Prince Michael Amegbor
Prince Michael Amegbor
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Assistant Professor of Global and Environmental Health
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Professional overview
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As a health geographer using big data and a multi-methods approach in his research on the environmental and social determinants of health, Dr. Prince Michael Amegbor is an assistant professor in the Department of Global and Environmental Health. He specializes in visualizing the geospatial distribution of risks and burdens on health that are associated with environmental exposures. He works to unravel how factors such as climate change, air pollution and other environmental exposures contribute to health inequalities, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and other geographic contexts (e.g., Denmark).
Prior to his appointment at GPH, Dr. Amegbor was a postdoctoral research fellow with the Big Data Centre for Environment and Health (BERTHA) and the Department of Environmental Science at Aarhus University (Denmark). He is also a guest researcher at Statistics Denmark and has worked as a co-task leader of two European Union Horizon 2020 Projects: REGREEN and ICARUS (Integrated Climate forcing and Air pollution Reduction in Urban Systems).
Dr. Amegbor has published dozens of articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals including Scientific Report, Health & Place and Applied Geography. He earned his PhD in human geography from Queen’s University in Ontario, and holds an MPhil in development geography from the University of Oslo. He obtained his undergraduate degree in geography and resource development from the University of Ghana, Legon.
Below are links to the results from ICARUS – Favorite Location Study published in the Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science journal:
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Education
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PhD, Department of Geography & Planning, Queen’s University, Kingston, OntarioMPhil Developmental Geography, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayBA Geography & Resource Development, University of Ghana, Accra
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Honors and awards
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Principal's International Doctoral Award, Queen’s University (201520162017)Quota Scheme Scholarship, Department of Sociology & Human Geography, University of Oslo (201220132014)
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Areas of research and study
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Aging and the Life CourseAlternative MedicineChild HealthComplementary MedicineEnvironmental Public Health ServicesImmigrant HealthPublic Health PolicySocial Determinants of HealthSocio-cultural Identities and Health Seeking BehaviorsTraditional MedicineUrban GeographyViolence and VictimisationWomen's Health
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Publications
Publications
What geography can tell us? Effect of higher education on intimate partner violence against women in Uganda
AbstractAmegbor, P. M., & Rosenberg, M. W. (n.d.).Publication year
2019Journal title
Applied GeographyVolume
106Page(s)
71-81AbstractStudies in Uganda show that a sizeable proportion – between 27% and 48% – of women suffer from intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV leads to negative health outcomes among women, including vulnerability to HIV infection, depression and suicide. Lower socioeconomic status among women has been identified as a major risk factor for exposure to IPV. Evidence from existing studies shows that higher education level among women serves as a protective measure against IPV. However, knowledge about spatial variations in IPV and higher education among women is limited. Using estimates from the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey data, we employed geographically weighted regression analysis to examine the spatial variability of the relationship between women's post-secondary education and IPV. The results of our OLS and GWR models show that women's post-secondary education significantly reduce their exposure to IPV. Mapping the GWR coefficient estimates of women's post-secondary education shows that the protective effect of women's post-secondary education is high in the eastern and central parts of Uganda. The findings suggest geographical variations in the relationship between women's post-secondary education and IPV. It also offers insight on areas for possible interventions measures to reduce IPV rates among women and increase women's access to post-secondary education.Does place matter? A multilevel analysis of victimization and satisfaction with personal safety of seniors in Canada
AbstractAmegbor, P. M., Rosenberg, M. W., & Kuuire, V. Z. (n.d.).Publication year
2018Journal title
Health and PlaceVolume
53Page(s)
17-25AbstractStudies on the victimization and abuse of seniors in Canada have largely ignored the influence of place-based variations in social bonds and socioeconomic characteristics. Using the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS) data on Canadians’ safety, we examine neighborhood, social capital, and socioeconomic characteristics as predictors of the incidence of victimization among seniors and their satisfaction with personal safety from crime. Generally, seniors with poor neighborhood ties and social capital were more likely to have experienced victimization and have a lower satisfaction with personal safety. Seniors who viewed people in their neighborhood as unhelpful were more likely to have experienced some form of victimization and more likely to have a lower satisfaction with personal safety. Highly educated and high-income seniors were also more likely to have experienced some form of victimization. Paradoxically, such seniors were less likely to have lower satisfaction with personal safety. The results also show that place, defined as population centers (urban and rural) may have a significant influence on variations in victimization and satisfaction with personal safety. A significant proportion of the variance in victimization (38%) and satisfaction with personal safety (23%) are largely the result of differences in place of residence (urban and rural). Our findings suggest that there is the need to improve neighborhood social capital, reduce neighborhood disorder and improve the socioeconomic status of community-dwelling seniors in order to minimize their susceptibility to victimization as well as to improve their sense of safety from crime.Predictors of basic self-care and intermediate self-care functional disabilities among older adults in Ghana
AbstractAmegbor, P. M., Kuuire, V. Z., Robertson, H., & Kuffuor, O. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2018Journal title
Archives of Gerontology and GeriatricsVolume
77Page(s)
81-88AbstractThe number of older adults in Ghana is growing rapidly. Associated with this growth, is the rise in age-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and musculoskeletal conditions. However, there is limited knowledge in the Ghanaian context on the effect of chronic diseases on functional disabilities among older adults. In this study, we examine the association between chronic diseases, socioeconomic status, and functional disabilities. Data from 4107 Ghanaian older adults (persons aged 50 years and above) who participated in the World Health Organization's Global Ageing and Adult Health survey (SAGE-Wave 1) were used to fit random effect multivariate logistic and complementary log-log regression. Stroke was significantly associated with difficulty in performing both basic self-care functions and intermediate self-care functions. Hypertension and arthritis, on the other hand, were associated with basic self-care functional disability only. Socioeconomically vulnerable groups such as females, those with less education and low-incomes were more likely to have functional disabilities associated with basic self-care and intermediate self-care activities. In order to reduce functional disabilities among older persons in Ghana, efforts should be aimed at reducing chronic conditions as well as improving socioeconomic status.The use of dental care services in Alberta, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador: A comparative analysis
AbstractAmegbor, P. M., & Rosenberg, M. W. (n.d.).Publication year
2018Journal title
Canadian GeographerVolume
62Page(s)
414-426AbstractPublic support for dental care in Canada is uniform. Universal coverage and access to health care in the country are narrowly limited to hospital-based and physician-based services—“medically necessary services.” In view of the variations in public support programs for dental care, our study examines differences in the use of dental care services among different socio-economic groups in Alberta, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The study used 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey data. Our analyses find that in all the three provinces persons of lower socio-economic status have lower utilization of dental care. However, the study further reveals that the gaps between age and household income groups was wider in Newfoundland and Labrador compared to the other provinces. These findings suggest that public support for dental care reduces socio-economic disparities in the use of dental services.An Assessment of Care-Seeking Behavior in Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District: A Triple Pluralistic Health Sector Approach
AbstractAmegbor, P. M. (n.d.).Publication year
2017Journal title
SAGE OpenVolume
7Issue
2AbstractDiscussions and studies on Ghana’s pluralistic health care system usually ignore or downplay self-care as a crucial sector in this system of care. In view of this, this study uses a triple sector approach of the pluralistic health care system as advocated by Kleinman to assess care-seeking behaviors of residents in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District (Ghana). The results of cross-tabulation analysis demonstrate that respondents’ general care–seeking behavior is different from the type of care sought for last illness before the study. Data for the study were obtained from 227 urban and rural respondents in the study district in 2013. The findings indicate that factors such as geographic location, health insurance, and perception of the cost of professional care had a bearing on residents’ general care–seeking behavior. However, age, sex, relationship status, economic status, and proximity to nearest biomedical care service influenced the type of treatment sought for last illness. The approach use of the study demonstrates that self-care remains a general avenue of care for residents, whereas in times of severe illness, respondents often rely on professional biomedical care. The use of professional indigenous care services is generally low due to the financial burden associated with its use.Understanding usage and preference for health care therapies in a Ghanaian context: A pluralistic perspective
AbstractAmegbor, P. M. (n.d.).Publication year
2017Journal title
Norsk Geografisk TidsskriftVolume
71Issue
5Page(s)
288-300AbstractStudies of health care and health-care seeking behaviour in Ghana have mainly shown that many patients tend to use indigenous medicine to address their health care needs. These studies have cited affordability, acceptability, availability, and accessibility as major factors behind the predominant use of indigenous medicine. Nevertheless, in these studies, researchers often ignore the third health care option–self-care, usually subjugated under the indigenous medical system. Since the mid-1980s, both biomedical and indigenous health care systems have witnessed transformations that have shaped and changed their modes of operation, as well as the cost of treatment. In light of this, the author seeks to understand the motivations behind the preference for and use of self-care, professional biomedical care, and indigenous forms of care in the context of Ghana’s health care system. A qualitative, in-depth interview technique was used for data gathering. Findings from the study revealed that time and cost of treatment were major factors accounting for the predominant use of self-care. The author concludes that the findings challenge the long-held belief that biomedicine is not widely accepted by people in Ghana compared with indigenous medicine.