Background. The World Health Organisation estimates that 1.35 million people die as a result of road traffic crashes. Motorcycles as a means of transport are increasingly becoming the preferred and easiest means of transportation for most people in developing countries despite the associated risk. This study determined the prevalence and pattern of motorcycle crashes in Adidome among commercial motorcyclists. Methods. A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was used as 114 commercial motorcyclists were recruited to respond to a pretested research questionnaire in the Adidome district of the Volta Region. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 22.0. Data were presented as simple descriptive statistics. A chi-square relationship was determined using the demographic variables, and the history of accident at a 95% confidence interval with 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results. The prevalence of road traffic crashes at Adidome was 64.0%. Motorcyclists (74.0%) were reported to have been involved in crashes in the past one year prior to the study. Motorcyclists attributed the last accident to excessive speeding (31.5%) and bad roads (23.3%), this accident as a result of colliding with another motorcycle (50.7%), and slippery surfaces (24.7%). The majority (63.0%) of the respondents had an accident once. The consumption of alcohol was associated with the occurrence of an accident as 34.2% occurred among cyclists who drank alcohol, compared with 29.8% who did not (p<0.05). Conclusion. There should be strict implementation of current road traffic regulations of Ghana by the MTTD of the Ghana Police Service, and penalties should be awarded against anybody caught riding a motorcycle under the influence of alcohol. Helmet and other protective devices must be made compulsory for motorcycle riders to prevent injuries, especially head injuries, if an accident occurs.

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Background. In Ghana, attempts to control malaria through antimalarial medications are currently threatened by the emergence and spread of drug resistant malaria parasites. This, together with the increasing incidence of malaria, has heightened the need for a more effective method of controlling the spread. The use of Insecticide Treated Bed Net (ITN) has been recognised as an effective measure in the prevention of malaria. Objective/Purpose. In this study, we examined the utilisation of ITN among caregivers of children under five years in Ho municipality of Ghana. Methods. This descriptive cross-sectional study recruited 283 household representatives through a multistage sampling method. A questionnaire was used to collect the data and was analyzed using STATA version 14. Descriptive and inferential statistics were adopted in presenting the data. Results. Ownership of ITN was higher (80.7%) than its utilisation (41.7%). The age of caregiver was strongly associated with the utilisation of ITN (AOR=2.00, 95% CI=0.00, 0.02, p<0.001) among children less than five years. Caregivers aged 26-35 were 49% times less likely to use an ITN as compared to those aged between 17 and 25 and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion. In order to ensure a high ITN coverage and utilisation, there is the need for continuous distribution of ITNs to households. Households should be sensitized to use the nets to prevent the continuous spread of malaria.

Background. Malaria is no doubt a burden on both the financial and human resources of Ghana. In this study, we examined the awareness of malaria prevention practices among indigenes of Godokpe, a rural community in the Ho Municipality of Ghana. Methods. This descriptive cross-sectional survey that used a self-developed questionnaire recruited 246 residents of Godokpe who were aged 18 years and above using a systematic sampling technique. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze data into descriptive and analytical statistics. The descriptive statistics comprised frequency, percentage, and means. Also, analytical statistics of cross tabulation was conducted considering a p<0.05 at a 95% Confidence Interval to be statistically significant. Findings. About 54% and 20% of the respondents, respectively, had satisfactory and good levels of knowledge on malaria prevention. The methods used in malaria prevention included mosquito coils (72%), cleaning and prevention of water stagnation (62%), mosquito spray (54%), and mosquito net (59%). Also, malaria treatment methods mostly used were quinine (70%) and chloroquine (50.4%). The major sources of information on malaria were television (74%), health professionals (66%), schools (62%), family/friends (60%), and the Internet (51%). Conclusion. School children showed good understanding of malaria and its vectors. There is, therefore, the need to increase the empowerment of teachers with appropriate health information including malaria so that they can continue to deliver malaria information to the pupils.

Background. In sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of hypertension has assumed epidemic levels and currently accounts for numerous complications such as stroke, heart failure, and kidney damage. Management of hypertension involves both drug and nonpharmacological approaches. Self-monitoring of blood pressure is an important nonpharmacological approach that facilitates early detection of deteriorating blood pressures and complications. Aims. We determined the practice and sociodemographic factors influencing self-monitoring of blood pressure among Ghanaians with hypertension. Methods. In a cross-sectional design, we recruited four hundred and forty-seven (447) Ghanaians with hypertension receiving care at the hypertensive Outpatient Department (OPD) Clinics of the Medical Department at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH). The respondents were sampled using a simple random sampling technique of balloting without replacement. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data on the practice of self-monitoring of blood pressure and sociodemographic factors influencing self-monitoring in the respondents. We also measured some anthropometric and haemodynamic indices of the respondents. The data was entered in Microsoft Excel 2010 and exported into SPSS 21.0 to aid with the data analysis. A chi-square test and Student’s t-test analysis were done to determine the relationship between the practice of self-monitioring and other sociodemographic variables. Data analayses were conducted at a significant level (alpha 0.05) and power of 95% confidence. Thus, p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. The practice of self-monitoring of blood pressure was 25.3% with more female respondents claiming to practice self-monitoring as compared to their male counterparts (28.6% vs. 20.7%). Awareness of self-monitoring of blood pressure was associated with increased practice of self-monitoring of blood pressure. Health workers (46.8%), colleague patients (39.8%), relatives/spouses (6.7%), and the media (6.7%) were identified as the sources of information about self-monitoring of blood pressure. Awareness of self-monitoring, level of education, valid health insurance, occupation, income levels, and marital status had a significant relationship with self-monitoring of blood pressure among the respondents. Thus, respondents with higher education, awareness of self-monitoring, valid health insurance, formal employment, and higher income were likely to monitor their blood pressure. Conclusion. Several sociodemographic factors influence the practice of self-monitoring of blood pressure in Ghanaians with hypertension. Thus, targeted hypertension education and social-cognitive interventions should focus on these sociodemographic factors so as to improve self-monitoring of blood pressure in order to reduce the complications of hypertension.