Current evidence shows that male involvement in family planning (FP) is crucial to women’s contraceptive use decisions. This study explored the reasons for male involvement in FP and contraception in slum areas in Nakawa Division, Kampala, Uganda. A qualitative study was conducted among sexually active males in a slum area in Nakawa Division, Kampala. A purposive sampling technique was utilised to recruit 40 men for a Focus Group Discussion (FGDs), and 2 key informants (KI) for critical perspective interviews. A semi-structured FGDs and interview guides were used to collect the data. The FGDs were conducted in both English and the local language, Luganda. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts for both FGDs and KI interviews were imported into the NVivo Qualitative Data Analysis Software version 10 application, and thematic data analysis was conducted. The findings show that males’ involvement in FP and its decisions were minimal. The findings also show that several factors emerged as contributing to male’s participation in FP and utilisation of contraceptives. Inadequate understanding of FP and contraceptives, lack of clarity on males’ role in FP, unfriendly healthcare environment and community members’ perceptions of male involvement in FP were reported as reasons contributing to male participation in FP and contraction. There is limited involvement of males in FP. There is a need for renewed efforts that will positively alter the factors that impact male involvement favourably. Promotion and education about FP for males will significantly address issues of limited understanding and clarity of males’ role in FP services.

Aim: The study examined the associated adverse events following SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination among healthcare workers during the first dose of the vaccine in the Northern Region of Ghana.Design: The study was a cross‐sectional survey involving 463 healthcare workers.Method: The data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The data were analysed descriptively, and binary logistics was performed using SPSS version 25.Results: The mean age was 33.4 ± 9.7 years, the majority (43.6%) being ≤30 years and males (57.2%). The self‐reported prevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine adverse events was 75.5%. Common systemic adverse events comprised headache (47.5%), dizziness (18.4%) and local adverse events included generalized body pains (44.0%) and abscess around the injection sites (11.2%). The study found a high prevalence of self‐reported SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine adverse events involving both systemic and local adverse events. Our study gives useful information that can be used for public health‐targeted interventions to boost public confidence in SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccines.

Malaria is a major public health concern and requires quality data management system for effective preventive measures. The District Health Management Information System (DHMIS II) has been used to routinely capture data at health facilities. However, little is known about the quality of routine malaria data captured on the DHIMS II database in Community-Based Health Planning and Service (CHPS) compounds. The study therefore determined the quality of routine malaria data captured on the DHIMS II database in CHPS compounds in the Hohoe Municipality, Ghana. A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of Out Patient Department (OPD) malaria indicators was conducted using data from January 2018 to December 2022 at CHPS compounds in the Hohoe Municipality. Data were collected from three sources: the DHIMS II, monthly morbidity report forms, and consulting room registers. The study assessed three (3) malaria indicators: suspected malaria cases, tested malaria cases, and confirmed OPD malaria cases. A data validation tool was developed to determine the quality of malaria indicators measuring availability, completeness (percentage of missing data), and accuracy. The data was analysed descriptively using Microsoft excel. Out of the four (4) health facilities, 50% (2/4) met the suggested target of (≥ 90%) in 2018 and 2020 whiles all the (4) facilities met the recommended target in 2021 and 2022 for the availability of monthly OPD morbidity reports. For the availability of monthly data returns on anti-malarial, none of the facilities met the recommended target from 2018 to 2022. All 4 facilities met the recommended target in 2021 and 2022. For completeness of source data, 25% of the facility had complete data that met the required target in specific years (2021–2022). For accuracy, 50% of the facilities showed accurate reporting with a Good (± 5%) accuracy level. The remaining 50% underreported data, resulting in a Poor (± 11–20%) accuracy level. The study finds that while half of the facilities had reliable and complete malaria data in their source registers, there are inconsistencies with the DHIMS II database regarding the standards of data quality. Most facilities faced significant issues like unavailability of data, uncompleted data and underreporting of data, making it not-advisable to rely on DHIMS II for critical health decisions. Although, half of the facilities showed evidence of good data quality, there is still a need for improvement in the capturing of routine malaria data.

Background: Nurses and midwives play important role in managing neonatal jaundice and provide nursing health education to mothers on preventive and remedial measures to neonatal jaundice. However, the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of nurses and midwives towards neonatal jaundice is not well understood in the Northern Region of Ghana. Aim of the study: The study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses and midwives towards the management of neonatal jaundice. Design and Method: This is a hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted between the periods of January 2021 to August 2021 in the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Northern Region, Ghana. Descriptive analysis such as mean, standard deviation, frequencies, and percentages were performed to give general description of the variables. Simple Pearson Chi-square test and logistic regression models were performed to test the level of associations between the outcome and independent variables and predictors for neonatal jaundice. A p-value of <.05 was considered statistically significant for the test of association. Results: Among the 202 nurses and midwives, the mean age was 30.6 ± 3.8 years and majority were females (71.3%). The overall good knowledge, attitudes, and practices score towards neonatal jaundice was 69.30%, 64.90%, and 62.90%, respectively. After adjusting for other variables, good knowledge (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 22.41(10.21–49.18) p < .001) and good attitude (AOR = 25(11.86–55.07) p < .001) were positively associated with practices towards neonatal jaundice. Conclusion/Interpretation: The participants demonstrated substantial knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards neonatal jaundice. However, there still exist some gaps in their knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards neonatal jaundice that need to be addressed to improve neonatal health outcomes in the study setting.

Menstruation-related school absenteeism significantly affects girls’ academic progress and general wellbeing. This study aimed to assess menstruation-related school absenteeism in an urban population in the Northern Region of Ghana. A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of school absenteeism among girls using a structured questionnaire, which was pretested. The data were analyzed using Stata 16. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including cross-tabulation, the chi-square test, and binary logistic regression, were performed. The majority (59%) was between the ages of 15 and 19 years. Approximately one fifth of all respondents missed school during menstruation. Reasons assigned to missing school were menstrual pains (57%), stained clothes (43%), heavy bleeding (40%), and self-stigmatization (2%). The majority (95%) of respondents used some form of materials to absorb menstrual blood. About 88% of respondents used sanitary pads, 11% used cloth, and 1% used tissues to absorb their menstrual blood. The multivariable analysis showed that school girls < 15 years old (AOR: 3.69, 95% CI: 2.02–6.73), first year of Junior High School (AOR: 4.68, 95% CI: 2.14–10.22), and public school (AOR: 3.57, 95% CI: 1.83–6.94) were associated with increased odds of menstruation-related school absenteeism. Menstruation-related school absenteeism is considered high and could affect girls’ educational attainment. School absenteeism due to menstruation, particularly in public schools, warrants attention by the Ghana Education Service.

Introduction: Skin bleaching is a common practice among people of all ages and genders and constitutes a major public health challenge because of the associated dermatological effects, including skin cancer. The study determined the prevalence of skin bleaching and the type of products used for...