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Understanding the Social Context of the ASGM Sector in Ghana: A Qualitative Description of the Demographic, Health, and Nutritional Characteristics of a Small-Scale Gold Mining Community in Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Rachel N. Long

    (Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA)

  • Elisha P. Renne

    (Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, 101 West Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA)

  • Niladri Basu

    (Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
    Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, CINE Building, Macdonald Campus of McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Rd., Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada)

Abstract

This descriptive paper describes factors related to demographics and health in an artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) community in Ghana’s Upper East Region. Participants (n = 114) were surveyed in 2010 and 2011, adapting questions from the established national Demographic Health Survey (DHS) on factors such as population characteristics, infrastructure, amenities, education, employment, maternal and child health, and diet. In the study community, some indicators of household wealth (e.g., radios, mobile phones, refrigerators) are more common than elsewhere in Ghana, yet basic infrastructure (e.g., cement flooring, sanitation systems) and access to safe water supplies are lacking. Risk factors for poor respiratory health, such as cooking with biomass fuel smoke and smoking tobacco, are common. Certain metrics of maternal and child health are comparable to other areas of Ghana (e.g., frequency of antenatal care), whereas others (e.g., antenatal care from a skilled provider) show deficiencies. Residents surveyed do not appear to lack key micronutrients, but report lower fruit and vegetable consumption than other rural areas. The results enable a better understanding of community demographics, health, and nutrition, and underscore the need for better demographic and health surveillance and data collection across ASGM communities to inform effective policies and programs for improving miner and community health.

Suggested Citation

  • Rachel N. Long & Elisha P. Renne & Niladri Basu, 2015. "Understanding the Social Context of the ASGM Sector in Ghana: A Qualitative Description of the Demographic, Health, and Nutritional Characteristics of a Small-Scale Gold Mining Community in Ghana," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-18, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:12:y:2015:i:10:p:12679-12696:d:56971
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Harry Sackey, 2005. "Poverty in Ghana from an Assets‐based Perspective: An Application of Probit Technique," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 17(1), pages 41-69.
    2. Gavin Hilson, 2005. "Strengthening artisanal mining research and policy through baseline census activities," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 29(2), pages 144-153, May.
    3. Gavin Hilson & Oliver Maponga, 2004. "How has a shortage of census and geological information impeded the regularization of artisanal and small‐scale mining?," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 28(1), pages 22-33, February.
    4. Mohammed Banchirigah, Sadia, 2006. "How have reforms fuelled the expansion of artisanal mining? Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 165-171, September.
    5. Hilson, Gavin, 2002. "Harvesting mineral riches: 1000 years of gold mining in Ghana," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(1-2), pages 13-26.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Satomi Kimijima & Masayuki Sakakibara & Masahiko Nagai & Nurfitri Abdul Gafur, 2021. "Time-Series Assessment of Camp-Type Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Sectors with Large Influxes of Miners Using LANDSAT Imagery," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-14, September.
    3. Isaac Lyatuu & Georg Loss & Andrea Farnham & Goodluck W. Lyatuu & Günther Fink & Mirko S. Winkler, 2021. "Associations between Natural Resource Extraction and Incidence of Acute and Chronic Health Conditions: Evidence from Tanzania," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-12, June.
    4. Chunzhu Wei & Pablo Cabrera-Barona & Thomas Blaschke, 2016. "Local Geographic Variation of Public Services Inequality: Does the Neighborhood Scale Matter?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-20, October.
    5. Satomi Kimijima & Masayuki Sakakibara & Masahiko Nagai, 2021. "Detection of Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Activities and Their Transformation Using Earth Observation, Nighttime Light, and Precipitation Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-12, October.

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