Association of Health Literacy and Socioeconomic Status with Oral Health Among Older Adults in Ghana: A Moderation Analysis of Social Capital

Amoah, Padmore Adusei; Koduah, Adwoa Owusuaa; Gyasi, Razak M.; Nyamekye, Kingsley Atta; Phillips, David

doi:10.1177/07334648211028391

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…This study analysed the responses of 1929 participants. Detailed descriptions of the broader study’s sampling process have been reported elsewhere [ 33 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Social–Ecological Study of Perceptions and Determinants of Sexual Enhancement Drug Use among Men and Women in Ghana

Amoah¹,

Adjei²,

Arthur-Holmes³

2022

IJERPH

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The use and sale of sexual enhancement drugs (particularly unapproved aphrodisiacs) have become a public health concern in Ghana and many other sub-Saharan African countries. While most studies have examined this phenomenon from the level of individual perspectives, this study investigates the multi-dimensional and multi-level factors (e.g., individual characteristics and behaviours, interpersonal factors, community norms and practices, institutional and public policy factors) that influence attitudes, perceptions, and use of aphrodisiacs among men and women in Ghana. Using a concurrent mixed-method design, we derived the data from a semi-structured interview and cross-sectional survey conducted across five administrative regions in Ghana. Interpretative phenomenological analysis and logistic regression techniques were used to analyse the qualitative and quantitative (survey) data, respectively. Approximately 12.6% of participants (17.6% among males and 7.2% among females) had used an aphrodisiac in the six months prior to the study. Approximately 23.4% of the participants had more than one partner during the same period. Among men, being religious (B = −0.238, p < 0.05) and having multiple sexual partners (B = 0.481, p < 0.01) were positively associated with the use of aphrodisiacs. For women, being employed (B = −1.539, p < 0.01), engaging in physical activities (exercising) (B = −0.658, p < 0.05), having good health (B = 0.869, p < 0.05), having multiple sexual partners (B = 1.191, p < 0.01), and taking alcohol (B = 1.041, p < 0.01) were associated with use of aphrodisiacs. Although many participants had used aphrodisiacs, women, in particular, held unfavourable views about the drugs due to perceived negative health implications for themselves and their partners. The findings also show that community-level factors (e.g., social norms and expectations), interpersonal factors (e.g., expectations of partners and friends), public policy (e.g., drug-related regulations), and organisational/institutional factors (e.g., health system arrangements about access and use of drugs) were critical to the sale and use of aphrodisiacs among both men and women in Ghana. A multi-level analysis of the use of sexual enhancement drugs among men and women is crucial to formulating social and public health policies that aim to improve public knowledge of these drugs, reduce uncontrolled production, and protect population health and well-being.

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“…This study analysed the responses of 1929 participants. Detailed descriptions of the broader study’s sampling process have been reported elsewhere [ 33 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Social–Ecological Study of Perceptions and Determinants of Sexual Enhancement Drug Use among Men and Women in Ghana

Amoah¹,

Adjei²,

Arthur-Holmes³

2022

IJERPH

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“…A confidence level of 95%, sample error of 0.05, and an assumption that 50% of respondents would provide consistent responses ( 52 ). Detailed information about the study design and sampling had been reported elsewhere ( 53 , 54 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Behaviors and Health Literacy: Questing the Role of Weak Social Ties Among Older Persons in Rural and Urban Ghana

Amoah¹,

Musalia

Busia³

2022

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundOlder persons are one of the most vulnerable groups as regards low health literacy. However, little is known about the extent of limitations and multi-faceted nature of their health literacy, such as its characteristics and social and geographical dimensions. Additionally, most existing studies have predominantly treated health literacy as a risk factor of health and wellbeing of older persons as opposed to an outcome that must be pursued.ObjectivesThis study investigated the moderating role of weak social ties (bridging social capital) in the relationship between health behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol intake, voluntary body check-up and physical exercise, and health literacy among older persons in rural and urban Ghana.MethodsData was drawn from a cross-sectional survey comprising 522 respondents across five administrative regions in Ghana. Ordinary Least Squares regression technique was used to analyse the data.ResultsOlder persons in urban areas had higher health literacy [Mean/Standard deviation (SD) = 9.1/4.1 vs. 10.1/4.2] as well as higher bridging social capital (Mean/SD = 2.0/1.2 vs. 1.6/0.9) than their rural counterparts. Bridging social capital was negatively associated with the health literacy of urban residents (B = −0.997, p < 0.01). We found evidence that smoking (B = −0.787, p < 0.05) and undertaking physical activities (B = 0.812, p < 0.01) were associated with health literacy of older persons in rural areas. Having voluntary body check-ups (B = 0.155, p < 0.01) was associated with health literacy in urban areas. Bridging social capital negatively moderated the association of smoking with health literacy in rural areas (B = −5.032, p < 0.01), but it instead positively modified the relationship between alcohol intake and health literacy in urban areas (B = 0.185, p < 0.05).ConclusionFor policymakers and practitioners aiming to promote older persons' health literacy as a public health asset at individual and community levels, an important starting point to achieving such goals is to understand the fundamental indicators (e.g., health behaviors) and the role that social and geographical factors play in shaping their health literacy.

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“…As in the case of other measures of health, socioeconomic determinants are a substantial source to explain the diversity of oral health conditions among older persons (Amoah et al, 2021; Schensul et al, 2020). What we do know is that people facing adverse social environments have worse oral health on average than those with high socioeconomic status (Gülcan et al, 2015; Tsakos, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Employment Trajectories Across the Life Course and Oral Health Among Older Persons in a Developing Country

Madero-Cabib

Reyes

2022

J Appl Gerontol

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A significant research gap on socioeconomic determinants of oral health among older persons is that socioeconomic indicators, like employment status, have essentially been problematized and measured using a cross-sectional approach. Based on a life course approach, and using data from a population-representative, face-to-face and longitudinal-retrospective survey focused on older people in Chile (N = 802), we reconstructed representative types of individual employment trajectories and measured their association with different oral health indicators in old age. Our results show that employment trajectories characterized by continuous, formal, full-time employment have a protective effect for multiple oral health indicators among older people. Our study demonstrates the need for public policies on oral health in old age to incorporate a life course approach and to consider the negative impact of constantly working in informal employment or being out of the labor market permanently, particularly in countries like Chile where temporary and informal employment has risen steadily.

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Association of Health Literacy and Socioeconomic Status with Oral Health Among Older Adults in Ghana: A Moderation Analysis of Social Capital

Cited by 10 publications

References 38 publications

A Social–Ecological Study of Perceptions and Determinants of Sexual Enhancement Drug Use among Men and Women in Ghana

A Social–Ecological Study of Perceptions and Determinants of Sexual Enhancement Drug Use among Men and Women in Ghana

Health Behaviors and Health Literacy: Questing the Role of Weak Social Ties Among Older Persons in Rural and Urban Ghana

Employment Trajectories Across the Life Course and Oral Health Among Older Persons in a Developing Country

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