currently not running a coordinated health practice model, thus making it a tolerant, rather than an inclusive, health system. Therefore, the primary purpose of this research is to discuss the development of a new and appropriately customised model that could enhance the practice of integrated healthcare in Ghana. The model we present has flexibility and far-reaching applicability in other African countries because such countries share similar socio-cultural and economic characteristics. As such, governments and health practitioners could adapt this model to improve the practice of integrated healthcare in their specific settings. Hospital administrators and health system researchers could also adapt the model to investigate or to monitor the progress and efficacy of integrated healthcare practices within their settings. This might help to understand the relationships between the integration of traditional medicine and health outcomes for a given population. Please cite this article as: Ampomah IG, Malau-Aduli BS, Malau-Aduli AEO, Emeto TI. From talk to action: Developing a model to foster effective integration of traditional medicine into the Ghanaian healthcare system. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(5): 423-429.
Ghana ; Medicine, Traditional ; Delivery of Health Care, Integrated

BACKGROUND: Food safety and hygiene are currently a global health apprehension especially in unindustrialized countries as a result of increasing food-borne diseases (FBDs) and accompanying deaths. This study aimed at assessing knowledge, attitude, and hygiene practices (KAP) of food safety among street-cooked food handlers (SCFHs) in North Dayi District, Ghana. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on 407 SCFHs in North Dayi District, Ghana. The World Health Organization's Five Keys to Safer Food for food handlers and a pretested structured questionnaire were adapted for data collection among stationary SCFHs along principal streets. Significant parameters such as educational status, average monthly income, registered SCFHs, and food safety training course were used in bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models to calculate the power of the relationships observed. RESULTS: The majority 84.3% of SCFHs were female and 56.0% had not attended a food safety training course. This study showed that 67.3%, 58.2%, and 62.9% of SCFHs had good levels of KAP of food safety, respectively. About 87.2% showed a good attitude of separating uncooked and prepared meal before storage. Good knowledge of food safety was 2 times higher among registered SCFHs compared to unregistered [cOR=1.64, p=0.032]. SCFHs with secondary education were 4 times good at hygiene practices of food safety likened to no education [aOR=4.06, p=0.003]. Above GHc1500 average monthly income earners were 5 times good at hygiene practices of food safety compared to below GHc500 [aOR=4.89, p=0.006]. Registered SCFHs were 8 times good at hygiene practice of food safety compared to unregistered [aOR=7.50, p<0.001]. The odd for good hygiene practice of food safety was 6 times found among SCFHs who had training on food safety courses likened to those who had not [aOR=5.97, p<0.001]. CONCLUSIONS Over half of the SCFHs had good levels of KAP of food safety. Registering as SCFH was significantly associated with good knowledge and hygiene practices of food safety. Therefore, our results may present an imperative foundation for design to increase food safety and hygiene practice in the district, region, and beyond.
Adult ; Attitude ; Cooking/methods* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Food Safety ; Ghana ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Emergency workers such as firefighters are cataloged within the most demanding and injurious professions globally. Considering the health and safety implications in firefighting, a lot of research needs to be conducted to examine how firefighters' task characteristics and their work demand influence the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). This study therefore examines how the task characteristics of firefighters moderates the relationship between their work demand and the development of WMSDs. METHODS: Convenient sampling was employed to select 320 firefighters in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression. RESULTS: The findings revealed that work demand and task characteristics have significant positive effects on WMSDs. Again, the task characteristics of firefighters moderates the relationship between their work demand and WMSDs. CONCLUSION: Since the study shows that task characteristics influences the relationship between work demand and WMSDs, it is vital for managers to constantly modify the nature of tasks performed by and work demand of emergency workers to minimize the development of WMSDs and other industrial health complications.
Emergencies ; Firefighters ; Ghana ; Humans ; Occupational Health

BACKGROUND: Despite improvements in safety performance, the number and severity of mining-related injuries remain high and unacceptable, indicating that further reduction can be achieved. This study examines occupational accident statistics of the Ghanaian mining industry and identifies priority areas, warranting intervention measures and further investigations. METHODS: A total of 202 fatal and nonfatal injury reports over a 10-year period were obtained from five mines and the Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission of Ghana, and they were analyzed. RESULTS: Results of the analyses show that the involvement of mining equipment, the task being performed, the injury type, and the mechanism of injury remain as priorities. For instance, mining equipment was associated with 85% of all injuries and 90% of all fatalities, with mobile equipment, component/part, and hand tools being the leading equipment types. In addition, mechanics/repairmen, truck operators, and laborers were the most affected ones, and the most dangerous activities included maintenance, operating mobile equipment, and clean up/clearing. CONCLUSION: Results of this analysis will enable authorities of mines to develop targeted interventions to improve their safety performance. To improve the safety of the mines, further research and prevention efforts are recommended.
Accidents, Occupational ; Ghana ; Hand ; Minerals ; Miners ; Mining ; Motor Vehicles

BACKGROUND: Although the concept of workload is important to nursing practice, only a few nursing researchers have focused on the issue of workload within the nursing context. Knowledge of how the dynamics of workload affects the job stress of nurses working in a specific unit or department in a hospital setting, and the influence of coworker support on this relationship, still remains limited. This study, therefore examined the effect of workload on job stress of Ghanaian outpatient department nurses and the moderating effect of coworker support on this relationship. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used, and questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 216 outpatient department nurses from four major hospitals in Ghana. The data collected measured workload, job stress, and coworker support using National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Task Load Index, job stress scale, and coworker support scale, respectively. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and hierarchical regression. RESULTS: High levels of workload were associated with high levels of job stress of the nurses. Also, higher levels of workload were related to higher levels of job stress for nurses who received high levels of coworker support, but this was not the case for those who received low levels of coworker support (reserve buffering effect). CONCLUSION: The finding reiterates the adverse effect of workloads on employees' health, and the reverse buffering effect implies that supporting a colleague at work should be conveyed in a positive manner devoid of negative appraisal.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Ghana ; Humans ; Nursing ; Nursing Research ; Outpatients ; United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration

BACKGROUND: Workplace victimization is considered a major social stressor with significant implications for the wellbeing of employees and organizations. The aim of this study was to examine the influences of employees' personality traits and organizational politics on workplace victimization among Ghanaian employees. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 631 employees selected from diverse occupations through convenience sampling. Data collection tools were standardized questionnaires that measured experiences of negative acts at work (victimization), the Big Five personality traits, and organizational politics. RESULTS: The results from hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that among the personality traits neuroticism and conscientiousness had significant, albeit weak relationships with victimization. Organizational politics had a significant positive relationship with workplace victimization beyond employees' personality. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that compared with personal characteristics such as personality traits, work environment factors such as organizational politics have a stronger influence on the occurrence of workplace victimization.
Crime Victims* ; Data Collection ; Ghana ; Humans ; Occupations ; Politics*

OBJECTIVES: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). People with AIDS are much more vulnerable to infections, including opportunistic infections and tumors, than people with a healthy immune system. The objective of this study was to correlate oral lesions associated with HIV/AIDS and immunosuppression levels by measuring clusters of differentiation 4 (CD4) cell counts among patients living in the middle western regions of Ghana. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 120 patients who visited the HIV clinic at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the Regional Hospital Sunyani of Ghana were consecutively enrolled in this prospective and cross-sectional study. Referred patients' baseline CD4 counts were obtained from medical records and each patient received an initial physician assessment. Intraoral diagnoses were based on the classification and diagnostic criteria of the EEC Clearinghouse, 1993. After the initial assessment, extra- and intraoral tissues from each enrolled patient were examined. Data analyses were carried out using simple proportions, frequencies and chi-square tests of significance. RESULTS: Our study included 120 patients, and was comprised of 42 (35.0%) males and 78 (65.0%) females, ranging in age from 21 to 67 years with sex-specific mean ages of 39.31 years (males) and 39.28 years (females). Patient CD4 count values ranged from 3 to 985 cells/mL with a mean baseline CD4 count of 291.29 cells/mL for males and 325.92 cells/mL for females. The mean baseline CD4 count for the entire sample was 313.80 cells/mL. Of the 120 patients we examined, 99 (82.5%) were observed to have at least one HIV-associated intraoral lesion while 21 (17.5%) had no intraoral lesions. Oral candidiasis, periodontitis, melanotic hyperpigmentation, gingivitis and xerostomia were the most common oral lesions. CONCLUSION: From a total of nine oral lesions, six lesions that included oral candidiasis, periodontitis, melanotic hyperpigmentation, gingivitis, xerostomia and oral hairy leukoplakia were significantly correlated with declining CD4 counts.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Candidiasis, Oral ; CD4 Lymphocyte Count* ; Cell Count ; Classification ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diagnosis ; European Union ; Female ; Ghana* ; Gingivitis ; HIV ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Immune System ; Immunosuppression ; Leukoplakia, Hairy ; Male ; Medical Records ; Opportunistic Infections ; Oral Manifestations* ; Periodontitis ; Prospective Studies ; Statistics as Topic ; Xerostomia

The rapidly increasing annual global volume of e-waste, and of its inherently valuable fraction, has created an opportunity for individuals in Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana to make a living by using unconventional, uncontrolled, primitive and crude procedures to recycle and recover valuable metals from this waste. The current form of recycling procedures releases hazardous fractions, such as heavy metals, into the soil, posing a significant risk to the environment and human health. Using a handheld global positioning system, 132 soil samples based on 100 m grid intervals were collected and analysed for cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn). Using geostatistical techniques and sediment quality guidelines, this research seeks to assess the potential risk these heavy metals posed to the proposed Korle Ecological Restoration Zone by informal e-waste processing site in Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana. Analysis of heavy metals revealed concentrations exceeded the regulatory limits of both Dutch and Canadian soil quality and guidance values, and that the ecological risk posed by the heavy metals extended beyond the main burning and dismantling sites of the informal recyclers to the school, residential, recreational, clinic, farm and worship areas. The heavy metals Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn had normal distribution, spatial variability, and spatial autocorrelation. Further analysis revealed the decreasing order of toxicity, Hg>Cd>Pb> Cu>Zn>Cr, of contributing significantly to the potential ecological risk in the study area.
Agriculture ; Burns ; Cadmium ; Chromium ; Copper ; Geographic Information Systems ; Ghana ; Humans ; Metals ; Metals, Heavy ; Recycling ; Soil ; Spatial Analysis ; Zinc

The reconstruction of femoral length (FL) from fragmentary femora is an essential step in estimating stature from fragmentary skeletal remains in forensic investigations. While regression formulae for doing this have been suggested for several populations, such formulae have not been established for Ghanaian skeletal remains. This study, therefore, seeks to derive regression formulae for reconstruction of FL from fragmentary femora of skeletal samples obtained from Ghana. Six measurements (vertical head diameter, transverse head diameter, bicondylar breadth, epicondylar breadth, sub-trochanteric anterior-posterior diameter, and sub-trochanteric transverse diameter) were acquired from different anatomical portions of the femur and the relationship between each acquired measurement and FL was analyzed using linear regression. The results indicated significantly moderate-to-high correlations (r=0.580–0.818) between FL and each acquired measurement. The error estimates of the regression formulae were relatively low (i.e., standard error of estimate, 13.66–19.28 mm), suggesting that the discrepancies between actual and estimated stature were relatively low. Compared with other measurements, sub-trochanteric transverse diameter was the best estimate of FL. In the absence of a complete femur, the regression formulae based on the assessed measurements may be used to infer FL, from which stature can be estimated in forensic investigations.
Femur ; Ghana ; Head ; Linear Models