Daniel Buor

Water needs and women's health in the Kumasi metropolitan area, Ghana

This paper examines the impact of water fetching by women and the quality of water during periods of water scarcity on the health of women in the Kumasi metropolitan area. A sample of 210 women drawn using systematic random procedure is used for the study. Formal interview is the main instrument used. The survey has established that income, quality of water, hours spent fetching water during scarcity and age are the main factors influencing womens health in the metropolis during water scarcity. In both the core and periphery, the water-related problem influencing health is hours spent fetching water during scarcity. An empirical model on water needs and womens health has emerged from the survey. Recommendations have been made on strategies to ensure regular volume of surface water, effective management of scarce water resources with the participation of women, and ensuring gender equity in domestic services.

Distance as a predominant factor in the utilisation of health services in the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana

The research primarily aims at testing a model, adapted from existing models, on the influence of distance on the use of health services in the Kumasi metropolis, an expanding urban centre in Ghana. Primary data, collected between August 2000 and February 2001, were used for the study. The data were analysed using a multiple regression model and compound bar graphs. A sample of 250, drawn through systematic random and stratified procedures, was used for the cross-sectional retrospective survey. Data were collected through formal interview schedules, after preliminary observational survey. The survey has established three principal findings. First, distance shows a strong inverse relationship with the utilisation of health services in the metropolis. Second, travel time and transport cost, variables that are related to distance, exhibit a weak negative and positive associations respectively with the use of health services. Third, the vulnerable groups of women, the aged, the sickly, the illiterate and the poor are not affected by distance decay in the utilisation of health services. Finally, independent variables that are statistically significant in influencing utilisation, alongside distance, are education, service cost, quality of service and health status. Recommendations for locational modelling of health services at the deprived periphery, an introduction of an insurance scheme to facilitate health care use, and recommendations for further research have been made.

From Poverty to Poor Health: Analysis of Socio-Economic Pathways Influencing Health Status in Rural Households of Ghana

Abstract The need for the poor, the marginalised and socially excluded to live healthier and longer lives has in recent times become paramount in the development literature and policy discussions seeking to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In response to this, attempts are being made to redirect the research focus to examine socio-economic factors underpinning disease occurrence and ill health for health planning policies and practices to benefit the poor and vulnerable in society. This paper explores the relationship between socio-economic conditions and health outcomes. It identifies and examines through participatory rural assessment techniques, basic socio-economic factors acting as significant pathways through which poverty increases the susceptibility of rural households to diseases. It seeks to address the reasons why the poor are poorer in health in rural communities of the Amansie West district of Ghana. This paper thus emphasises how social stratification and inequalities could affect quality of life of people in any given society, hence supporting the theory of social suffering and its implications on societal health.

Sociocultural hegemony, gendered identity, and use of traditional and complementary medicine in Ghana

ABSTRACT This study investigated gender differences in the use of traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) in Ghana. Using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, we collected data from March to June 2013 from 324 randomly sampled adults in the Ashanti region. The prevalence of TCM use in the prior 12 months was 86 percent. Females constituted the majority (61 percent) of TCM users. Female TCM users were more likely than male users to have had only a basic education, been traders (p ˂ .0001), and have health insurance (p ˂ .05). Using multiple logistic regression, TCM use was associated with urban residence for females (odds ratio [OR] = 7.82; 95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 1.28–47.83) but negatively related for males (OR = 0.032; 95 percent CI: 0.002–0.63). Being self-employed was associated with TCM use among males (OR = 7.62; 95 percent CI: 1.22–47.60), while females’ TCM use was associated with higher income (OR = 3.72; 95 percent CI: 1.21–11.48) and perceived efficacy of TCM (OR = 5.60; 95 percent CI: 1.78–17.64). The African sociocultural structure vests household decision-making power in men but apparently not regarding TCM use, and the factors associated with TCM use largely differed by gender. These findings provide ingredients for effective health policy planning and evaluation. Adoption and modernization of TCM should apply a gendered lens.

FROM POVERTY TO POOR HEALTH: ANALYSIS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC PATHWAYS INFLUENCING HOUSEHOLDS HEALTH STATUS IN RURAL GHANA

The need for the poor, the marginalized and socially excluded to live healthier and longer lives have in recent times become paramount in development literature and policy discourse towards the actualization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) particularly within deprived communities. In response to this, attempts are being made to redirect research focus to examine socio-economic factors underpinning disease occurrence and ill health for health planning policies and practices to benefit the poor and vulnerable in society. This paper expounds the relationship between socio-economic conditions and health outcomes. It identifies and examines through participatory rural assessment techniques basic socio-economic factors acting as significant pathways through which poverty increases the susceptibility of rural households to disease occurrence. It seeks to address the reasons why the poor are poorer in health in the rural communities of the Amansie West district of Ghana.