Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Oct 7;24(1):2724. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20264-8.
The lockdown measures in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have led to a wide range of unintended consequences for women and children. Until the outbreak of COVID-19, attention was on reducing maternal and infant mortality due to pregnancy and delivery complications. The aim of this study was to interrogate the impact of lockdown measures on women and children in two contrasting districts in Ghana - Krobo Odumase and Ayawaso West Wuogon.
This study adopted the mixed-method approach using both qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative study relied on two data collection methods to explore the impacts of COVID-19 control measures on women and children in Ghana. These were: Focus Group Discussions (FGDs; n = 12) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs; n = 18). The study complemented the qualitative data with survey data - household surveys (n = 78) which were used to support the nutrition and school closure data; and policy data gathered from government websites consisting of government responses to COVID-19. The qualitative data was analysed using the thematic approach with codes generated apriori with the NVIVO software. The quantitative data used percentages and frequencies.
Engagements with participants in the study revealed that the lockdown measures implemented in Ghana had consequences on child and maternal health, and the health care system as a whole. Our study revealed, for example, that there was a decrease in antenatal and postnatal attendance in hospitals. Childhood vaccinations also came to a halt. Obesity and malnutrition were found to be common among children depending on the location of our study participants (urban and rural areas respectively). Our study also revealed that TB, Malaria and HIV treatment seeking reduced due to the fear of going to health facilities since those ailments manifest similar symptoms as COVID 19.
Government responded to COVID-19 using different strategies however the policy response resulted in both intended and unintended consequences especially for women and children in Ghana. It is recommended that national policy directions should ensure the continuous provision of child and maternal healthcare services which are essential health services during lockdowns.
为应对新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）而采取的封锁措施对妇女和儿童产生了广泛的意外后果。在 COVID-19 爆发之前，人们关注的是降低因妊娠和分娩并发症而导致的母婴死亡率。本研究的目的是探讨封锁措施对加纳两个截然不同地区（克罗博-奥杜马塞和阿亚索西-威乌贡）的妇女和儿童的影响。
本研究采用混合方法，结合定性和定量数据。定性研究依赖于两种数据收集方法来探讨 COVID-19 控制措施对加纳妇女和儿童的影响。这些方法是：焦点小组讨论（FGD；n=12）和关键知情人访谈（KII；n=18）。该研究还利用问卷调查数据——家庭调查（n=78）来补充定性数据，这些数据用于支持营养和学校关闭方面的数据；以及从政府网站收集的政策数据，这些数据包括政府对 COVID-19 的反应。定性数据使用主题方法进行分析，使用 NVIVO 软件预先生成代码。定量数据使用百分比和频率。
与研究参与者的接触揭示了加纳实施的封锁措施对儿童和孕产妇健康以及整个医疗保健系统产生了影响。我们的研究表明，例如，前往医院进行产前和产后检查的人数有所减少。儿童疫苗接种也停止了。根据研究参与者的所在地（分别是城市和农村地区），发现儿童肥胖和营养不良很常见。我们的研究还表明，由于担心前往医疗机构，结核病、疟疾和艾滋病毒的治疗寻求减少了，因为这些疾病与 COVID-19 表现出相似的症状。
政府对 COVID-19 采取了不同的策略，但政策反应对加纳的妇女和儿童产生了既有预期又有意外的后果。建议国家政策方向应确保在封锁期间持续提供儿童和孕产妇保健服务，这些服务是基本的卫生服务。
