M.P.H. Summer Internship Program

Paul Opare–Addo

Environmental Health Sciences
Summer Internship in Ghana

The site of my internship during the summer of 2008 was Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region of Ghana, West Africa. The goal of my internship was to find the current age at which girls are getting their first menstruation (menarche), the current age of puberty among girls, and any factors associated with age alterations compared to prior data. Based on current literature, the areas I chose to focus on while examining probable risk factors were nutrition and diet, physical activity, and body mass index.

The internship involved girls ranging in age from nine to 16 years old and in grades 3 to 12 in schools within the Kumasi metropolis. Using random sampling, two schools were chosen, one rural and the other urban. From these schools, girls who brought back signed informed consent from their parents were enrolled into the study. Through the same process, mothers of participating girls were also enrolled to provide information such as birth weight of the girls. All information was sought through surveys that lasted about 30 minutes for the girls and 10 minutes for their mothers. Height and weight of the girls were also taken by trained field workers. In total, there were about 700 girls in the study, with 70 percent participation among mothers.

Each school designated a day and as many classrooms as needed for the study. Prior to this day, information sessions were held to explain anonymity, confidentiality, and the voluntary nature of participation to the girls. Background information about the study was also explained to help the girls decide whether or not to participate. On the day of the study, similar information was reiterated and emphasized. Students completed their surveys in school during their reading week and brought home surveys for their mothers, which were collected over a period of two weeks. The study ended with a presentation of brochures for the school libraries and a laptop for each school. Work on the study lasted for three months, but actual ground work was from July 1 to August 13.

By the end of the internship, every bit of classroom knowledge and skill that I had was put to use. I gained a sense of the metamorphosis of translating a proposal into an accomplished study. I also gained first–hand practical experience on how to recruit participants into a study, collect data, and thinking about analysis. Best of all, I gained enough resilience and hope about the area of public health that I want to pursue in the future. It was indeed an invaluable experience all around.

All pictures courtesy of Paul Apare–Addo.

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