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Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition among ageing men, characterized by lower urinary tract symptoms that significantly impact the quality of life and economic productivity of affected individuals. The financial burden of BPH extends beyond direct medical expenses to include direct non-medical costs and productivity losses. In Ghana, limited data exist on the cost implications of BPH, leaving a critical gap in healthcare planning and resource allocation. We aimed to determine the cost and productivity losses associated with diagnosing and managing BPH at the Ho Teaching Hospital. A cross-sectional cost-of-illness study was conducted at the Urology Unit of the Ho Teaching Hospital. Data was collected from 105 patients diagnosed with BPH using structured questionnaires from 11 th June 2024–30 th September 2024. Direct monthly medical costs, including consultation, diagnostics, medication, and surgical interventions, were calculated using a bottom-up approach. Direct monthly non-medical costs covered transportation, food, lodging, and caregiver expenses, while productivity losses were estimated based on absenteeism and reduced working hours, using the human capital approach. The mean monthly direct medical cost per patient was GHS 890.11 (USD 60.35), with surgeries accounting for 30% of total expenses. The total direct non-medical costs, dominated by transportation (66.3%), amounted to GHS 9,842.00 (USD 667.25). Productivity losses due to absenteeism and caregiving responsibilities totalled GHS 4,746.28 (USD 321.78), with 30% of employed patients missing work. Notably, direct medical costs contributed the highest economic burden (86.5%), surpassing direct non-medical costs (9.1%) and productivity losses (4.4%). BPH imposes a significant financial burden on patients and households in Ghana, driven by high out-of-pocket medical costs, non-medical expenses, and lost productivity. The findings underscore the need for cost-effective treatment strategies, improved health insurance coverage, and targeted interventions to alleviate financial hardships associated with BPH management.

Expansion of residential and commercial facilities have contributed to rapid urbanization of Ho municipality. As a result, quarry activities have intensified in Klefe a major stone quarry source for construction. The increased demand for quarry stones has created jobs for many but has also led to the perception of health and environment challenges negatively affecting the people and the natural environment. In view of the extensive quarry activities in the area, the aim of the study was to assess perceptions of effects of quarrying activities on human health and the environment. Stratified random sampling method was used to select respondents to answer questions on a questionnaire and application of a relative importance index to examine what the study community perceive as the most important environmental and health effects of quarrying. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine relationships existing among environmental hazards and their perceived health effects. Sedimentation, land degradation and injury from quarrying were the main perceived effects of quarrying. Efforts to address any perceived effects of quarrying should focus on sedimentation, land degradation and injury from quarrying. Plain Language Summary Klefe is endowed with stone resources and this has created opportunity for quarry jobs. Tough employment has been created for the common good of the people there are perceived effects of quarrying on the people's health and the environment. The study results showed that those interviewed believe major perceived health effects of quarrying are chest pains, body injuries, and red eyes. The sampled population interviewed comprised quarry workers, people living close to the quarry sites and a quarry site manager. Environmental effects observed include loss of top soil, dust deposition on plants and buildings, and sediments in rivers and streams that affect water and decreased food quality. Key Points Streams and rivers are perceived to have sediments as a result of quarrying Vegetation and soil degradation are perceived to have negatively affected the livelihood of the people Perceived health effects of quarrying include injuries and respiratory diseases

Limited access to scientific climate information coupled with lack of understating of the data due to illiteracy gives farmers a good option to use indigenous knowledge to predict rainfall for the purposes of agriculture. Application of indigenous knowledge to predict rainfall has enabled farmers to prepare their lands for crop cultivation to feed themselves and sell part of the farm produce to earn income. The objectives of this paper are to examine the extent to which indigenous knowledge has been used to predict rainfall, assess the reliability of such predictions and determine the agro-climatological information sources available to farmers. The research questions investigated were: to what extent has indigenous knowledge been used to predict rainfall? Were the predictions reliable? Are there other information sources available to farmers besides indigenous knowledge? Methods used for the study include use of questionnaire to collect primary data on what farmers observed as signs of impending rainfall, use of focused group discussions and field observations to understand the role of indigenous knowledge in predicting rainfall. The study findings show multiple methods are used to predict rainfall such as observing animal and bird behaviors, observing changes in the appearance of fruits and flowers on tree in the dry season and the emergence of peculiar insects soon before the onset of the rainy season as local indicators of rainfall. The study concludes that, indigenous knowledge has its merits when it comes to predicting rainfall and should not be discarded but integrated with scientific methods in developing countries like Ghana.

The construction sector has massive direct and indirect impacts on the environment; as such, improving the environmental performance of the construction industry requires knowledge about the nature of environmental impacts. On-site construction workers get exposed to construction-related environmental impacts, but have received limited research attention on impact identification. This study examined on-site workers' perspectives on the major environmental impacts of building construction processes. Data was collected from 221 on-site building construction workers using a structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed using a relative importance index (RII) to determine the importance levels of environmental impacts and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for dimension reduction. The RII revealed that dust generation, noise, vibration, and raw material consumption were the impacts of the highest importance levels of severity. The EFA result showed that local issues were the most influential component. The perceived severity of environmental impacts associated with construction-related activities by on-site construction workers were influenced by their exposure experience. The environmental impacts that directly affect or serve as occupational hazards were ranked as the most severe. This study recommends establishing control measures at construction sites considering the health impact of dust and noise pollution on the well-being of on-site construction workers and the local community.

Background. Employers are required to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to all employees in Ghana, and employees are required to wear the PPE provided. In Ghana, previous studies on health and safety in the construction industry that touched on PPE use did not explicitly demonstrate the reasons why many workers choose to use or not to use it, though they may be at risk of occupational hazards. The purpose of this study was to determine building construction artisans’ level of access to PPE and the perceived barriers and motivating factors of adherence to its use. The contribution of this study lies in its examination of the perceived barriers and motivating factors underlying adherence and nonadherence to PPE use in the construction industry, particularly building construction, which is yet to be determined in Ghana. Method. Data was collected from 173 frontline building construction workers using a structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed using a two-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to examine the effects of demographic variables on the perceived barrier and motivating factors of adherence to PPE use. Results. The most common PPE that participants had access to was safety boots/shoes, with their main source being borrowing from colleagues. The majority of participants disagreed with the perceived barriers while agreeing with the motivating factors of adherence to PPE use. The results suggest statistically significant differences for years of working experience (Wilks = 0.77, F = 2.47; p≤0.01) and form of employment (Wilks = 0.72, F = 3.25, p≤0.01) for perceived barriers to adherence. For perceived motivating factors to adherence, significant differences were obtained for age group (Wilks = 0.84, F = 2.42, p≤0.01), years of experience (Wilks = 0.85, F = 2.35, p≤0.01), and form of employment (Wilks = 0.71, F = 5.22, p≤0.01). Conclusion. Age groups, years of experience, and form of employment were the main factors mediating adherence and nonadherence to PPE use by the construction workers. This study recommends safety training for workers if good safety management and performance concerning PPE use are to be achieved.

PurposeSeveral waste bin sanitation initiatives have been introduced in Ghana to address the surge in indiscriminate solid waste disposal in households. What is not known are the behavior factors that determine the acceptability and use of waste bins. This study aimed to identify the determinants of waste bin acceptability and use in Ghana using the theory of planned behavior (TPB).Design/methodology/approachData on waste bin acceptability and usage were collected from 881 households in the Volta and Oti regions of Ghana. The data were analyzed using the partial least squares-structural equation modeling technique in SmartPLS 3 software.FindingsThe coefficient of determination (R-squared value) of the original TPB and the extended model explained 39.9 and 44.7% of the variance in waste bin acceptability and use intentions, respectively. The results revealed that attitudes (ß = 0.114, t = 3.322, p < 0.001), subjective norms (ß = 0.306, t = 6.979, p < 0.001) and perceived moral obligation (ß = 0.352, t = 8.062, p < 0.001) significantly predicted household waste bin acceptability and use behavior intentions, but perceived behavioral control (ß = −0.003, t = 0.064, p < 0.949) did not influence behavior intentions significantly.Practical implicationsThe study provides valuable insights into the behavioral factors to be prioritized by waste management service providers to improve household waste bin acceptability and usage.Originality/valueThis is one of Ghana's first studies investigating the behavioral determinants of waste bin acceptability and usage.

Deforestation is a growing environmental concern in tropical areas of the world where it is believed that the increase in human population and associated land use practices are the key drivers of this land cover change transition. This research tests these hypotheses in the Ho Municipality of Ghana and aims to predict future land cover change by assessing remote sensing images and considering the complex interrelationships and synergies of multiple driving forces. The study specifically examines how multiple driving forces of land cover change transition have contributed to the accelerating pace of deforestation in the last 25 years based on observed trends in land use and remotely sensed land cover change data. The study looks at the future prospects for Ghana’s forests.The field study was carried out in four settlements of the Ho Municipality namely Wumenu, Agbokofe, Abutia Kloe and Takla. The data collection was done using structured questionnaires administered to 376 households to investigate their opinions regarding the driving forces of deforestation in the area. The analysis of questionnaire data involved the use of descriptive statistics and factor analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) software. Satellite images comprising, Landsat MSS 1975, Landsat TM 1991 and Landsat ETM+ 2001 were classified using the maximum likelihood algorithm supervised classification to determine the extent and nature of vegetation cover change and to assess the potential of using a Markov model to predict the future state of forest cover.The research concludes that the municipality lost forest cover from 1975 to 2001 based on satellite and questionnaire data analysis which suggests that the following are the key underlying drivers of deforestation: demographic pressure, poverty, institutional factors, policies, technology and attitudes. Proximate drivers of deforestation are agricultural expansion, illegal logging and wood energy exploitation. The Markov models showed that in the next 25 years various probabilities of change are possible, such as no change in forest cover, forest cover loss and some probabilities of increase in forest cover. These predictions illustrate the need to study the complex driving forces of change to interpret models that are solely based on past land use change transition. Based on the results of the household surveys, current drivers are unlikely to change. Land use planners should thus be aware that deforestation in Ghana is most likely going to continue.On the basis of these findings the following recommendations have been made. There is a need to intensify tree planting activities in the municipality to increase forest cover. Planting of fast maturing trees for woodlots will reduce pressure on the forest for wood energy. Public education on the advantages of family planning should be undertaken by the Municipal Assembly and NGOs working in the area to reduce population pressure on forests. Poverty reduction strategies should focus on alternative livelihood opportunities to divert attention from forest goods while also increasing the protection of remaining forests. Lastly, community participative approaches to forest management could mitigate both underlying and proximate causes of deforestation.

Deforestation is a growing environmental concern in tropical areas of the world where it is believed that the increase in human population and associated land use practices are the key drivers of this land cover change transition. This research tests these hypotheses in the Ho Municipality of Ghana and aims to predict future land cover change by assessing remote sensing images and considering the complex interrelationships and synergies of multiple driving forces. The study specifically examines how multiple driving forces of land cover change transition have contributed to the accelerating pace of deforestation in the last 25 years based on observed trends in land use and remotely sensed land cover change data. The study looks at the future prospects for Ghana’s forests.The field study was carried out in four settlements of the Ho Municipality namely Wumenu, Agbokofe, Abutia Kloe and Takla. The data collection was done using structured questionnaires administered to 376 households to investigate their opinions regarding the driving forces of deforestation in the area. The analysis of questionnaire data involved the use of descriptive statistics and factor analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) software. Satellite images comprising, Landsat MSS 1975, Landsat TM 1991 and Landsat ETM+ 2001 were classified using the maximum likelihood algorithm supervised classification to determine the extent and nature of vegetation cover change and to assess the potential of using a Markov model to predict the future state of forest cover.The research concludes that the municipality lost forest cover from 1975 to 2001 based on satellite and questionnaire data analysis which suggests that the following are the key underlying drivers of deforestation: demographic pressure, poverty, institutional factors, policies, technology and attitudes. Proximate drivers of deforestation are agricultural expansion, illegal logging and wood energy exploitation. The Markov models showed that in the next 25 years various probabilities of change are possible, such as no change in forest cover, forest cover loss and some probabilities of increase in forest cover. These predictions illustrate the need to study the complex driving forces of change to interpret models that are solely based on past land use change transition. Based on the results of the household surveys, current drivers are unlikely to change. Land use planners should thus be aware that deforestation in Ghana is most likely going to continue.On the basis of these findings the following recommendations have been made. There is a need to intensify tree planting activities in the municipality to increase forest cover. Planting of fast maturing trees for woodlots will reduce pressure on the forest for wood energy. Public education on the advantages of family planning should be undertaken by the Municipal Assembly and NGOs working in the area to reduce population pressure on forests. Poverty reduction strategies should focus on alternative livelihood opportunities to divert attention from forest goods while also increasing the protection of remaining forests. Lastly, community participative approaches to forest management could mitigate both underlying and proximate causes of deforestation.

Production of development plans is vital for sustainable ecotourism development given the increasing competition for land to satisfy various human needs including agriculture, timber, and wood energy. Such human activities cause rapid destruction of wildlife habitat and loss of indigenous tree species. To enhance sustainable use of the flora and fauna to promote rural tourism in Ghana, seven eco-tourism sites have been surveyed to produce data for management plans to be developed for these sites. The survey focused on the status of flora and fauna at the sites, infrastructure, cultural dynamics, cross-border issues, and revenue mobilization. Key findings indicate lack of infrastructure at the sites and substantial loss of forest cover over seventeen years covered by the survey.