Jacob Oppong Nkansah

Following its neglect in the Education for All (EFA) framework and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) introduced a specific target on higher...

1. Higher Education is widely associated with social mobility, professional advancement and participation in knowledge-based economies, with recent OECD evidence linking tertiary attainment to stro...

Scholarly publishing and communication are the foundation of evidence-based practices and innovation in society. However, this critical area of academia is facing sustainability challenges, both within and beyond academic institutions and research entities. This article critically examines the evolving landscape of scholarly communication in the digital age, highlighting the transformative roles of peer review and editorial functions amid technological advancements, such as AI. The article argues that insufficient institutional recognition of the production of academic knowledge, such as editorial and reviewing work, despite their significant role in research quality, ethical dilemmas in knowledge production, funding problems, and research misconduct (e.g. plagiarism and data fabrication) pose significant implications for the sustainability of the current model of scholarship communication. Other concerns include ensuring quality amid rapid scientific developments such as AI, balancing financial sustainability with open research, and reviewer fatigue. Going forward, strategies such as increasing the premium on contributions to knowledge production, rather than mainly focusing on the product (i.e. publications), to incentivise active uptake of editorial roles, and expanding availability and access to research resources can go a long way to ensuring a robust and sustainable scholarly communication ecosystem.

Background: Domestic violence against women (DVAW) is recognised globally as a violation of human rights and a public health concern. This study explores the relationship between DVAW and women’s self-rated health status (SRHS). Identifying how DVAW drives women’s SRHS could direct targeted interventions required to enhance women’s SRHS whilst addressing all forms of DVAW, thereby advancing the course of SDGs 3 and 5. Methods: The study used data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of 5 countries in SSA (Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania). 38,882 women (aged between 15 and 49 years) were included in the analysis for the study. SRHS was used as the dependent variable. We focused on four key independent variables: emotional violence, physical violence, sexual violence, and at least one violence. An ordered logistic regression was applied to achieve the study’s objectives. Results: More than half of the women (53.20%) rated their health status as good. The study highlighted a consistent negative association between various forms of domestic violence and women’s SRHS. Specifically, women who had experienced emotional violence (AOR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.72–0.80), physical violence (AOR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.77–0.91), sexual violence (AOR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.66–0.78) and at least one domestic violence (AOR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.73–0.80) were less likely to have better SRHS. Furthermore, having high socioeconomic status, consuming fruits and vegetables and not smoking cigarette were positively associated with better SRHS. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address the drivers of domestic violence against women. In addition to ongoing awareness campaigns in sub-Saharan Africa, healthcare facilities should implement routine screening for gender-based violence to ensure early support for victims.