Objectives: There is paucity of data on determinants of length of COVID-19 admissions and long COVID, an emerging long-term sequel of COVID-19, in Ghana. Therefore, this study identified these determinants and discussed their policy implications. Method: Data of 2334 patients seen at the main COVID-19 treatment centre in Ghana were analysed in this study. Their characteristics, such as age, education level and comorbidities, were examined as explanatory variables. The dependent variables were length of COVID-19 hospitalisations and long COVID. Negative binomial and binary logistic regressions were fitted to investigate the determinants. Result: The regression analyses showed that, on average, COVID-19 patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus spent almost 2 days longer in hospital (p = 0.00, 95% CI = 1.42–2.33) and had 4 times the odds of long COVID (95% CI = 1.61–10.85, p = 0.003) compared to those with no comorbidities. In addition, the odds of long COVID decreased with increasing patient’s education level (primary OR = 0.73, p = 0.02; secondary/vocational OR = 0.26, p = 0.02; tertiary education OR = 0.23, p = 0.12). Conclusion: The presence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus determined both length of hospitalisation and long COVID among patients with COVID-19 in Ghana. COVID-19 prevention and management policies should therefore consider these factors.

Background FCTC 2030 Programme (2017-2021) was launched to accelerate WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) implementation in 15 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We evaluated the Programme in six domains: Governance; Smoke-Free Policies; Taxation; Packaging and Health Warnings; Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship (TAPS) bans; International and Regional Cooperation. Methods Following a mixed-methods design, we surveyed (Jun-Sept 2020) FCTC focal persons in 14 of the 15 countries, to understand the Programme’s financial and technical inputs and progress made in each of the six domains. The data were coded in terms of inputs (financial=1, technical=1, or both=2) and progress (none=1, some=2, partial=3, or strong=4) and a correlation was computed between the inputs and progress scores for each domain. We conducted semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in five countries. We triangulated between the survey and interview findings. Results FCTC 2030 offered substantial financial and technical inputs, responsive to country-needs, across all six domains. There was a high positive correlation between technical inputs and progress in five of the six domains, ranging from r=0.61 for Taxation (p<0.05) to r=0.91 for Smoke-Free Policies (p<0.001). The interviews indicated that the Programme provided timely and relevant evidence and created opportunities for influencing tobacco control debates. Conclusions The FCTC 2030 Programme might have led to variable but significant progress in advancing FCTC implementation in the 15 countries. As expected, much of the progress was in augmenting existing structures and resources for FCTC implementation. The resulting advances are likely to lead to further progress in FCTC policy implementation. IMPLICATIONS What this study adds: In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) policies are not in place; and even when enshrined in law, they are poorly enforced. It is not clear how financial and technical assistance to high tobacco-burden LMICs can most effectively accelerate the implementation of WHO FCTC policies and offer value for money. Bespoke and responsive assistance, both financial and technical, to LMICs aimed at accelerating the implementation of WHO FCTC policies is likely to lead to progress in tobacco control.

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OBJECTIVE:The effects of TENS before exercise (TBE) and TENS after exercise (TAE) in the management of knee osteoarthritis (OA) were compared. METHODS: Fifteen participants with knee OA were alternatively assigned to either TBE or TAE groups. Participants' pain, active knee flexibility, thigh girth, disability, and activity levels were assessed at baseline and at the end of eight-week study. Mixed design two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at P  0.05 was used to compare the two groups. RESULTS:The mean age of the participants was 58.1 ± 10.9 years. Post-intervention comparison showed that TAE had significantly lower scores (1.9 ± 0.9) than TBE (4.3 ± 1.5) on Disability Index Questionnaire (DIQ ) (F-ratio = 10.5; P = 0.006), and significantly lower scores (0.8 ± 0.3) than TBE (1.4 ± 0.6) on Patient Assessment Scale (PAS) (F-ratio = 8.3; P = 0.013). However, both groups did not significantly differ on the selected impairment measures. CONCLUSION: TAE was found to be more effective on the primary outcome measures in patients with knee OA.