Bamenda Municipality Research Articles

Flipped Learning Approaches and Student’s Academic Performance in Economics in Selected Government Secondary Schools within the Bamenda Municipality, North West Region, Cameroon

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of flipped learning approaches on the academic performance of students in economics in selected government secondary schools within Bamenda I and II municipalities. The study aimed to assess the effects of discussion-oriented flipped learning and the flipped teacher approach. The study involved 88 students from three government secondary schools out of a total of 460 students. Materials and Methods: The research used a quasi-experimental design and a mixed method sampling technique, with three schools (G.B.H.S Bamenda and Bamendakwe) as the experimental groups and one (G.H.S Bangshie) as the control group. Data was collected over a 3-week research period using pretest and posttest research instruments. Findings: The results, analyzed using mean scores and ANCOVA, showed a positive impact of flipped learning approaches on the academic performance of economics students compared to traditional methods. The mean scores of all flipped approaches were higher in the experimental groups at significant levels lower than 0.05, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. Implication to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommended the integration of discussion-oriented, group-based, and flipped teacher approaches into teaching practices to enhance students' academic performance in economics. It also suggested that the government provide training and support for teachers to develop their skills in using these innovative teaching approaches and recommended that educational institutions prioritize technology integration in classrooms to facilitate effective use of flipped learning approaches. The findings have implications for educational policymakers, teachers, and educational institutions seeking to improve student outcomes in economics and other subjects.

Video Games and Adolescents’ Deviant Behaviours in Selected Secondary Schools in the Bamenda Municipality in the North West Region of Cameroon

Aim: This study aimed at investigating the effects of video games on adolescents’ deviant behaviours in selected secondary schools in Bamenda municipality, in Mezam Division of the North West Region of Cameroon. The specific objective was to examine how video games affect adolescents’ deviant behaviors.
 Methods: The theoretical underpinnings of this study was informed by Albert Bandura’s (1997) Social learning theory, Hirschi's Social Control Theory (2002) and Roggers’ Innovation-diffusion theory (1995). The study employed the concurrent mixed method design whereby both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. A sample of 384 were randomly selected from five high schools located within the Bamenda Municipality in the North West Region of Cameroon. These schools were GBHS Bamendankwe, GBHS Downtown, GBTHS Bamenda, PCHS Mankon and SMASA Nkwen. A structured questionnaire and an interview guide were the main data collection instruments. Linear regression analysis was used to verify the effect of video games on adolescents’ deviant behaviours. The hypothesis was tested at the significance level of 0.05. The qualitative data obtained were analyzed using the technique of content thematic analysis.
 Results: Regression analysis shows that when video games increase by one unit, adolescents’ deviant behavior increases by 0. 572 unit.
 Conclusion: Given that this increase is significant with a p-value of 0.000, it is evident from the study that video games significantly affect adolescents’ deviant behavior.
 Recommendation: Adolescents should not spend most of their time using their ICTs gadgets to play video games rather they should use them to engage in more productive activities like personal research and to study. The government can equally put restrictions on/or block the download of game apps that are not beneficial to adolescents within its borders.

Technical Evaluation of Photovoltaic Systems in the Bamenda Municipality of the North West Region of Cameroon

In the Bamenda Municipality of Cameroon households are adopting Solar Photovoltaic Systems (SPVS). The penetration of SPVS in this Municipality depends on their technical performance. The study aimed to evaluate the technical installation of SPVS within the Municipality. A field inspection and administration of a questionnaire was conducted. The field inspection evaluated the respect of technical installation norms for SPVS. The questionnaire captured data on the technical situation of the SPVS. The SPVS installed included PV and grid to power separate loads, and PV and grid to power same loads. The installed loads were a mix of AC and DC loads of capacity from 360 W to 10000 W. The load powered by the installed SPVS varied from 300 W to 7000 W. The PV array varied from 200 W to 3200 W and battery bank capacity of 100 Ah to 800 Ah. The PV arrays were mostly installed on roof tops. Only 5% of the SPVS were installed by certified personnel. More than 50% of the installed SPVS operated below designed operation time. Failures in installed systems were related to inverters (36 %) and battery banks (36 %). Most of the PV arrays were installed on rooftops at tilt angles between 20° and 50°. More than 50 % of the PV arrays were oriented to directions other than South. Protective devices were installed in only 14 % of the installed systems. Some of the SPVS were not properly dimensioned. It may be concluded that most of the installed SPVS do not respect the technical installation norms and were not dimensioned according to users’ needs. The survival and penetration of SPVS technology in the Bamenda Municipality, Cameroon, and other sub-Saharan communities requires awareness and capacity building, policies, and regulations in the design and installation of this technology.

Use of ICT and the Application of E-Governance Strategies in Service Delivery by Local Councils in Cameroon: The Case of Local Councils in the Bamenda Municipality

The increasing use of information and communication technology (ICT) by Cameroonians has brought changes in citizen's needs and demands and has raised expectations on how services should be provided. Citizens need to carry out transactions (transactional services) conveniently and obtain accessible, reliable, and sustainable information (information services) from their local government. Unfortunately, this is still far from the reality in some selected local councils in Cameroon, given that they use ICT mainly for administrative and not service delivery purposes. Therefore, this paper's main objective is to establish a link between ICT usage and the empowerment of local councils in the application of e-governance strategies for information and transaction services delivery. The theoretical framework used in the paper included Technology Acceptance, Wider Dissemination, and e-governance Models. The stratified purposive and systematic random sampling techniques were employed to obtain needed data from the Bamenda I, II, and III municipalities in the North West Region. The findings of this paper revealed that a significant number of local councils are already using their ICTs to provide information services. However, none of them so far are using ICT for transactional service delivery purposes. Also, we observed a gap between citizen expectations and local council provision of information and transactional services. This paper found that the use of ICT to apply e-governance strategies would improve local council service delivery in terms of accessibility to information by citizens and sustainability of council information services, also promote transparency in transactions between the council and the citizens, and ease transactions between citizens and local councils in terms of time and cost. Thus, this paper recommends that local councils digitalize manual service delivery processes through their operational IT units. Also, for the Cameroon government to achieve the goals stated in the NDS30 Plan for a Digital Cameroon, it must consider effectively involving local councils in the national digitalization initiatives. This can be done by encouraging them to adapt their information and transactional service delivery procedures to more ICT-based strategies despite the challenges involved.

CURRENT STATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION MANAGEMENT IN THE BAMENDA MUNICIPALITY

Environmental sanitation is a fundamental process with the intention of protecting the environment and promoting health and the quality of life of communities. Sanitation in the Bamenda municipality is worsened due to inadequate housing facilities: toilets, drainage, water supply and ubiquitous littering with domestic wastes. This study sets out to examine the current state of environmental sanitation across the municipality. The study employs both an explanatory and descriptive survey using qualitative and quantitative methods, SPSS version 20, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word 2016 to analyse the results. Findings reveal that majority of households (86.6%) use illegal dumpsites, while only 13.4% rely on approved dump sites. Over 67.8% households have access to pipe borne water while 32.2 use doubtful sources. 36.8% use pit latrines, 21.1% have access to flush toilets and 21.1% used both pit and flush toilet, while 13.1% practice open defecation. Over 68.4% dispose untreated wastewater into nature with only 31.6% using drains/gutters. Some 23.7% households with children under 5 safely dispose of their fecal waste. Treating drinking water is imperative and also crucial to implement proper hygiene and sanitation measures to safeguard the population’s health in a quest to attain sustainable development of the municipality.

The Relationship between Excessive Worrying and Social Maladjustment among Internally Displaced Students in Bamenda Municipality: Implication for Clinical Counselling

Purpose: The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between excessive worrying social maladjustment among internally displaced students in Bamenda municipality.
 Methodology: The study employed a mixed methods correlational survey research design. The target population of the study consisted of 635 internally displaced students. The purposive and the disproportionate stratified sampling techniques was used to select the sample for the study. Quantitative data was collected through a questionnaire while a semi-structured interview guide was used to collect qualitative data from a sample of 160 participants. Questionnaires were completed by 150 internally displaced while 10 other respondents comprising school administrators, Counsellors and teachers were interviewed. Data was analyzed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 for Windows. Descriptive statistics such as simple percentages mean scores and standard deviation, and inferential statistics such as the Pearson Product Moment Correlation test were used to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis with the support of ATLAS.ti software version 8.0.
 Findings: The findings revealed that excessive worrying (r=.872, df= 148, p=.000, far < 0.05) have a positive correlation with social maladjustment among internally displaced students in Bamenda municipality.
 Recommendations: Based on the findings, it was recommended that school Counsellors, teachers and school administrators in the Bamenda municipality should develop and enhance their knowledge and competencies on mechanisms to detect and systematically manage and rehabilitate internally displaced students suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in their schools in order to improve the motivation, attention and performance of the learners.

Reduced susceptibility to carbapenems in Enterobacteriaceae and antimicrobial resistance profile of Escherichia coli strains isolated from clinical and zoonotic sources in the Bamenda Municipality, Cameroon.

food-producing animals harbour pathogenic and antibiotic resistant bacteria which can be transmitted to humans. Resistance to carbapenems may complicate treatment resulting to debilitating consequences. This study aimed at determining the susceptibility of Enterobacteriaceae to carbapenems and to compare the resistant patterns of E. coli strains isolated from clinical and zoonotic sources. this was a cross-sectional study involving patients presenting at the Bamenda Regional Hospital and abattoir samples. Clinical samples (faeces and urine) and zoonotic samples (cattle faeces) were cultured and isolates identified using API-20E. Enterobacteriaceae isolates were tested for their susceptibility to Carbapenems. The susceptibility of E. coli was tested against eight antibiotics on Mueller Hinton agar. Data was analysed using SPSS version 20. Enterobacteriaceae isolates from clinical specimen showed susceptibility of 93.3% to carbapenems. Out of 208 isolates 14 (6.7%) were Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) while 30 (14.4%) showed intermediate resistance and 164 (78.9%) were susceptible. The predominant CRE were Proteus (7/16, 43.8%), Providencia (3/15, 20.0%) and E. coli (4/60, 6.7%) with E. coli being the most clinically significant CRE. Multiple drug resistance (MDR) was observed in 83% of E. coli isolates, with the highest resistance being against vancomycin (90, 81.8%), azithromycin (69, 62.7%) and doxycycline (68, 61.8%). Clinical isolates were significantly (P<0.05) more resistant to azithromycin, trimethoprim-suphamethoxazole and gentamicin than zoonotic isolates. CRE were detected among isolates and a high rate of multiple drug resistance was observed among E. coli isolates. Proper antibiotic policies and good hygiene/sanitation measures may curb the development/spread of CRE and MDR E. coli.

Relationship between measures of adiposity and hypertension amongst secondary school adolescents in an urban setting in Cameroon.

measures of obesity such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) have been shown to be associated with high blood pressure (BP) in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of secondary school adolescents with elevated BP and high BP in relation to some measures of adiposity (BMI, WC, WHtR) and to examine the association between BP and adiposity indices amongst the children. the study was an institutional-based cross-sectional study involving 534 adolescents (mean age 15.1 ± 2.3 years) attending 4 secondary schools (2 public and 2 private) in the Bamenda municipality of the North West Region of Cameroon. Anthropometric and BP measurements were carried out following standard procedures. Diagnosis of hypertension in the children was done by obtaining three elevated systolic or diastolic BP readings (BP ≥ 95th percentile for the child's age, sex and height). Linear regression was used to determine the relationship between BP and some measures of adiposity (BMI, WC, WHtR) amongst the children. the prevalence of elevated BP and hypertension amongst the study participants was 33.3% and 33.3% in the BMI-obese children, 25.9% and 25.2% in the WC overweight/obese children and 29.4% and 41.2% in the "high risk" (WHtR ≥ 0.5) children respectively. Body mass index-obese, WC overweight/obese and "high risk" (WHtR ≥ 0.5) children had a significantly (p <0.05) higher mean SBP and DBP compared to their healthy weight counterparts. Linear regression indicated a significant association (p <0.001) between WC (β=0.75; 95% CI = 0.57, 0.92), BMI (β=0.88; 95% CI = 0.49, 1.25) and WHtR (β= 67.08; 95% CI = 45.64, 88.51) with systolic BP for the unadjusted analysis. After adjusting for age, gender and school type, only WC (β= 0.66; 95% CI = (0.43, 0.89) showed a positive significant (p <0.001) relationship with systolic BP. this study has demonstrated that WC is positively associated with high BP in children and adolescents. Thus, WC can be used in predicting children and adolescents with a high risk of developing high BP in our setting.

Analyzing Nurses Use of Protective Devices and Challenges Faced During Healthcare Delivery in COVID-19 Units in Bamenda Municipality, Cameroon

Introduction: Pandemic related crisis has caused enormous negative impacts on health globally and thousands of people suffered from the current COVID-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in the use of protective devices to mitigate the virus has become a challenge both physically and psychologically to nurses and this appears to be the main reason why contamination rate keeps increasing for nurses&#x0D; Purpose: This study was designed to examine nurses’ use of protective devices and challenges faced during healthcare delivery in COVID-19 unit.&#x0D; Methodology: This was a hospital based descriptive survey and recruited nurses using the convenience sampling technique involved in the care of patients in the COVID-19 treatment unit, in Bamenda Municipality. The study was conducted from January 2022 to February 2022. Data was obtained using a self-administered structured questionnaire analyzed using SPSS version 26.0.&#x0D; Findings: All the nurses admitted using at least one type of protective devices to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 during their clinical activities. The findings revealed that personal protective devices including medical masks (96.7%), gloves (78.8%), hand sanitizer (60.5%) and eye protection (48.9%). Challenges reported by the nurse’s included unavailability of hand sanitizer (64.4%), medical masks (60.0%), glove usability or donning (8.9%), eye protection acceptability (44.4%), gown inappropriateness (27.9%) respirator inadequacy (25.5%) and difficulties in doffing of apron (5.5%). Evidently it was concluded that nurses used protective devices during clinical activities in the COVID-19 centers although they indicated a range of challenges faced in using these devices. &#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study recommends continues compulsory training sessions be organized to enable nurses use personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly and without been limited.

Influence of urbanisation on phytodiversity and some soil properties in riverine wetlands of Bamenda municipality, Cameroon

In urban areas, human activities result in the discharge of a variety of chemical substances into the environment. This affects soil quality, plant species diversity and human security. To suggest appropriate management strategies that ensure soil quality and human security amid urbanization, this study assessed the relationship between macrophyte diversity and some soil characteristics of wetlands that are adjacent to urban, peri-urban and rural areas in Bamenda Municipality, Cameroon. Plant communities were sampled for species composition and relative abundance, using the Braun-banquet method. Species richness was evaluated using Simpson’s diversity index. Twenty-one soil samples (0–25 cm depth) were randomly collected within the wetlands and analyzed for their physicochemical characteristics using standard methods. The hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to group the wetlands under managing units. The dominant species ranked in order of abundance in the rural wetland were Raphia farinifera > Ludwigia hexandra > Coix spp. > Leersia hexandra > Ehchinochloa paramidelis. The Peri-urban wetland dominant species stood at Commelina bengalensis > Leersia hexandra > Cyperus distance > Ehchinochloa pyramidalis. In the Urban segment, Pennisetum purpureum > Echinochloa pyramidalis > Tithonia diversifolia > Leersia hexandra were the abundant species. The Simpson index of diversity was 0.94 for the urban and 0.96 for the peri-urban and rural sites respectively. The soils were slightly acidic with pH KCl ranging from 4.87 to 5.41. From the coefficient of variability classes, Sand, pH-H2O, pH-KCl, and Na consistently varied slightly across the three sites. Two significant clusters (management units) representing a combination of urban, and peri-urban/rural were formed from the hierarchical dendrograms. The Mann–Whitney U test revealed a significant (P < 0.05) lower exchange acidity in the rural than the urban sites indicating contamination of the urban site, reducing its macrophyte diversity. Intensification and extension of urbanisation are gradually reducing the macrophyte diversity and also contaminating the soils of the wetlands of the Bamenda municipality in Cameroon, warranting monitoring. The chemical composition of soils in the urban cluster needs early remediation by encouraging the planting and monitoring of certain plants that can already take up the elements.

The Use of Critical Pedagogy in Social Science Education: An Analysis of Cartoons on Teaching and Learning Outcomes in the Bamenda Municipality

Social science teachers use a wide variety of innovative pedagogy to support students’ cognitive, affective and psychomotor development. This explains the shift from Socratic pedagogy to the use of cartoon- critical pedagogy in social science education. Cartoons are used for explanation of difficult content in textbooks hence, motivating students to learn. Unfortunately, this innovative pedagogy is ineffectively utilized by some social science teachers in their classroom. Therefore, this paper analyses the use of cartoons in social science lessons as a critical pedagogy to enhance teaching and students’ learning outcomes. Constructivist learning theory and dual coding theory are used in the study which focused on 03 public grammar secondary schools in the Bamenda Municipality. A sample of 07 pedagogic inspectors, 375 students and 36 social science teachers were selected using convenient and simple random sampling techniques. Data for the study was collected using questionnaires and focus group discussions. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results reveal that, teachers’ use of cartoons in social science classes as a teaching device positively promoted cooperative learning, problem based learning, transformative learning and critical thinking amongst students. Furthermore, teachers’ use of cartoons in social science classes as a learning device positively improved students’ ability to understand, apply, analyse, evaluate and synthesize economics, geography and history concepts. The study concludes that, cartoon-critical pedagogy motivated teachers to become transformative intellectuals and students to become critically and socially conscious. Keywords: critical pedagogy, social science education, cartoons, teaching and learning outcomes, Bamenda Municipality DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/12-14-03 Publication date: July 31 st 2022

Comparative Effectiveness of Inductive and Deductive Teaching of Indices in Secondary Schools in Bamenda Municipality-Cameroon

The purpose of the study was to compare the mean achievement scores of students taught indices using the inductive and the deductive methods and to ascertain which of these two methods could minimise gender inequality in the learning of indices. The study adopted the quasi-experimental research design where two Form Three intact classes were sampled using both the purposive and the simple random sampling techniques. A pre-test and a post-test were administered to the two intact classes to determine their cognitive levels before and after the experiment respectively. Two equivalent forms of a Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) in indices were used to achieve this purpose. The findings of the study revealed that students taught indices using the inductive method performed significantly better than those taught using the deductive teaching method. The findings also showed that female students performed better than their male counterparts when taught indices using the inductive teaching method, while the male students performed better than their female counterparts when taught indices using the deductive teaching method. It was recommended that mathematics teachers in Bamenda municipality should adopt the inductive method in teaching indices. Seminars could be organised to build their capacities in relation to the use of this teaching method. Lastly, if education stakeholders in Bamenda municipality are interested in maintaining gender equality in the learning of mathematics and specifically in the learning of indices, then the inductive teaching method is strongly recommended.

The Effect of Personality Trait on Obesity in the Bamenda Municipality, Cameroon

Many researchers have established the link between genes and obesity. Some other researchers, in an attempt to find out why people with the same genetical setup have different body mass indexes, have amongst other factors linked it to differences in socioeconomic status, differences to dieting pattern and physical activities. A new school of thought has come up to establish the fact that differences in personalities also accounts for differences in body mass index. According to Sutin et al. (2011), personality traits contribute to health outcomes. They found a link between personality and body mass index. This study was out to investigate the effect of personality trait on obesity. We administered 1052 personality test randomly to individuals aged 20 and above in the Bamenda Municipality. The model was estimated using the regression; ANOVA and Correlation analysis. From the analysis, it was realized that there exist a positive and statistically significant relationship between personality trait and obesity. Sanguine and choleric personalities were less likely to be obese compared to melancholic and phlegmatic. The study concluded that, introverts are more likely to be obese than extroverts. It was recommended that individuals who have the melancholic and phlegmatic personality (introverts) should be more actively involved in dieting and exercising. Lastly, it was also recommended that the government of Cameroon should institute one compulsory day of the week for workers sports. All workers should have Saturday as a compulsory sporting day as done in Kenya.

OBESITY, HEALTH CARE EXPENDITURE AND EDUCATION IN BAMENDA MUNICIPALITY-CAMEROON: CONSIDERATIONS FOR CURRICULUM INNOVATION

Obesity is a major risk factor to many non-communicable diseases leading to increase health care expenditures and concerns for curriculum innovations in many countries. Thus, the objectives of this study are: to determine the factors influencing health care expenditure, to investigate the effects of obesity on health care expenditure, to examine the relationship between obesity and education and to discuss implications for curriculum innovation on the basis of the findings. The study was conducted in the Bamenda Municipality of Mezam Division in the North West Region of Cameroon. The survey research design was employed. With the use of questionnaire, primary data was collected from 753 obese and non-obese individuals aged 20 and above. The multiple regression and multinomial logit results revealed that, level of monthly expenditure and education had statistically significant effect on health care expenditure in the Bamenda Municipality. There was insignificant effect of obesity on health care expenditures. Gender and age influenced health care expenditure and majority of those who had attained higher levels of education were non obese as opposed to their obese counterparts. The study argued that, curriculum innovation focusing on reducing obesity and health care expenditure via educational attainment remains a long term process. Therefore, educational stakeholders should sensitize the community on the basic rules on weight watching and the Bamenda City Council should create weight loss rehabilitation centers. The adoption of personalized and integrated approaches to innovative curriculum planning and design should be of utmost importance to the government of Cameroon.

The Contribution of Linear Growth Components to Hypertension in Secondary School Adolescents in an Urban Setting in Cameroon

Background: Components of height have been found to be positively associated with blood pressure (BP) both in developed and developing nations. However, amongst Cameroon secondary school adolescents, the relationship between heights, SH and SH/H with BP has rarely been studied. The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of secondary school adolescents with elevated BP and high BP and to evaluate the relationship between the different components of linear growth with BP. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study involving 602 adolescents (399 girls and 203 boys, mean age 14.9 ± 2.3 years) attending some public and private secondary schools in the Bamenda municipality of the North West Region of Cameroon. Anthropometric and BP measurements were carried out following standard procedures. Pearson correlation and linear regression were used to determine the relationship between the various components of height (height, SH, SH/H) with BP amongst the children. Results: The overall prevalence of elevated BP and hypertension amongst the study participants was 21.9% and 15.6% respectively (with 8.3% and 7.3% of the hypertensive children in Stage I and Stage II respectively). However, there were no significant gender differences in the prevalence of elevated BP and high BP (p = 0.497). Girls had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher mean SH/H compared to boys. There was a significant correlation (p < 0.001) between systolic BP (SBP) with height (r = 0.311), SH (r = 0.276), and SH/H (r = -0.181). Linear regression indicated a significant association (p < 0.001) between height (β = 0.48; 95% CI = 0.31, 0.53), SH (β = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.56, 0.99) and SH/H (β = -47.35; 95% CI = -70.11, -24.59) with SBP for the unadjusted. Adjusting for age, gender, BMI and school type, SBP showed a positive significant association (p < 0.001) with height (β = 0.048; 95% CI = (0.28, 0.69). Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that height was positively associated with SBP amongst children and adolescents. Thus, height can be used in predicting adolescents with a high risk of developing high BP in our setting.

An Investigation of Traditional Family Planning methods used by women in the Bamenda Municipality, Cameroon

Introduction: Women in most sub-Saharan countries bear children at younger ages, have larger families, and make much less use of family planning. Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest rate of contraceptive use in the world. There are both modern and traditional methods of Family planning. Throughout history, the traditional family planning practices used to space children have been rich and varied.&#x0D; Purpose: This work sets out to investigate the diverse traditional family planning methods used by women in the Bamenda Municipality and the determinants of their choices.&#x0D; Methods: A mix of descriptive and exploratory research designs were used. The purposive sampling technique was used to identify 100, participants residing in Bamenda Municipality who were married/cohabiting, aged 21-49 years, and whose last child was ≤ 5 years old. The multinomial logit model, chi-square, frequencies, percentages, and charts were used for the analysis. An interview administered questionnaire was administered to women of childbearing age who were not on any modern contraceptive method.&#x0D; Findings: Results showed that the local family planning methods used by women in the Bamenda Municipality were; withdrawal, lactational, calendar, cervical mucus, and douches methods. Other locally used products presumed by these women to help prevent conception were; bicarbonate, honey, thyme, parsley, herbs, lemon, cola drink, alakata pepper, alcohol, hot water, salt, vinegar, and whisky. Results further showed that age, age at first marriage, number of children, and the fear of side effects all significantly influenced women’s choice of withdrawal and calendar method over other methods of family planning.&#x0D; Conclusion: It can be concluded that, the most frequently used traditional contraceptive method by women in the Bamenda Municipality are; calendar (70%), withdrawal (58%), and lactational method(45%) whose choices over other methods especially over modern methods was mostly due to the fear of side effects of the modern method. It is recommended further research be carried out to investigate and establish the efficacy of the common products used by these women.

Public Infrastructure Procurement Practice and Challenges in the Bamenda Municipality, North West Region Cameroon

Public infrastructures play a significant role in poverty reduction, human development and spatial interaction of the population. The practices of stakeholders in the procurement system in Bamenda are a controversy in the contemporary socio-political discourse. Through these practices, public infrastructures are provided to and for the population. This paper seeks to uncover the myriad of challenges involved in the procurement practices in Bamenda. The study made use of both qualitative and quantitative data, obtained using secondary and primary sources from documentary exploration and extensive field work. Secondary sources included books, annual reports and archives of Divisional and Regional Delegations, Inspectorates of Education, Regional Institute of Statistics and Public Contracts Regulatory Agency, North West amongst others. Primary data was obtained over three months of extensive field investigations through questionnaires interviews and focus group discussions. A GPS was utilized to obtain geographic coordinates of publicly procured infrastructures, particularly health, educational and road infrastructures. Results reveal that there is complexity in the way procurement is undertaken for socio-economic benefits to the population. Procurement principles are ineffectively applied, leading to inefficient execution of contracts. Late payment of contract funds amongst others is a cause of inefficient execution and lateness in the delivery of procurement output in the domains of health, roads and educational infrastructures. The study recommends project owners to release contract funds earlier than usual and contractors who enhance poor execution of projects and uncivil road users who facilitate road degradation or cause damages to projects be severely sanctioned. The Law No. 73/7 of 7 December 1973 on the preferential claim of the treasury to safeguard public funds by Municipal and Regional Councils should be effectively implemented.

Institutional Dynamics of Municipal Solid Waste Management in the Bamenda Metropolis

Rapid and uncontrolled urbanization in several parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), has introduced a plethora of urban development challenges. This has left city governments ‘standing in their sleep’, as they strive to deal such issues. A classic example is solid waste management – with waste considered to be principally an urban problem. While the issue of waste has been belaboured in the literature, there is a dearth in geographical literature on the institutional dynamics of solid waste management. Viewed as structures and processes, institutions demonstrate potentials to determine the intentions and actions of urban waste managers and urban dwellers, within the waste management spectrum. Taking the case of Bamenda – a primate city par excellence – this paper explores the dynamics of institutions and their implications for solid waste management. Specifically, it explores the waste management institutional transition and its bearing on current and potentially, future waste management practices. Household surveys, complemented by expert interviews provided data for the study. Through narratives and descriptive statistics, we observed that despite the litany of institutions involved in solid waste management and their related institutional frameworks, their effectiveness remains questionable. This rests, in part, on the inadequacy in personnel, and the lack of law enforcement in the courts and city judiciary systems. The ineffectiveness of these instruments in the Bamenda Municipality is as a result of weak legal institutional setup, the absence of courts and a city judiciary system to handle environmental issues (solid waste), irregular or poorly enforced laws, inaccessible neighbourhood, and organizational lapses. Furthermore, the socio-political climate, characterised by insecurity, mars the effective implementation of waste management approaches. This paper argues that the institutional change process in waste management should strive towards the introduction of economic incentives that can motivate urban dwellers to fully engage in the process. Further empirical evidence on the right business-oriented waste management models are required to ground this claim.

Wash Practices in Schools, Cameroon

This study investigated the influence of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) management on the bacteriological quality of students’ palms in some schools within the Bamenda municipality, to serve as baseline data for strengthening of hygiene management and health policies in schools. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional approach with data generated through questionnaires, swabbing of the palms of selected students and doorknobs, as well as culturing of the swabs for microbial identification. SPSS version 16.0 was used for data analysis and Chi-square test to determine significant differences in the level of bacteria on the palms of participants by gender. None of the schools met WHO standards, and the gap between toilet usage and hand washing after defecation was very significant (p &lt; 0.0001). Bacteria isolated included: Staphylococcus spp (63%), Escherichia coli (31%), Enterobacter sp (10%), Bacillus sp (10%), and Coliforms (5%). Two Fungi species: Yeast (10%) and Moulds (3%) were also isolated. The content of the curriculum, teaching and assessment mechanism for the WaSH programme management in schools was found to be in need of greater attention, schools and local governments focus on it being below expectation.

Work Stress and Obesity in the Bamenda Municipality, Cameroon

This study investigated the effect of work stress on obesity in the Bamenda Municipality. We administered work stress test to 1,052 individuals aged 20 and above resident in the Bamenda Municipality. The model was estimated using the multiple regression analysis while the ANOVA and Correlation analysis were used to confirm the findings. From the analysis, it was realized that work stress level had a negative and statistical significant influence on obesity. It was thus concluded that, work stress statistically significantly influenced obesity in the Bamenda Municipality. From this finding, workers especially those who sit while working were advised to make out time for physical exercises and use standing desks when and where possible. Workers were also advised to make sure that, their work schedules did not leave them eating junk food especially at the wrong time. The wrong time here referred to eating while working and/or eating heavy meals late at night because they did not eat all day. Many small meals were found to be healthier than one heavy meal worse of all eating it late at night. Eating late gave individuals no time to be able to use the energy gotten from the food before sleeping. This thus forced their body to convert the food to fat and store thus adding their body weight in the long term. Lastly, we recommended that, the government of Cameroon should institute one compulsory day of the week for workers sports.