Education, Health Knowledge and Child Health in Coastal Ghana - What Do People Know, How Do They Know It, and Does It Matter?

Although infant and child mortality rates have declined in Ghana, child health in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa generally continue to lag behind other world regions. This book explores some of the sociological determinants of child health in Ghana. Specifically, it is concerned with the determinants of "health knowledge" - or knowledge of etiology, prevention and treatment of malaria, diarrheal disease and respiratory infection, three serious child illnesses in the region - and the relationships between education, health knowledge and child health behaviors and outcomes in coastal Ghana. The research includes both quantitative and qualitative primary data and multivariate analysis. The data include a representative household-based survey of 2500 men and women across 54 communities in coastal Ghana as well as ten focus group discussions on child health beliefs and practices across five communities. The book is addressed to researchers and professionals in the social sciences and public health, particularly those interested in social influences on health, child health and sub-Saharan Africa.