Study design
A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct this research between January and December 2023.
Study Location
The study was conducted at the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) area. It is among the 16 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Northern Region. In 2004, the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly was given the metropolis status with its capital as Tamale which is located between longitudes 0.36° and 0.57° west and latitudes 9.16° and 9.34° north. The metropolis is bordered to the north by Sagnerigu District, to the east by Yendi Municipal Assembly, to the west by Tolon District, to the south-west by Central Gonja District, and to the south by East Gonja municipality. The metropolis has a 440.4 km2 total land area and an 850.8 persons/km2 population density according to Ghana Statistical Service as indicated by Brinkhoff (2022) [16].
Study population
The study was conducted among female residents in Tamale who were 18 years or above. Females who are above 18 years are legally considered adults so they can provide informed consent and are at the age where they pay attention to their looks.
Study site
Twenty (20) communities out of the 116 in Tamale were selected randomly using the “RAND” function in Microsoft Excel version 2310 for the study. The randomly selected suburbs include; Lamashegu, Wamale, Gumbihini, Vittin, Chagnayili, Dohini, Pagazaa, Ticheli, Lahagu, Bogkurugu, Kumbuyili, Sugaaashee, Choggu-Manayili, Batanyili, Gbanyamli, Gunnaayili, Doboagshie, Yong, Checko, Sanga.
Sample Size
The total population of females in Tamale in 2010 was 185,356 of which the population of females 18 + years was 106,540 (57.5%) [6]. According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census by the Ghana Statistical Service, the total number of females is 189,693 [16]. The 2021 census has no published data on the distribution of females according to their age. Therefore, assuming the percentage of females 18 + years is 57.5% then the population of females 18 + years is 109,053. Hence our study population was 109,053. The sample size was calculated using Cochran’s standard formula (1977) at a confidence interval of 95%,
$${n}_{0}=\frac{{z}^{2}pq}{{e}^{2}}$$
Where: n0 = the sample size, z = the abscissa of the normal curve that cuts off an area at the tails (set at 1.96 which corresponds to the 95% confidence interval), p = the estimated proportion of an attribute that is present in the population, set at 0.5, q = 1-p, e = acceptable sample error = 0.05
$${n}_{0}=\frac{{0.96}^{2}x 0.5 x 0.5}{{0.05}^{2}}$$
Using the Finite Population Correction formula which is: \(n= \frac{{\text{n}}_{0}}{(1+ {n}_{0})/N}\)
where: n = desired sample size, N = sample population size (females 18 + years) = 109,053
$$n=\frac{384}{(1+384)/\text{109,053}}$$
The sample size for this study was therefore 383
Sampling Technique
Convenience sampling was used in selecting the participants from the 20 communities in Tamale for the study. In entering a suburb, the researchers move along the busy streets and speak with any female who says she is over 18 years old and willing to partake in the study. This continued until the minimum number (19) for each suburb was reached.
Study Tools
The semi-structured questionnaire was designed de novo based on the literature on cosmetics. The questionnaire was piloted among 20 females in Dungu, one of the suburbs in Tamale. The responses were reviewed by senior faculties at the Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicine of the University for Development Studies, Tamale, to ensure face validity. The questionnaire was of two parts. Part A sought information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants such as age, sex, residence, level of education, occupation and marital status. The second part (Part B) of the questionnaire obtained information on various cosmetic conditions that plants have been used to treat They included the traditional name(s) of the plant and the plant part(s), cosmetic uses of the plants, mode of preparation and mode of administration of plant species.
Data Collection Techniques
Whereas a few respondents self-administered the questionnaire, for the majority, the questions were translated mainly to the local language, Dagbanli or Twi, a widely spoken Ghanaian language and the responses were recorded on the hard copy of the questionnaire.
Statistical Analysis
The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel version 2310 and IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 25. The results of the data analysis were presented in tables and charts. Also, the appropriate inferential statistical tool was used to determine the association between variables. Statistical significance and confidence level were assumed at p < 0.05 and 95% respectively.