Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Globalization and Health
Published in: Globalization and Health 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research

Self-help and help-seeking for communication disability in Ghana: implications for the development of communication disability rehabilitation services

Authors: Karen Wylie, Lindy McAllister, Bronwyn Davidson, Julie Marshall, Clement Amponsah, Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe

Published in: Globalization and Health | Issue 1/2017

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

In low and middle-income countries, such as Ghana, communication disability is poorly recognised and rehabilitation services for people with communication disability are limited. As rehabilitation services for communication disability develop, and the profession of speech-language pathology grows, it is important to consider how services can most appropriately respond to the needs and preferences of the community. Understanding the ways in which people currently self-help and seek help for communication disability is central to developing services that build on existing local practices and are relevant to the community.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive survey was used to explore likely self-help and help-seeking behaviours for communication disability, in Accra, Ghana. The survey required participants to describe responses to hypothetical scenarios related to communication disability. A mix of theoretical sampling and convenience sampling was used. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse data and develop categories and subcategories of reported self-help behaviours and sources of help and advice for communication disability.

Results

One hundred and thirty-six participants completed the survey. Results indicated that community members would be likely to engage in a variety self-help strategies in response to communication disability. These included working directly with a person with a communication disability to attempt to remediate a communication impairment, altering physical and communication environments, changing attitudes or care practices, educating themselves about the communication disability, providing resources, and responding in spiritual ways. Participants indicated that they would seek help for communication disability across a range of sectors – including the Western healthcare, religious, and traditional sectors.

Conclusions

Understanding existing community actions to self-help and help-seek may allow emerging communication rehabilitation services, including the profession of speech-language pathology, to build on existing community practices in resource-limited contexts such as Ghana.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Footnotes
1
The term high income countries (HICs), and low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are based on classifications from the World Bank based on GNI per capita [21]. The term HICs is used in this paper to delineate countries that typically have more comprehensive rehabilitation services.
 
2
Communication disability can be defined as a disability where an individual’s
‘…ability to communicate is affected by their response to an impairment and/or social and contextual factors which interrelate with each other and with the person themselves, resulting in impaired communication skills.’ [15, p. 277].
 
3
Speech-language pathologists may also be called speech and language therapists or speech pathologists in some countries.
 
4
Whilst herbalists are becoming increasingly accepted as part of medical services in Ghana, within this research they were classified within the ‘traditional belief’ category, due to the traditional origins of the practice [81].
 
Literature
1.
2.
Eide AH, Nhiwathiwa S, Muderedzi J, Loeb M. Living conditions among people with activity limitations in Zimbabwe: a representative regional survey. Oslo: SINTEF; 2003.
3.
Loeb ME, Eide AH. Living conditions among people with activity limitations in Malawi: a national representative study. Oslo: SINTEF; 2004.
4.
Eide A, Loeb M. Living conditions among people with activity limitations in Zambia: a national representative study. Oslo: SINTEF; 2006.
5.
Eide AH, Kamaleri Y. Living conditions among people with disabilities in Mozambique: a national representative study. Oslo: SINTEF; 2009.
6.
World Health Organization. Rehabilitation: key for health in the 21st century. In: Background paper prepared for the meeting rehabilitation 2030: a call for action. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017.
7.
World Health Organization. WHO global disability action plan 2014–2021: better health for all people with disability. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2015.
8.
World Bank, World Health Organization. World report on disability. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2011.
9.
World Health Organization. Rehabilitation 2030: a call for action. Meeting report. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017.
10.
11.
MacLachlan M, Mannan H, McAuliffe E. Staff skills not staff types for community-based rehabilitation. Lancet. 2011;377:1988–9.CrossRefPubMed
12.
13.
14.
Wylie K, McAllister L, Davidson B, Marshall J. Communication rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa. A workforce profile of speech and language therapists. Afr J Disabil. 2016;5(1):13. 10.​4102/​ajod.​v5i1.​227.
15.
16.
Biritwum RB, DeVres JP, Ofosu-Amaah S, Marfo C, Essah ER. Prevalence of children with disabilities in central region, Ghana. West Afr J Med. 2001;20(3):249–55.PubMed
17.
Nganwa AB, Batesaki B, Mallya JA. The link between health-related rehabilitation and CBR. In: Musoke G, Geiser P, editors. Linking CBR, disability and rehabilitation. Bangalore: CBR Africa Network; 2013. p. 59–71.
18.
19.
Wylie K, McAllister L, Davidson B, Marshall, J. Overview of issues and needs for new SLP university programs in developing countries. East African Conference on Communication Disability. Kampala, Uganda, 2012.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
Owusu NA. Speech and language pathology in Ghana. Video update. In G. Mulcair. P. Ackerman, J. Charebois, G. Dixon, J. Linklater. Global reach for ‘communication as a basic human right’, through the International Communication Project (ICP). International Association of Logopaedics and Phoniatrics Conference. Dublin, 2016.
31.
32.
Pillay M, Kathard H. Decolonizing health professionals’ education: audiology & speech therapy in South Africa. Afr J Rhetoric. 2015;7:193–227.
33.
Nixon SA, Cockburn L, Acheinegeh R, Bradley K, Cameron D, Mue PN, et al. Using postcolonial perspectives to consider rehabilitation with children with disabilities: the Bamenda-Toronto dialogue. Disabil Global South. 2015;2(2):570–89.
34.
Geiger M. Using cultural resources to build an inclusive environment for children with severe communication disabilities: a case study from Botswana. Children’s Geographies. 2010;8(1):51–63. 10.​1080/​1473328100365101​6.CrossRef
35.
36.
37.
Reynolds S. Disability culture in West Africa: qualitative research indicating barriers and progress in the greater Accra region of Ghana. Occup Ther Int. 2010;17(4):198–207. 10.​1002/​oti.​303.CrossRefPubMed
38.
Wegner L, Rhoda A. The influence of cultural beliefs on the utilisation of rehabilitation services in a rural south African context: therapists’ perspective. Afr J Disabil. 2015;4(1):1–8. 10.​4102/​ajod.​v4i1.​128.
39.
40.
Attafuah KG. Enhancing disability rights in Africa: the Ghanaian experience. Soc Policy Stud. 2000;1(2):34–44.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
Odoom AJ, van Weelen K. Report on the level of stigmatization, discrimination and exclusion of persons with intellectual disability and their families in Ghana. Inclusion Ghana: Accra; 2011.
46.
Hopf SC, McLeod S, McDonagh SH, Wang C, Rakanace EN. Communication disability in Fiji: Community self-help and help-seeking support. Int J Speech Lang Pathol. 2017;Early online;1–15; doi: 10.​1080/​17549507.​2017.​1337226.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
Fink A. The survey handbook. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications; 2003.CrossRef
54.
55.
McNeeley S. Sensitive issues in surveys: reducing refusals while increasing reliability and quality of responses to sensitive survey items. In: Gideon L, editor. Handbook of survey methodology for the social sciences. Dordrecht: Springer; 2012. p. 377–96.CrossRef
56.
57.
Saumure K, Given LM. Convenience sample. In: Given LM, editor. The Sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods. Los Angeles: Sage; 2008;online edition. 10.​4135/​9781412963909.
58.
59.
Shreier M. Qualitative content analysis in practice. London: Sage; 2012.
60.
61.
62.
63.
Hettiarachchi S. An exploration of British-Tamil and Sri Lankan-Tamil mothers’ beliefs on child language development and child language impairment and their views on speech and language therapy. In: International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics Convention. Turin, Italy; 2013.
64.
65.
Bunning K. Speech and language therapy intervention: frameworks and processes. London: Whurr; 2004.
66.
World Health Organization. International classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF). Geneva: World Health Organization; 2001.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
Wylie K, McAllister L, Davidson B, Marshall J. Adopting public health approaches to communication disability: challenges for the education of speech-language pathologists. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica. 2014;66(4–5):164–75. 10.​1159/​000365752.CrossRefPubMed
72.
Law J, Reilly S, Snow PC. Child speech, language and communication need re-examined in a public health context: a new direction for the speech and language therapy profession. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2013;48(5):486–96. 10.​1111/​1460-6984.​12027.CrossRefPubMed
73.
Stephens T, Owusu NAV, Parchment T, McKay M. Meeting the needs of children and families with communication and other developmental difficulties in Accra, Ghana—an assessment of the AwaaWaa2 community-based program. Global Social Welfare. 2015;2:111–8. 10.​1007/​s40609-015-0033-1.CrossRef
74.
75.
76.
MacLachlan M. Culture and health: a critical perspective towards global health. 2nd ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons; 2006.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
Metadata
Title
Self-help and help-seeking for communication disability in Ghana: implications for the development of communication disability rehabilitation services
Authors
Karen Wylie
Lindy McAllister
Bronwyn Davidson
Julie Marshall
Clement Amponsah
Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Globalization and Health / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1744-8603
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-017-0317-6

Other articles of this Issue 1/2017

Globalization and Health 1/2017 Go to the issue

Research

Association of experienced and evaluative well-being with health in nine countries with different income levels: a cross-sectional study

Research

Controlling corporate influence in health policy making? An assessment of the implementation of article 5.3 of the World Health Organization framework convention on tobacco control

Debate

Institutionalizing community-focused maternal, newborn, and child health strategies to strengthen health systems: A new framework for the Sustainable Development Goal era

Research

“If donors woke up tomorrow and said we can't fund you, what would we do?” A health system dynamics analysis of implementation of PMTCT option B+ in Uganda

Research

Monitoring the impact of trade agreements on national food environments: trade imports and population nutrition risks in Fiji

Erratum

Erratum to: Cross-border movement of older patients: a descriptive study on health service use of Japanese retirees in Thailand