Browsing by Author "Kamara, Abu-Bakarr S."

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    COMMERCIAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY AND SAFETY IN BO CITY, SIERRA LEONE
    (African Journals OnLine, 2016-08-16) Kamara, Abu-Bakarr S.
    Many people who lack reliable access to a quality and safe drinking water source in or near the home rely on commercial drinking water products, such as machine-filled sachet water, that may be of variable quality.A participatory geographic information system was used in conjunction with distribution point and vendor census in the study area to identify a total of 36 water sources across Bo city that are used for commercial water production. These include 6 water sources and the production facilities for 10 brands of machine-filled factory-produced water sachets as well as the 10 sources and finished samples for 10hand-tied plastic-bagged water producers. Water samples from all 16 water sources and 20 commercial water products purchased from randomly-selected retail outlets and street vendors were tested for microbiological and physicochemical properties. Workers at all of these facilities were also interviewed about their knowledge and practices.All of the machine-filled sachet waters were free of microbial contamination, but several of the hand- tied water sachets, all filled from unlined local wells, and had coliform bacteria. Both machine-filled sachet water and hand-tied sachet water had pH levels that were below the World Health Organization’s recommended range. Water with acidic pH can cause corrosion of the metal pipes used with wells and can release those potentially harmful minerals into drinking water. Water factory workers used a variety of water treatment methods to purify their products; hand-tied sachets generally used only cloth filters to purify the water and often stored water in open containers. Improved quality of commercial water products would improve health in Sierra Leone.
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    Perceived Psychosocial Work Exposures, Workplace Resources and Occupational Wellbeing Among Secondary-School Teachers in Selected Areas of Sierra Leone: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study
    (RSIS International, 2026) Kamara, Abu-Bakarr S.
    **Background:** Teachers are an important occupational group whose wellbeing may be influenced by psychosocial demands, organisational conditions and workplace resources. In Sierra Leone, evidence describing teachers’ workplace experiences from an occupational-health perspective remains limited. This study assessed perceived psychosocial work exposures, workplace resources and occupational wellbeing among secondary-school teachers in selected areas of Sierra Leone. **Methods:** A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 teachers from Grade A government and government-assisted senior secondary schools in Freetown, Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Port Loko and Moyamba. Participants were recruited using a stratified multistage approach, with convenience recruitment of eligible teachers within geographic strata. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered electronically through KoboToolbox and analysed using IBM SPSS Version 27.0. Frequencies, percentages and percentage-point differences were used for descriptive analysis. **Results:** Salary dissatisfaction relative to living costs was the most frequently reported adverse workplace exposure (61.3%), followed by inadequate planning and grading time (38.7%), workload dissatisfaction (36.3%), poor/very poor working conditions (32.6%) and perceived workplace insecurity (23.7%). Constructive feedback was reported by 96.1% of teachers, professional recognition by 77.4% and perceived adequacy of social-security benefits by 68.9%; however, only 26.0% reported administrative encouragement for further education or training. Overall, 47.5% were satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs, while 76.8% intended to remain in teaching for the next five years. **Conclusion:** Participating teachers experienced a mixed occupational-health profile characterised by substantial salary-related dissatisfaction and other workplace demands alongside strong perceived interpersonal resources. The marked difference between job satisfaction and retention intention warrants further investigation. Strengthening work organisation, protected planning time, working conditions and professional-development support, while sustaining recognition and constructive feedback, may help improve teachers’ occupational wellbeing. Representative analytical and longitudinal studies are needed to identify determinants of wellbeing and actual teacher retention in Sierra Leone.