Migration, Social Capital, and Health: Insights from Ghana and Uganda

by Raymond Asare Tutu, Janice Desire Busingye

Overview

This book brings readers the first scientific publication, using a mixed-method approach, on the internal migration dynamics regarding disease ecologies of informality and the interactions between social capital, lifestyles, health literacy, and health outcomes in the context of informal settlements in two developing countries - Ghana and Uganda. Through the prism of the concepts of place and scale, the book demonstrates the myriad of ways by which place or context directly and indirectly influence migrant's health knowledge, literacy, and outcomes in poor urban slums. Readers will learn about the multi-faceted linkages between social capital, acculturation, and health in places of deprivation via quantitative methods (e.g. surveys) and qualitative methods such as focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, concept mapping, and body health mapping.

Chapters 1-2 provide an overview of internal migration into urban slums of Ghana and Uganda, and discuss the intersections between migration, social capital, and health in a global context. Chapters 3-7 address disease patterns, environmental risks to health, health literacy of migrants, social capital and acculturation, and social capital and health. The book will be of interest to professors and students, as well as policy makers in low to middle income countries for planning targeted interventions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030246921
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	09/04/2019
Series:	Global Perspectives on Health Geography
Edition description:	1st ed. 2020
Pages:	153
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Raymond A. Tutu, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Geography in the College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences at Delaware State University, United States of America. He has a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Geography from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Philosophy degree in Population Studies from the Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana. His research interests and scholarly publication are in the subfields of population health; global migration; human–environment geographies including urban environments with emphasis on informality and marginality; as well as water access and health ecology. His scholarly peer-reviewed publications are in top-tier journals such as GeoJournal, Journal of Population Research, Tropical Medicine and Health, Journal of Infections and Public Health, African Geographical Review, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Habitat International, and Journal of Housing and the Built Environment. He has been a reviewer for scientific peer-reviewed journals including The Social Science Journal, Rural Sociology, Journal of International Migration and Integration, African Review of Economics and Finance, International Development Planning Review, Journal of Rural Studies, Journal of Asian and African Studies, as well as PLOS ONE. Courses he has taught are Global Societies, World Regional Geography, Social Change, Population Analysis, Technology and Society, and Introduction to Sociology. He is currently a board member of the Africa Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers. Dr. Tutu is also a member of the Health and Medical Geography Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers.

Janice Desire Busingye, Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer and seasoned scholar in the College of Education, Open and Distance Learning and the Deputy Vice Chancellor, at Kampala International University. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree inEducation and Master of Education (Adult Education) from the University of Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa. Her research and scholarly interests focus on adult education and community development in general; and on the subfields of educational systems, literacy and health literacy in particular, livelihoods and epistemology. She has previously carried out research and published peer reviewed works in journals such as the Africa Education Review, International Social Science Journal, GeoJournal, Journal of Population Research, Tropical Medicine and Health, Journal of Infections and Public Health, among others. She currently teaches a module on Gender and Development; previously she has taught Policy studies, Political Economy, Introduction to critical situation analysis and Human Relations for Community Educators. She is a member of Association of Professional Adult Educators Uganda and American Association of Geographers.

Table of Contents

Chapter1: Introduction.- Chapter2: Migration, Social Capital, and Health.- Chapter3: Disease Patterns: Communicable and Non-communicable.- Chapter4: Environmental Risks to Health.- Chapter5: Health Literacy of Migrants: Environmental Risks to Health.- Chapter6: Health Literacy of Migrants: Infectious and Non-Communicable Diseases.- Chapter7: Social Capital and Acculturation.- Chapter8: Social Capital and Health.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Lisa Roberts, DrPH, MSN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN (Loma Linda University)
Description: This book discuses and illustrates the important influence of place and context on health, specifically studying informal settlements in Ghana and Uganda. The findings are informative regarding migrants' health. In addition to tables and figures, photographs provide illustrations of geographic areas, environmental contexts, and participatory data collection.
Purpose: The authors' stated purpose is to "demonstrate the myriad of ways by which place or context directly and indirectly influence migrants' health knowledge, literacy, and outcomes in poor urban slums." In meeting these objectives, the authors add importantly to the literature of health geography and contemporary aspects of the bidirectional influence of health-place.
Audience: According to the authors, the intended audience includes professors, students, and policymakers in low- to middle-income countries. In addition to meeting the needs of the intended audience, this book offers important insights to healthcare providers, NGOs, and development staff. Dr. Raymond Asare Tutu is a geographer with extensive teaching, publication, and professional activities related to health geography. Dr. Janice Desire Busingye is an accomplished academician living and working in Uganda. Her experience, research, and publications add to the complex concept of place and scale's interplay with health variables such as health literacy.
Features: The authors provide an overview of internal migration into the urban slums of Ghana and Uganda, economic patterns, and variables that prompt migration among poor, vulnerable populations. Accompanying disease patterns and associated environmental factors are introduced, with specific findings provided for each study site. Discussion regarding data collection methodology is congruent with the findings they present. The use and illustration of Body Health Mapping and Participatory Hazard Mapping provide readers with a close view of participants' place and context in relation to health concepts. Conceptual Mapping or Mental Models introduce and further depict health-related variables such as health literacy, social capital, and acculturation. Brief deliberations regarding the bidirectional influences of health-place findings provide a summary and engage readers with the authors' insights and suggestions for further research.
Assessment: This well-written book is a good contribution to the field of health geography and is an important inclusion in the Global Perspectives on Health Geography series.

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