Journal of Science, Innovation and Creativity

The Double-Edged Sword of Social Media: An Examination of the Impact of Social Media on Mental Health in Sub-Saharan Africa

Mark Paul Diyammi — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigates the dual impact of social media on mental health in Sub-Saharan Africa, addressing both its beneficial and detrimental effects. A systematic literature review was conducted to explore the complex relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes in the region. The review encompassed a comprehensive search of relevant scholarly databases, focusing on studies published between 2018 and 2023. Selected sources underwent rigorous coding and thematic analysis to identify key trends and arguments. The findings reveal that social media can enhance social connectivity and increase awareness of mental health issues while also contributing to feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and low self-esteem, particularly among victims of cyberbullying. The study underscores the necessity of a multifaceted approach to combat cyberbullying, including awareness-raising, educational resources, and robust regulations governing online behaviour. Limitations of the study include potential biases in the available literature and constraints regarding access to non-public research. Nonetheless, the insights gained are vital for policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders aiming to foster positive mental health outcomes. The study highlights the urgent need for collaborative efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of social media on mental health in Sub-Saharan Africa, advocating for proactive measures to create a safer and more supportive online environment for all users.

The Combined Effects of Digital Health Interventions on Universal Health Coverage Equity in Kenya: An Integrated Approach

Ruth Wambua, Collins Oduor, Jimmy Macharia — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Achieving equitable Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is a fundamental goal for global health, especially in low-resource settings like Kenya. This study explores the integrated impact of digital health interventions - encompassing digital health tools and technologies, services, programmes, and information systems - on advancing UHC equity in Kenya, considering demographic factors of age, income, education, and digital literacy of the people. Several studies emphasised the promise of digital health, like telemedicine and mHealth applications, in overcoming geographic, financial, and infrastructural barriers to healthcare. However, challenges such as digital illiteracy, limited infrastructure, and socio-economic disparities persisted, inhibiting the widespread effectiveness of digital health interventions in achieving equity. Using a purely quantitative methodology, data was collected from 348 respondents drawn from Makueni County, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was used for data analysis. Findings revealed that while digital health platforms existed, and with 63.8% of respondents owning smartphones, digital literacy, income disparities, and gaps in awareness of advanced technologies, such as IoT, were significant barriers to equitable access to UHC. This shows that, while digital health was a powerful tool for advancing UHC, overcoming barriers related to technology access, education, and infrastructure was crucial to ensuring its success in promoting healthcare equity in resource-constrained environments like Kenya. The study recommends the implementation of digital literacy programmes, infrastructure improvements, and policies that promote equitable access to digital health innovations. The implications of this study are far-reaching, offering a roadmap for policymakers to enhance the inclusivity of healthcare systems through digital health.

Forecasting hydropower production in Tanzania using the SARIMA model

Msabaha Haruna, Bahati Ilembo, Joseph Lwaho — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

There is a growing demand for energy consumption showing that adequate energy supplies are essential for economic growth. Predicting energy supplies is crucial and thus accurate predictions help minimise the growing energy demand-production gap and enable power plant managers to easily and promptly detect any anomalies or failures in electricity production by analysing deviations from the predicted trends. The main objective of this study was to forecast hydropower production in Tanzania using secondary univariate time series monthly data for the past 22 years (2002-2023). A total of 264 data points were used for the prediction using the seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average model (SARIMA) following Box and Jenkins methodology’s ability for handling seasonal data. The results show that there will be no substantial decline in hydropower production (KWh) until December 2025. The forecasts show that the hydropower generated, overall will not exceed 227,250,650 KWh but will be at the peak in May 2025 and start to decrease towards December 2025 with not more than a 40% decrease in every month. The forecast will not only help the power plant managers but also policymakers to devise mechanisms that will ensure the gap between energy demand and production is balanced for the welfare of the country’s development.