Seidu Sofo
Southeast Missouri State University

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Prevalence of active school transportation in the upper east and upper west regions of Ghana Seidu Sofo; Eugene Asola; Emmanuel Thompson
International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS) Vol 8, No 1: March 2019
Publisher : Intelektual Pustaka Media Utama

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | Full PDF (577.794 KB) | DOI: 10.11591/ijphs.v8i1.16692

Abstract

The use of active transportation such as walking to and from school is on the decline globally. The primary purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of active school transportation among primary and junior high school students in the Upper East and Upper West regions of Ghana. The secondary purpose was to examine predictors for meeting the recommended daily number of steps. A total of 2505 (1117 boys and 1388 girls) primary (1583) and junior high school (922) students participated in the study. The distances from children’s homes to their schools, heights, and body weights were measured –their heights were used to estimate their stride lengths. The step count for each participant to and from school each day was calculated. Data were analyzed using conditional percentage distribution and Logit model. Analyses indicated that 98.96% of participants used active transportation to and from school. Over 63% of the students were within the normal BMI range. However, 26.47% of the participants were either thin or underweight while 9.9% were either overweight or obese. Overall, 46.47% of the participants met the recommended daily steps. The Logit model indicated that educational level, BMI, mode of transportation, region, height, and age were significant predictors for meeting the recommended daily number of steps. The prevalence of school active transportation in the present study was high compared to that reported in other studies. Furthermore, the prevalence of thinness and underweight were higher than in previous studies, while the prevalence in overweight and obesity were lower.
Predicting Smoking Behaviors among Junior High School Students in Ghana Emmanuel Thompson; Seidu Sofo
International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS) Vol 7, No 4: December 2018
Publisher : Intelektual Pustaka Media Utama

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | Full PDF (662.614 KB) | DOI: 10.11591/ijphs.v7i4.15225

Abstract

Despite the rising rate of smoking in sub-Sahara African countries, measures to control the tobacco epidemic have been limited to developed countries. The purpose of the present study was to recommend predictive models for determining predictors of smoking tendencies among junior high school students in Ghana. The 2009 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) served as the data source. The GYTS is a school-based survey designed to enhance the ability of countries to monitor tobacco use among youth and to guide the implementation and evaluation of tobacco control and prevention programs. Logit model and forward selection were used to choose predictive variables for smoking tendencies and behaviors. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, Area under the curve (AUC) and C-Index were validation tools used to assess the predictive power of recommended models. Results showed promising potential for different predictive models: where students smoked, having friends who smoked, having people smoke in their presence, chewing tobacco products, and a student’s sex significantly predicted their smoking tendencies.