Kabila Abass

• PhD Geography and Rural Development
• Associate Professor at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Purpose Improving physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is critically important for achieving the health-related sustainable development goal (SDG 3). However, data on the association between PA and HRQoL, particularly among single parents, are limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We examine the associati...

Objectives: Data on the direct and indirect associations between physical activity (PA) and sleep quality in old age via psychosomatic mechanisms (e.g. mobility, pain, loneliness, depression, and anxiety) remain scarce in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We explored the association of PA with poor sleep quality (PSQ) among individuals age...

At the heart of this paper are concerns for food security and sustainability—two challenges of wide relevance for geographers. Our work focuses specifically on the Guinea northern savanna ecological zone of Ghana, where poverty is grim and livelihood opportunities are limited and the intersection of urban expansion and livelihood dynamics is not we...

Background Data on the association between food insecurity and depression in single parents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are limited, and no study has reported the serial mediation effects of psychosocial factors in this association. This study examines the extent to which anxiety and sleep serially explain the food insecurity and de...

The study highlights the crucial roles played by interest groups in shaping the definition and redefinition of policy issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. The study focused on selected countries to discuss strategies that were deployed to combat the COVID quandary. The selected countries are Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Afri...

Carbon stock potential of preferred Woody species for agroforestry purposes

Coconut exports from coconut-producing countries bring about competition between local coconut processors and the international market. This study examined the labour dynamics, opportunities, challenges, and sustainability of virgin coconut oil (VCO) processing businesses in the wake of coconut exports from the Jomoro Municipality, Ghana. A simple...

Background Social isolation (SI) and food insecurity (FI) are important social determinants of health that can negatively impact well‐being in old age. While research on the association between FI and SI is limited in LMICs, the mediators of this association are largely unknown. This cross‐sectional study examined whether FI is associated with SI a...

Background Data on the association between food insecurity and depression in single parents in LMICs are limited, and no study has reported the serial mediation effects of psychosocial factors in this association. This study examines the extent to which anxiety and sleep serially explain the food insecurity and depression link among single parents...

The export of coconuts creates competition between local value chain activities and the export market. This article examined the impact of dehusked coconut exports on the role of coconut farmers in the local virgin coconut oil (VCO) value chain in the Jomoro Municipality, Ghana. The study answered the following question: What were the quantities of...

Background: Older adults who experience pain are likely to report higher functional limitations (FL) and lower physical activity (PA) levels. However, the extent to which PA explains the association of pain with FL is largely unknown, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study estimates whether and how much pain in FL is mediated...

Background This study aims to examine the association between mobility limitations and emotional dysfunction among older Ghanaians and evaluate the buffering effect of physical activity (PA) and social ties in this association. Methods The analysis included 1201 adults aged ≥50 from the 2016-17 Aging, Health, Psychological Well-being, and Health-s...

Background: Promoting happiness has become increasingly important in old age for a wide range of reasons. In this study, we aim to examine the association between social inclusion (SI) and happiness among older adults in Ghana and identify the mediating factors. Methods: The study included 1201 community-dwelling adults aged ≥50 (mean age = 66.4...

Objective: Sleep problems (SP) are highly prevalent and seriously affect health and well-being in old age. The aim of this study was to examine the association between SP and happiness in an urban-dwelling older sample. We further explore the effects of generalized anxiety and depressive symptoms in the SP-happiness link using serial mediating mode...

Extant research has linked flooding with mental distress (MD) among flood-prone populations, but the mechanisms underlying this association remain largely unknown. This paper examines the association of flood stressors with MD among households in flood-prone communities in Ghana and estimates whether flood risk perceptions mediated the association....

This paper examined the dynamics of urban land use and land cover change, and their implications for livelihoods in peri-urban Tamale, Ghana. The study employed household data and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) for 1986, Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM +) for 2004 and Landsat 8 Operationalised Landsat Imager/Thermal Infrared Sensor (OLIS/TIRS) for...

Recent years have witnessed a growth in research on urban green spaces given their significance to human wellbeing and environmental management. This paper explores the perceived health benefits of urban green areas by drawing on the experiences of 95 participants sampled from three urban communities in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. It is a quali...

Many Ghanaian cities are increasingly becoming hotspots for floods with rising household vulnerabilities. However, research to understand the coping mechanisms of these households remains limited. This paper examines flood coping and adaptation strategies of flood community-dwelling households (n = 45) using a qualitative approach. Data gathering i...

As in many other countries, markets are found to be cardinal centres of job creation, income generation, and revenue mobilisation in Ghana, especially in the urban milieu. They are vital places for expanding community access to basic amenities, social services, and infrastructure development. However, the full prospects of markets, including satell...

Agroforestry is a land management strategy which interfaces between agriculture and forestry. It is a reliable means to combating climate change in different parts of the world. Although majority of smallholder farmers in Ghana are aware of the benefits associated with agroforestry practice, degradation of trees on farmlands remains a major concern...

This study examines the association between physical inactivity (PI) and happiness among Ghanaian older adults and whether emotional and physical-related experiences (EPE) mediate the association. Data from the Aging, Health, Psychological Well-being and Health-seeking Behavior Study (AgeHeaPsyWel–HeaSeeB) conducted in 2016–2018 among 1201 older Gh...

Discourses on “illegal” or informal small‐scale mining (galamsey) have presented it largely as a menace. Using Ghana as the focus of our study, we present a counter‐narrative to the predominant discourse. Employing qualitative in‐depth interviews with 193 local galamsey operators, the study found that economic factors coupled with the combative pos...

Poor sleep is a long-term public health issue that has become increasingly prevalent among socially isolated older adults. However, research on the mechanisms explaining the link between social isolation and impaired sleep (IS) remains limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study explored the serial mediating effects of lon...

Flood exposure has been linked with psychological distress (PD) but the mechanisms underlying this association remain largely unknown. This paper examines the association of flood exposures with PD among flood-prone households in Ghana and estimates whether flood risk perceptions mediated the association. The study involved 767 heads of households...

Introduction: The prevalence and risk factors of type 2 diabetes vary across the urban and rural milieus of Ghana’s AshantiRegion, yet no study has been conducted to synthesise the available studies. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was carried out in PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science with handsearches in Google Scholar and grey...

Urban floods have long-term mental health implications but remain largely neglected in flood-related studies. This paper examines the psychological distress (PD) of adults exposed to floods in Ghana. Cross-sectional data involving 767 flood-prone community-dwelling household heads aged ≥20 years were analyzed [mean = 47.3 years (SD = 13.7); males =...

Abstract Although making a living within the beekeeping value chain can be wobbly due to some challenges, this aspect has often been ignored in academic circles. Discussions of challenges to livelihoods that draw on beekeeping have focused largely on beehive management but paid little attention to related issues that engage broader contexts of the...

Urban areas in Ghana have experienced worsening floods in terms of scale and number of affected people. In many instances, attribution has been made to one dominant factor as the cause of the rising flood incidence. The nature of the problem however suggests a complex interplay of factors at work but which have received limited research attention....

Objectives : Pain is prevalent among older adults and may result in impairment in physical function. However, little is known about the effect-modification of this relationship by physical activity (PA) participation. This large and representative study sought to estimate the effect of pain on physical function among older adults in Ghana and eval...

Several attempts have been made by the global public health efforts and national governments to contain the spread and vulnerabilities to COVID-19. Evidence, however, shows a disproportionate upsurge in COVID-19 cases in correctional facilities such as prisons, particularly, in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). The poor adherence to COVID-19...

Background Although loneliness and physical function impairment (PFI) are common geriatric syndromes and public health issues, little is known about how their association varies by self-perception of health. We examine how loneliness is associated with PFI, and whether the association is modified by perceived health status. Methods We conducted a...

Background: International literature suggests that food insecurity is linked with increased risks of functional impairment. However, data on the mediational mechanisms underlying this association are largely lacking. This study investigates the indirect relationship (via mental distress) between food insecurity and functional limitations among olde...

The current policy and stakeholder debates suggest that climate change remains a risk factor for the rising urban floods situation in Ghana. However, there is a dearth of empirical works to explain the link between flood incidence and climatic-related factors. Using a long-term secondary climatic data, this paper analyses the extent to which climat...

It touched on the Structural Barriers/Challenges to achieving Sustainable Development Goals as Universities and how these problems could be tackled to promote more actions.

Several pandemics have been reported throughout history. The Black Death, Spanish flu, SARs and MERs among many others have received attention by earlier and recent scholarships due to their impact on humanity. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, scholars anticipated future outbreaks with the same, if not greater, impact. The coronavirus which spread...

Households’ choices of water for domestic and economic purposes and associated hygiene practices have implications for their health. However, scant documentation exists on this, particularly in the Ghanaian context. Using a mixed-methods cross-sectional research design, we conducted interviews with 86 household heads or their representatives (both...

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased use of surgical masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) among people across the globe. While the use of these materials can be seen as a step toward limiting the spread of the coronavirus disease, it presents yet another source of environmental pollution which is currently...

Urban vegetable farming remains a potential public health threat in many underdeveloped countries where wastewater is predominantly used. This paper therefore assesses health risks associated with the use of contaminated water for vegetable farming from an objective and farmers’ subjective lenses. Samples of water and vegetables taken from vegetabl...

Urban vegetable farming remains a potential public health threat in many underdeveloped countries where wastewater is predominantly used. This paper therefore assesses health risks associated with the use of contaminated water for vegetable farming from an objective and farmers’ subjective lenses. Samples of water and vegetables taken from vegetabl...

Urban area expansion has often been cited as a flood inducing factor globally. However, there is a dearth of research on how the phenomenon influences the occurrence of floods in Ghana. This paper examines urban sprawl-induced green space depletion and its attendant implications for urban flood incidence in a developing world context. Focusing on K...

The paper examines risk perceptions of urban and peri-urban vegetable farmers in relation to their on-farm activities. The study involved 66 in-depth interviews with vegetable farmers from four farming sites in urban and peri-urban Kumasi using interview guide and systematic observations. Relevant data were analysed thematically using NVivo 9 analy...

Background: Social isolation is widespread and strongly associated with worsening health-related outcomes across the life-course. Despite this broad base of knowledge, there is a paucity of research on the role of lifestyle choices in the link between living alone and later life psychological state particularly in low- and middle-income settings. T...

Chainsaw milling has in recent times gained currency in public discourse in Ghana. Governments over the years have tried to curtail the activity but such attempts have always met strong resistance from the locals who engage in the operation as a means of livelihood. A critical analysis of the industry is necessary for a sustainable livelihood devel...

The paper examines livelihood effects of expansion of Greater Kumasi and households’ response. A qualitative study of households and key informants in five peri-urban communities in Greater Kumasi shows that the expansion of Kumasi presents both challenges and opportunities. The following link takes you to the article. https://theconversation.com/...

https://theconversation.com/how-water-scarcity-adds-to-womens-burden-in-northern-ghana-138357

The paper examines the security of beekeeping livelihoods amongst men and women in rural and peri-urban Ghana. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, 85 (n = 85) in-depth interviews with individual actors in the beekeeping value chain and institutions were carried out to examine access to resources, strategies, motivations and livelihood outco...

Water shortages may present different and diverse implications for gender subgroups particularly in low-income settings. Yet, little research has documented the gendered livelihood implications of water shortages in Ghana. Based on a cross-sectional mixed method research involving a survey of 250 household heads and complemented with a qualitative...

Background: Social isolation is widespread and strongly associated with deleterious health-related outcomes across the life course in low- and middle-income settings. Despite this broad base of knowledge, there is little reported research on the pathways linking living alone to later life psychological state. Thus, the aim of this study was to exam...

The article examines public perceptions of Capitation Payment System and the implications for health-seeking behavior in rural and urban Ghana. Drawing on qualitative approach, the study employed focus groups (n = 20), in-depth (n = 20) and key informant (n = 14) interviews with community-based adult men and women, aged 18-65 years in Ashanti Regio...

Background: Social isolation has been increasingly recognized as a strong risk factor for health-related outcomes, yet, there is limited knowledge about the pathways linking living alone to later life psychological disorders. This study examines the influence of living alone on older people’s psychological disorders and explores the protective role...

Background: Social isolation is widespread and strongly associated with deleterious health-related outcomes across the life course in low- and middle-income settings. Despite this broad base of knowledge, there is little reported research on the pathways linking living alone to later life psychological state. Thus, the aim of this study was to exam...

Most studies on farmers’ adaptation strategies do not adequately treat the downside of such practices, and how practitioners can survive with the strategies in the wake of climate variability and change. Emphasis has always been on benefits of adaptation which includes showing resilience to increase food production, enhancing livelihood outcomes wi...

Urban greenery has various social, economic and ecological functions. Yet the expansion of cities has often occurred at the expense of green spaces with negative implications for city dwellers. In this paper, the changing pattern, and public views of the value and attitude towards urban greenery in Greater Kumasi have been examined. The study invol...

The paper examines agricultural livelihood effects of urban sprawl and farmers' response in peri-urban Kumasi, Ghana, involving in-depth interviews with sixty farmers (n = 60) and four key informants (n = 4). Greater Kumasi has expanded spatially over time resulting in arable land reduction in the peri-urban interface and affecting households in va...

Promoting healthy urban vegetable farming is key to ensuring a sustainable food supply in a rapidly growing city but a major constraint to delivering this is the lack of clean water. While the use of polluted water in urban agriculture can pose serious health risks to both farmers and the consuming public, studies that assess these risks from both...

Major past floods that have resulted in huge losses to households along the Black and White Volta Basins have raised the question of whether they were consequences of climate change or direct anthropogenic activities. This paper therefore examines the physical and human contexts of fluvial floods in rural Central Gonja District of Ghana using mixed...

Urban greenery has various social, economic and ecological functions. Yet the expansion of cities has often occurred at the expense of green spaces with negative implications for city dwellers. In this paper, the changing pattern, and public views of the value and attitude towards urban greenery in Greater Kumasi have been examined. The study invol...

Background: Social support networks for older persons have been related to health outcomes including differences in psychological well-being (PWB). However, the specifics of this relationship remain unclear, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates (1) the relationship between aspects of social support and PWB among older persons i...

The paper examines the hygiene practices and health risk perception of vegetable sellers in urban Ghana. Based on a qualitative in-depth study of vegetable sellers drawn from five purposively sampled markets in Kumasi Metropolis, the study found that the vegetable sellers have generally low risk perception. Consequently, the vegetable handling prac...

This paper examines Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) transition probabilities and its implications for KumasiMetropolis using remote sensing image analysis technique. Methods used for the study include sub-setting ofsatellite images for the metropolis using the metropolitan shapefile boundary and classification of the images using maximum likelihood...

This paper examines the struggle for existence of contrasting spaces within an urban milieu drawing on experiences from Ghana. By analysing remotely-sensed images and review of relevant literature, the dynamics of change in the urban green-grey landscape were examined. While the grey (impermeable) space has increased from 23.3% to 77.6% between 198...

This paper examines Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) transition probabilities and its implications for KumasiMetropolis using remote sensing image analysis technique. Methods used for the study include sub-setting ofsatellite images for the metropolis using the metropolitan shapefile boundary and classification of the images using maximum likelihood...

Uncontrolled urban expansion constitutes a threat to urban and peri-urban agriculture with the situation likely to worsen in the face of global climate change. This study examines how urban expansion, operating within a broad institutional framework undermines food crop production in Kumasi Metropolis, using a geospatial approach and relevant insti...

Objective: Problematic access to and use of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services potentially endanger the well-being of adolescents and retards progress towards attainment of United Nations health-related Sustainable Development Goals. Drawing on a qualitative research approach, this paper examines the level of SRH-related knowledge, servi...

Urban Ghana has experienced worsening annual floods in terms of scale and number of affected people. There is however uncertainty about whether the flood situation is mainly the result of increasing rainfall or human factors. The paper examines the physical and anthropogenic factors that underlie the perennial floods in Kumasi Metropolis using seco...

This paper examines the changing land cover and its implications for flood incidence in Kumasi Metropolis using geospatial techniques and relevant institutional data. While the grey space has increased from 23.3% to 77.6% between 1986 and 2016, green space has declined from 76.7% to 22.4% within the same period. Findings reveal that rapidly growing...

Research on HIV counselling and testing (HCT) has proliferated in Ghana but limited evidence exists about the uptake of HCT among a large population that has been shown to engage in HIV risk-related behavior in Metropolitan Kumasi. With retrospective cross-sectional data from a representative sample of sexually active young people, multivariate log...

Objective: Despite the political commitment of national governments and collaborative efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO) toward the actualization of intercultural healthcare system over the past decades, sub-Saharan African countries feature medical cohabitation rather than a truly integrated medical system. This hospital-based cross-se...

This paper examined the effects of peri-urbanisation on arable land in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study involved classification of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) 1986 imagery and images from Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) 2004 and Landsat 8 Operational Land Image and Thermal Infrared Sensor (OLI/TIRS) image for 2016 to show land use and cover c...

Consumption of peri-urban grown vegetables has raised public health concerns due to potential risks of contamination from pathogens, pesticides and heavy metals. Understanding how the public perceives of risk is key in managing the population at risk of consuming contaminated vegetables. However, health risk perceptions research of consumers has la...

Objective: The aim of this hospital-based, cross-sectional study was to examine nurses' knowledge, personal and professional practices and attitude towards complementary and alternative medical therapies in urban Ghana. Method: Using convenience sampling technique, cross-sectional data were collected from 210 registered and practicing nurses wit...

Although the direct impact of health beliefs on unconventional medical therapies consumption are well documented, the previous empirical findings of the relationship have been much inconsistent and theoretically subtle in Ghana. Using social cognitive thesis, this paper examines how relative effects of personal health beliefs influence the use of t...

Peri-urban vegetable farming in Ghana is an important livelihood activity for an increasing number of people. However, increasing quality and public health concerns have been raised, partly because freshwater availability for irrigation purposes is a major constraint. This paper investigated on-farm vegetable contamination and potential health risk...

The impact of strong cultural beliefs on specific reasons for traditional medicine (TRM) use among individuals and populations has long been advanced in health care and spatio-medical literature. Yet, little has been done in Ghana and the Ashanti Region in particular to bring out the precise “pull” and “push” relative influences on TRM utilization....

Despite the recognition for rising consumption rate of traditional medicine (TRM) in health and spatio-medical literature in the global scale, the impact of location in traditional therapy use has been explored least in Ghana. This paper analysed the role of spatial variation in TRM use in Kumasi Metropolis and Sekyere South District of Ashanti Reg...

Abstract: The north-south movement in Ghana has taken a new dimension with females searching for better livelihood opportunities. The porters mostly end up living and working under deprived conditions and vulnerable to physical and reproductive health risks. Their expectations of making good money to enable them realise their dreams are hardly real...

Ghana has been highly successful in mining for over a century. However, one area of concern is the negative impact of mining activities on water resources: their quality and quantity. Mining companies are guided by rules and regulations, particularly those that have to do with the quality of water supply. Safe water supply is essential for improved...

This study examines the effects of urbanisation in three peri-urban communities in Kumasi. Structured interviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions are used as data collection tools. The study reveals that urbanisation has presented constraints and opportunities to the peri-urban communities. Peri-urbanism has led to agricultural...

Stone quarrying is one of the key extractive economic activities in the Ashanti Region, supplying the bulk of stone of varying aggregates to the construction industry within the region and beyond. Yet the resource-rich communities have seen little socio-economic improvements. The paper draws on experiences from Nkukua Buoho and Ntiri Buoho in the A...

This study examines household responses to livelihood transformation in the Kumasi peri-urban area. The main tools used in the data collection are household survey, key informants interviews and focus group discussions. Quantitative data are presented using tables, graphs and charts while direct quotations from respondents are used to present quali...

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 fa...

Passive male involvement in combating maternal mortality is rooted in socio-cultural practices and attempts to increase male participation in reducing maternal mortality have proven to be a daunting task. This study examined the effects of socio-cultural practices on male involvement in reducing maternal mortality in rural Ghana. Both qualitative a...

This study assessed the quality of the Aboabo River and examined the anthropogenic factors that lead to river pollution. Physico-chemical and bacteriological assessment of water samples showed that water from the Aboabo river was polluted and therefore not suitable for domestic consumption. Observation, in-depth interviews, informal conversation an...

This paper examines the health implications of inadequate water supply and sanitation in Nkwanta district. A sample of 200 respondents was drawn from eight communities in the district using a systematic random sampling technique. Data collection tools were questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions. The research found that inadequate wa...

Inadequate suitable materials on Regional Geography of Ghana has been a major source of headache for both masters and students. This problem is manifested in the poor performance of students at the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Moved by the plight of both teachers and students, the author made relentless ef...