PurposeGhana is one of the countries instituting several measures toward attracting more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows. This is because, FDI is largely viewed as essential to socioeconomic ...development. However, while population health can influence FDI inflows, it has received very little attention. This study, therefore, investigates empirically, as to focusing on population health could be a useful tool in Ghana’s attempt to attract more FDI inflows.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses time series data on Ghana from 1980 to 2018 to achieve its objective. Life expectancy, death rate, infant mortality rate, under-five mortality rate and incidence of malaria are used as proxies for population health, while the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and the Instrumental Variable Two-Stage Least Square (IV2SLS) regressions are employed as empirical estimation techniques.FindingsUsing the OLS regression, except the incidence of malaria, the study finds all the other population health indicators to significantly influence FDI inflows. However, after controlling for endogeneity using the IV2SLS regression, all population health indicators are found to be significant as regards their effects on FDI inflows.Practical implicationsPaying attention to population health could be an effective strategy that can be employed by policymakers in the quest to get more FDI inflows into Ghana.Originality/valueThis study, to the best of our knowledge, is the first study solely devoted to Ghana, which doing so helps in devising country-specific policies with regard to the effect of population health on FDI inflows. Further, this study becomes the first to use death rate, infant mortality rate and under-five mortality rate in examining the effect of population health on FDI inflows. Thus, since there are various causes of deaths, using indicators that capture deaths from all factors helps in giving a much broader picture with regard to the FDI population health nexus. Also, this study is the first to use up to five different population health indicators in examining the effect of population health on FDI inflows, which aids in revealing whether FDI is sensitive to the population health indicator used.
Malaria during pregnancy is a major cause of maternal morbidity globally and leads to poor birth outcomes. The World Health Organization has recommended the use of insecticide treated bed nets (ITN) ...as one of the effective malaria preventive strategies among pregnant women in malaria endemic areas. This study, therefore, seeks to examine the individual and household factors associated with the use of ITNs among pregnant women in Ghana.
Data for this study was obtained from the 2019 Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey (GMIS) conducted between September 25 and November 24, 2019. The weighted sample comprised 353 pregnant women aged 15-49 years. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 22 using both descriptive and multilevel logistics regression modelling. Statistically significant level was set at p < 0.05.
The study found that 49.2% of pregnant women in Ghana use ITN to prevent malaria. Pregnant women aged 35-49 years (AOR = 3.403, CI: 1.191-9.725), those with no formal education (AOR = 5.585, CI = 1.315-23.716), and those who had secondary education (AOR = 3.509, CI = 1.076-11.440) had higher odds of using ITN. Similarly, higher odds of ITN usage was found among who belonged to the Akan ethnic group (AOR = 7.234, CI = 1.497-34.955), dwell in male-headed households (AOR = 2.232, CI = 1.105-4.508) and those whose household heads are aged 60-69 years (AOR = 4.303, CI = 1.160-15.966). However, pregnant women who resided in urban areas (AOR = 0.355, CI = 0.216-0.582), those whose household heads aged 40-49 years (AOR = 0.175, CI = 0.066-0.467) and those who belonged to richer (AOR =0.184, CI = 0.050-0.679) and richest (AOR = 0.107, CI = 0.021-0.552) households had lower odds of using ITN for malaria prevention.
Individual socio-demographic and household factors such as pregnant women's age, educational level, place of residence, ethnicity, sex and age of household head, and household wealth quintile are associated with the use of ITN for malaria prevention among pregnant women. These factors ought to be considered in strengthening malaria prevention campaigns and develop new interventions to help increase ITN utilization among vulnerable population living in malaria- endemic areas.
Tobacco use continues to kill millions of people globally, making it one of the major causes of preventable deaths. Notwithstanding, there has been a very marginal fall in the prevalence of tobacco ...smoking in Africa. Since taxes (hence prices) are part of the main measures suggested to decrease the demand for tobacco products, this study investigates how tobacco taxation and pricing influence the prevalence of smoking in 24 African countries.
Using panel data on 24 African countries sourced from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank databases for the period 2010 to 2016, this study employs the system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator to investigate the effects of tobacco taxation and pricing on the prevalence of smoking. The system GMM estimator is used due its ability to deal with potential endogeneity of tobacco taxation and pricing: the likelihood that the prevalence of smoking can influence tobacco taxation and pricing which may lead to biased estimates.
Tobacco taxation and pricing have negative significant effects on the prevalence of smoking among the selected countries after controlling for growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, urbanization, death rate and net inflows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Specifically, a percentage increase in tobacco price is found to decrease the prevalence of smoking by between 0.11 to 0.14%, while a percentage increase in tobacco tax decreases the prevalence of smoking by between 0.25 to 0.36%, all at 1% level of significance.
Since tobacco taxation and pricing are found to have negative significant effects on the prevalence of smoking, the implication is that, their use can be intensified by African policy makers towards achieving the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) recommended targets and hence decrease the prevalence of tobacco smoking in Africa. Doing so may therefore help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.5 (prevention and treatment of substance abuse), thereby reducing the colossal number of smoking attributable deaths.
While several studies have examined the effect of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on economic development indicators, most of these studies focused on economic growth with very little attention paid ...to health outcomes. Moreover, among the studies that took account of health outcomes, none of them investigated the effect of FDI on child health outcomes across a sample of African countries. However, focusing on African countries is very important because sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the highest rate of child mortality in the world. This study, therefore, investigates the effect of FDI on child health outcomes in 39 African countries from 1980 to 2018. Neonatal and infant mortality rates are used to proxy child health outcomes. The baseline estimation technique employed is the Fixed Effects (FE) regression. However, to deal with potential endogeneity, we employ the system Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) regression as the robustness estimation technique. Our findings show that, FDI improves child health outcomes, especially through economic growth after controlling for endogeneity. Thus, in African governments' quest to reduce child mortality, a major useful strategy could be attracting more FDI inflows.
A major challenge confronting most countries in the world including those in Africa, is lack of access to basic drinking water and sanitation. This has given birth to several studies investigating ...the factors that influence access to basic drinking water and sanitation. Notwithstanding, while financial inclusion is highly extolled for its welfare-enhancing effects and hence could play a major role in accessing basic drinking water and sanitation services, there is a dearth of empirical evidence in this regard, especially in the African context. This study, therefore, attempts at providing the foremost empirical evidence of the effect of financial inclusion on access to basic drinking water and sanitation in Africa using a sample of 33 countries for the period 2004 to 2018. The random effects and the fixed effects regressions are used as baseline estimation techniques and the Instrumental Variable Fixed Effects (IVFE) regression is employed as a robustness check. Our findings show that, financial inclusion enhances access to basic drinking water and sanitation services, irrespective of the estimator used. The implication is that, expanding financial inclusion can be used as an effective strategy towards enhancing access to basic drinking water and sanitation services in Africa.
ObjectivesTo examine the health-seeking behaviour and cost of fever treatment to households in Ghana.DesignCross-sectional household survey conducted between July and September ...2015.SettingKassena-Nankana East and West districts in Upper East region of Ghana.ParticipantsIndividuals with an episode of fever in the 2 weeks preceding a visit during routine health and demographic surveillance system data collection were selected for the study. Sociodemographic characteristics, treatment-seeking behaviours and cost of treatment of fever were obtained from the respondents.ResultsOut of 1845 households visited, 21% (393 of 1845) reported an episode of fever. About 50% (195 of 393) of the fever cases had blood sample taken for testing by microscopy or Rapid Diagnostic Test, and 73.3% (143 of 195) were confirmed to have malaria. Of the 393 people with fever, 70% (271 of 393) reported taking an antimalarial and 24.0% (65 of 271) took antimalarial within 24 hours of the onset of illness. About 54% (145 of 271) of the antimalarials were obtained from health facilities.The average cost (direct and indirect) incurred by households per fever treatment was GH¢27.8/US$7.3 (range: GH¢0.2/US$0.1–GH¢200/US$52.6). This cost is 4.6 times the daily minimum wage of unskilled paid jobs of Ghanaians (US$1.6). The average cost incurred by those enrolled into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was GH¢24.8/US$6.5, and GH¢50/US$11.6 for those not enrolled.ConclusionsPrompt treatment within 24 hours of onset of fever was low (24%) compared with the Roll Back Malaria Programme target of at least 80%. Cost of treatment was relatively high when compared with average earnings of households in Ghana and enrolment into the NHIS reduced the cost of fever treatment remarkably. It is important to improve access to malaria diagnosis, antimalarials and enrolment into the NHIS in order to improve the case management of fever/malaria and accelerate universal health coverage in Ghana.
Schistosomiasis and Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) are endemic in Ghana. These diseases cause significant morbidity and disability which can adversely affect the participation of affected persons and ...their caregivers in economic activities, resulting in reduced economic output at the macrolevel. This study, therefore aims to provide the first empirical evidence of the effects of these diseases on economic output at the macrolevel in Ghana.
The study uses annual time series data on Ghana collected from secondary sources over the period, 1990–2019. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is used as the proxy for macroeconomic output (i.e., dependent variable) and the main independent variables are the point prevalence of schistosomiasis and LF (including their sex disaggregation). The Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and the Instrumental Variable Two-Stage Least Square (IV2SLS) regressions are employed as estimation techniques.
Using the OLS (IV2SLS) regressions, a percentage increase in the overall prevalence of schistosomiasis as well as the prevalence of schistosomiasis among males and females is found to be associated with a 1.37% (1.36%), 1.29% (1.30%) and 1.41% (1.39%) fall in macroeconomic output respectively, at the 1% level of significance. Similarly, a percentage increase in the overall prevalence of LF as well as the prevalence of LF among males and females is found to be associated with a 0.34% (0.37%), 0.34% (0.37%) and 0.34% (0.38%) fall in macroeconomic output respectively, at the 1% level of significance.
There is the need to strengthen efforts towards fighting schistosomiasis and LF in Ghana in order to reduce their associated economic losses.
Although a lot of studies exist on the drivers of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows, very little attention has been paid to the effect of population health, to the extent that, some countries ...may be willing to compromise their health and safety standards in order to attract FDI inflows. In this study, we provide empirical evidence of the effect of population health on net FDI inflows in Africa. The study employs data from 1997 to 2017 on a sample of 35 African countries. Life expectancy and death rate are used to proxy population health whiles the Instrumental Variable Fixed Effects (IVFE) and the system Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) regressions are used as the baseline and robustness empirical estimation techniques, respectively. The study finds life expectancy and death rate to have positive and negative significant effects on net FDI inflows respectively, irrespective of the estimation technique used. Our findings imply that, instead of lowering health and safety standards, enhancing population health (via for instance, improving access to quality healthcare, improved water and sanitation as well as vaccination against diseases among others) should rather be used as a strategy towards attaining higher net FDI inflows, especially into Africa.
Introduction:
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 also called coronavirus disease 2019 was first reported in the African continent on 14 February 2020 in Egypt. As at 18 December 2020, ...the continent reported 2,449,754 confirmed cases, 57,817 deaths and 2,073,214 recoveries. Urban cities in Africa have particularly suffered the brunt of coronavirus disease 2019 coupled with criticisms that the response strategies have largely been a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. This article reviewed early evidence on urban health nexus with coronavirus disease 2019 preparedness and response in Africa.
Methods:
A rapid scoping review of empirical and grey literature was done using data sources such as ScienceDirect, GoogleScholar, PubMed, HINARI and official websites of World Health Organization and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. A total of 26 full articles (empirical studies, reviews and commentaries) were synthesised and analysed qualitatively based on predefined inclusion criteria on publication relevance and quality.
Results:
Over 70% of the 26 articles reported on coronavirus disease 2019 response strategies across Africa; 27% of the articles reported on preparedness towards coronavirus disease 2019, while 38% reported on urbanisation nexus with coronavirus disease 2019; 40% of the publications were full-text empirical studies, while the remaining 60% were either commentaries, reviews or editorials. It was found that urban cities remain epicentres of coronavirus disease 2019 in Africa. Even though some successes have been recorded in Africa regarding coronavirus disease 2019 fight, the continent’s response strategies were largely found to be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Consequently, adoption of ‘Western elitist’ mitigating measures for coronavirus disease 2019 containment resulted in excesses and spillover effects on individuals, families and economies in Africa.
Conclusion:
Africa needs to increase commitment to health systems strengthening through context-specific interventions and prioritisation of pandemic preparedness over response. Likewise, improved economic resilience and proper urban planning will help African countries to respond better to future public health emergencies, as coronavirus disease 2019 cases continue to surge on the continent.
•Tax and price measures have been proposed as tobacco control tools.•Ghana's first study on cigarette prices and aggregate cigarette consumption.•Cigarette demand is significantly influenced by ...prices.•Tobacco taxation will reduce cigarette consumption.
Noncommunicable diseases are on the rise globally, with tobacco consumption being a major risk factor. Reducing tobacco consumption is an important step towards reducing the incidence and prevalence of many noncommunicable diseases. Tax and price measures have been proposed as tobacco control tools. This study investigated the link between cigarette prices and cigarette consumption in Ghana.
Annual time series data for the period 1980–2016 were used. The data came from diverse sources, including WHO, World Bank, and tobacco industry documents. Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS), cointegration techniques, and three-stage least squares (3SLS) were used to analyze the data.
After controlling for education, income, and population growth, we estimated that the price elasticity of cigarette demand is between -0.35 and -0.52 and statistically significant at 1% level. In the short run, the price elasticity is -0.1. Another variable that significantly reduced cigarette consumption during the period was education, with an elasticity between -1.7 and -2.7.
Cigarette demand in Ghana is influenced by cigarette prices and education. We conclude that tobacco taxes that significantly raise retail prices of cigarettes and higher education (including health education) will help reduce cigarette consumption.
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