MALARIA IN LARTEH, GHANA

Afia Mia BaremanKwabena Jordan Kamal

Akua Sabrina Montemayor Kwame Brent Oldham

BACKGROUND:MALARIA IN GHANA

• Malaria is #1 cause of death in children under 5 years• Accounts for ~20% of deaths

(WHO, 2015)• Malaria is #3 cause of death in

Ghana, resulting in 17,400 deaths annually (WHO, 2015)

BACKGROUND:MALARIA IN GHANA

• Malaria deaths have dropped due to• Increased amount of testing• Education• Informed healthcare workers (Amoo-Sakyi, 2016)

HEALTH CONCERNS IN PAST YEAR

None,

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hyMala

ria

Joint p

ain/bo

dy ach

esFev

er

Cold/

cough

Loss o

f appe

tite

Heada

che

Rashe

s Ulce

r

Diarrea

Weakne

ss

Not en

ough s

leep

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

PREVIOUS MSU RESEARCH

Two years ago:• Community Labor in Larteh• Many people know about community labor• Different opinions on if it works

This year:• Communication methods for malaria• Age group differences in opinions and actions to prevent

malaria

OUR RESEARCH QUESTION

What are the generational differences in malaria information delivery and their

implications on malaria perceptions and prevention actions throughout Larteh,

Ghana?

HEALTH COMMUNICATION

• Prior focus group studies have investigated emerging generational differences for health-information needs • Findings have shown that eHealth provide

more-effective preventive services and health care for adolescent populations. (Skinner et al., 2003)

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Twi Lessons• Literature Reviews• MountCrest University Lectures• Integration within Larteh community • Participant Observation

METHODS

• Background Research• Photovoice• Focus Groups• Interviews

PHOTOVOICE PROCESS

• Community Participation• 4 Participants• 4 Cameras• 2 Rounds of Pictures

PHOTOVOICE ROUND 1

FOCUS GROUP

• Invited community to attend• Discussed 3 Themes• Found that there may be

differences in age groups, how they access malaria information, and how they act on it

QUOTES FROM FOCUS

• How does it make you feel that this [rubbish pile] is by your house?• “Uncomfortable.....because of the scent….attracts mosquitoes”

• About littering:• Young man: Older people have to do it. They influence you.• Mia: So the older people need to not litter…How do you get them to not throw?• Young Man: You can't tell that to the adults• Mia: so who will tell the adults?• Middle-aged woman: the kids can tell the adults• Young Man: but the kids are scared to tell the adults

PHOTOVOICE ROUND 2

PHOTOVOICE ROUND 2

INTERVIEWS

• One-on-one• 40 participants• Ahenase & Kubease• Health Information• Generational Attitudes

BREAK DOWN OF AGE GROUPS INTERVIEWED

Young37%

Middle age34%

Older29%

Internet/Social Media

School Clinic/Hospital Posters/Adverts

Community Members Door

to Door

TV Radio NGOs0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Communication Preferences between Age Groups

Ages 18-25 Ages 26-40 Ages 41+

“SOCIAL MEDIA BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER”

Yes53%

No20%

Sometimes, improve-

ment needed

27%

Communal Labor Opinions: Ages 18-25

Yes69%

No15%

Sometimes, improvement

needed 15%

Communal Labor Opinions: Ages 26-40

Yes73%

No27%

Communal Labor Opinions: Ages 40+

“OFFER INCENTIVES FOR COMMUNAL LABOR, HAVE A BIG

PARTY WITH DANCING AND MUSIC AND DRINKS”

OPINIONS ON THE CHIEF

Yes No02468

101214161820

Do you think the Chief is working to prevent malaria in Larteh?

Why Yes:• See communal labor• See educational meetings

held• Hear announcements• Care about the peopleWhy No:• Doesn’t live in Larteh• Not invested in Larteh• Don’t see communal

labor working

OPINIONS ON GOVERNMENT

Why Yes:• Free Insecticide Treated Nets• Educational programs• National Health Insurance

SchemeWhy No:• Money allocated elsewhere• No incentives for

dustbins/Zoomlion• Malaria is still a prevalent

problem Yes No0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Is the Government working to prevent malaria?

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CHANGE?

Responses:• Chief• Assembly men/local government• National government

“Because we [the youth] are active and know what is going on around the world”

-21 year old interview participant

COMMUNICATION RESULTS

• Younger, middle-aged, older people prefer different ways to learn about malaria• Young population prefer internet, social media• Middle aged prefer TV, radio• Older aged prefer door to door • All used health clinic info and megaphone announcements

GENERATIONAL RESULTS

• People like community labor and want to see more• Younger generation is more skeptical about its

effectiveness• Focus Group Quote, in regards to communal

labor:• “Laws aren't enforced that much so I don't

think that would work.”

SPECIFIC IMPLICATIONS

• Larteh has a variety of existing communication methods being utilized for health information• In order to improve malaria prevention,

these methods should be heavily used to promote malaria information and communal labor • Improving communication and reaching

more people will mean an improvement in malaria prevention and treatment

BROADER IMPLICATIONS

• Further investigation into the delivery of health information and education throughout developing countries• Use of new technologies to reach an evolving

audience and younger generations• Utilizing social media as a tool for health

information education and community organization for public health initiatives

LIMITATIONS

• Language barrier • Sample size • Condensed time frame• Translator bias• Resources limitations

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• MountCrest University• Michigan State University• Dr. Constance Currier, DrPH, MPH and Linda Gordon, MS,

MA• Mr. Ahpentang• Cindy Attrams • Akua Beatrice• The community of Larteh

CITATIONS

• Amoo-Sakyi, A. (2016). Malaria [Lecture]. MountCrest University. Accra, Ghana

• World Health Organization. (2015). Ghana: WHO statistical profile. [Fact Sheet]. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/gho/en/

• Skinner, H., Biscope, S., Poland, B. (2003). How Adolescents Use Technology for Health Information: Implications for Health Professionals from Focus Group Studies. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 5(4): e32. doi: 10.2196/jmir.5.4.e32

QUESTIONS?

ME DA SE PAA! MKPEGEWOLE PAA!