UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

NAME OF SUPERVISOR

Mr. JOHN AMOAH NUAMAH

NAME OF STUDENT

DAUD NKETIAH

INDEX NUMBER
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON THE TOPIC

ASSESSING EARTHQUAKE KNOWLEDGE AND PREPAREDNESS OF ELDERLY

PEOPLE LIVING IN WEIJA-GBAWE MUNICIPALITY.

DECLARATION
DEDICATIONS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 CONTENTS PAGES

Declaration……………………………………………………………………………...….i

Dedication………………………………………………………………………………....ii

Acknowledgement……………………………………………………………………..…iii

Table of Contents……………………………………………………………....................iv

List of Tables…………………………………………………………………………....viii

List of Abbreviation…………………………………………………………………….............ix

Abstract………………………………………………………………..…….x

CHAPTER ONE.............................................................................................................1

1.0 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………….....1

1.1 BACKGROUND…………………………………………………………………....1

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT……………………………………………………………….....7

1.3 JUSTIFICATION…………………………………………………………………………....8

1.4 OBJECTIVES………………………………………………………………………..……9

CHAPTER TWO……………………………………………………………….……10

3.0 LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………..…………..10

3.1 PREVIOUS WORKS RELATED TO THE STUDY...……...…………...……..........10

3.2 THE B-VALUE AND EARTHQUAKE OCCURRENCE……………………………….12

3.3 GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES AND SEISMICITY …………………………………..13

3.4 Seismicity Of Gama As Compared To Other Intraplate Regions….14

CHAPTER THREE…………………………………………………………..............17

4.0 METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………………..……17

4.1 RESEARCH DESIGN………………………………………………………………….…17

3.2 PRESENTATION OF THE STUDY……………………………………………………....19

4.3 SAMPLING METHOD……………………………………………………………...........22

4.4 DATA COLLECTION……………………………………………..............23

CHAPTER FOUR…………………………………………………………………….26

5.0 PRESENTATION…………………………………………………………..............26

5.1 ORGANIZATION………………...…………………………………………………...….35

CHAPTER FIVE……………………………………………………….…………..…36

6.0 SUMMARY…………………...……………………………..….36

6.1 CONCLUSIONS………………………………………………………………………..36

6.1.3 RECOMMENDATIONS…………………………………………………….…..45
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Background of the study:

Earthquake is a series of vibrations on the earth’s surface caused by generation of elastic

(seismic) wave due to sudden rupture within the earth during the release of accumulated

strain (Sha, 2012, p.g.96). An earthquake is the shaking of the earth as it releases energy and

decreases stress under the earth’s surface in order to balance the crust. The occurrence of

earthquake cannot be predicted by scientists (Songlar, La-or, Chomchoe, Khunthason, 2017).

The seismic waves generated from an earthquake as well as the low frequency or long period

waves result in their traveling long distances. The amplified waves cause resonance in

buildings, and the resulting motion is strong enough to be felt by residents and could cause

damage to buildings and dander to lives (Balendra T, Li Z (2008).

Earthquake preparedness which corresponds to all measures taken to prepare for and to

reduce direct and or indirect effects of disasters allow the community, government, and non-

government institutions to predict and where possible to prevent them. That is to respond to

and effectively cope with the consequences of disasters. It requires the contribution of many

different areas ranging from training and logistics to health care and institutional capacity

building (World Health Organization, 2011, and International Federation of Red Cross and

Red Crescent Societies, 2000).

Disaster preparedness towards earthquakes identifies planning, infrastructure, knowledge and

capabilities, and training as the major components of maintaining a high level of

 preparedness. It was reported that the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on April

25, 2015 killed about 9,000 people, and left many thousands more injured and homeless

(Ibrahim FAA. 2014). Experts said that being prepared plays a very significant role in

ensuring safety. The main problem with Nepal is imparting knowledge of preparedness to the

common people, who are generally poor judges of their own safety and think that they are

safe until an earthquake occurs (Devi AW, Sharma D. 2015).

1.1 Problem Statement.

A survey of knowledge, attitude and preparedness about earthquakes is a tool to evaluate the

population profile, including the levels of their preparedness to deal with disasters and

prepare a suitable disaster risk reduction plan (National Agency for Disaster Management,

2017, December 25).

The World Health Organization (WHO) identified older adults as a vulnerable population

who are likely to be at greater risk in a disaster (World Health Organization, 2018 April 26).

Previous research findings suggest that the location of the home, knowledge about an

earthquake, attitude score and age are factors that were associated with taking precautionary

measures against an earthquake (Seismological Bureau 2017, December 20).

Records indicate that Ghana has had several damaging earthquakes dating as far back as

1636 and the last three major ones occurred in 1862, 1906, and1969. The epicenter of the

1906 earthquake was near Ho collapsing buildings and causing severe damage (Amponsah, P.

2022).

From this standpoint, this research aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and

preparedness among the elderly people in Weija-Gbawe Municipality as to inform the

 government and the stakeholders to put into place specific policies to improve awareness in

an earthquake preparedness and knowledge.

1.2 Study objectives

The study mainly seeks to assess earthquake knowledge and preparedness of elderly people

living in Weija-Gbawe Municipality.

This study aimed to achieve the following objectives:

a. To assess the earthquake knowledge level of the elderly people in Weija-Gbawe

Municipality.

b. Assess elderly person’s vulnerability level to earthquake in Weija-Gbawe Municipality.

c. Assess elderly person’s risk perceptions about earthquake.

d. Assess elderly people preparedness to earthquake disasters in Weija-Gbawe Municipality.

1.3 Research Questions

a. What is the earthquake knowledge level of the elderly people in Weija-Gbawe

Municipality?

b. How is the elderly person’s vulnerability level to earthquake in Weija-Gbawe

Municipality?

c. What are the elderly persons risk perceptions about earthquake?

d. How is the elderly people preparedness to earthquake disasters in Weija-Gbawe

Municipality?

1.4 Significance of the study

 The findings of this work will be useful to the Weija-Gbawe Municipality of Ghana, in that,

it will help the municipality to assess the earthquake knowledge and also its preparedness of

the elderly people in the municipality.

Secondly, the findings will also be applicable to other districts both locally and globally.

This study’s finding shall also serve as a guide to development planners and policy makers

in assessing the earthquake knowledge and its preparedness of the elderly people.

Finally, the findings of this work will add to existing knowledge on assessing the earthquake

knowledge and preparedness of the elderly people in Weija-Gbawe Municipality and will

also serve as a basis for other research works that relates to the subject area and beyond.

1.5 Delimitation of the study

This research will be conducted only in Weija-Gbawe Municipality. The time factor will be

considered as; we may not be able to follow the exact time plan for each chapter. But we

will work hard to complete the whole work within the time allocated to us by the supervisor.

1.6 Organization of the study

This research will be made up of five chapters. Chapter one covers the background of the

study, problem statement, research objectives, research questions, significance of the study,

organization of the study and the delimitation of the study. The chapter two basically

represents review of related literature to the study. Chapter three deals with methodology,

which is about the research design, population of the study, sampling method, data

collection and data analysis. Chapter four will talk about presentation of findings and

results. The chapter five will talk about summary, conclusions and recommendations.
Risk perception refers to how people perceive their risk to a disaster. Understanding how

people perceive risk in the context of natural hazards is instrumental to guide risk

communication activities and disaster preparation (R. Vicente et al. 2014).

1.7 Earthquake Preparedness

Earthquake preparedness is a set of measures taken at the individual, organizational and

societal level to minimize the effects of an earthquake. Preparedness measures can range

from securing heavy objects, structural modifications and storing supplies, to having

insurance, an emergency kit, and evacuation plans.

1.8 Theoretical Framework

A theoretical framework on assessment of students’ Earthquake risk perception on their

metacognition in Weija-Gbawe Municipality, Ghana, (Adu-Boahen, Osman and Kwang

(2022) provides that in spite of the effects of earthquakes on students’ metacognition and

their academic performance in countries like Nepal, Italy, Hatti, Turkey, Lebanon, etc.

(Allotey, Nii K, Arku, G., Amponsah, P.E., & Arku, G. 2010). Little is known about the

effects of earthquake on student’s metacognition in Africa and Ghana. Weija-Gbawe

municipality has recorded more than 10 earthquakes and earth tremors since 1615

(Amponsah, P., Opoku-Ntim, I., & Nortey, G. 2020). Per the risk of earthquake in Weija-

Gbawe municipality, most studies in the area have devoted attention to seismic hazard

assessment, risk perception, awareness and earthquake preparedness among households

(Allotey, Nii K, Arku, G., Amponsah, P. E., & Arku, G. 2010).

 also share boundary again with Ga South Municipal to the south-west and the Gulf of

Guinea to the south.

The population of Weija-Gbawe Municipality is 213,674 according to the 2021 PHC report.

This is made up of 104,910 males and 108,764 females.

1.9 Research design

The research will be conducted using mixed method design. Using a mixed method design can

greatly enhance our understanding of assessing earthquake knowledge and preparedness of the

elderly people in Weija-Gbawe Municipality as a case study.

2.0 Target population

The target population will be the elderly residents in the municipality. The demographic

characteristics of the research will be based on gender status, education, employment and

occupation.

2.1 Sample population

This will include educationists, traders, drivers, churches, workers including farmers and

craftsmen’s in Weija-Gbawe Municipality.

2.2 Sample technique

We intend to select respondents from the municipality. A random sampling will be used to select

the local residents. In all, 100 questionnaires will be administered to the local residents. Also, we

intend to use purposive sampling in the selection in the municipality. We will consider using the

sampling size of 10 in the purposive sampling. In all, we intend to use the sample size of 200.
2.3 Data source

The researches will use both primary and secondary data in acquiring all relevant data and

information. The primary source will be face to face questionnaire to the residents within the

municipality. The secondary data will be from magazine, internet and published articles from

newspapers and published books.

2.4 Data collection

Primary and secondary data will be employing in the study. Questionnaires will be given out to

participants to respond and fill the question immediately. The instances where the respondents

show inability to fill the questionnaire immediately, the questionnaire will be hand over only to

collect it the next day.

2.5 Instrument of data collection and analysis

The statistical package for social science (SPSS) will be used to process and analyze our primary

data that will be obtained by means of questionnaire.

2.6 Methods of data processing and analysis

Data which will be gather from the study will be summarize and analyze using mixed methods.

This aspect will be achieved by employing Microsoft Office Excel and Statistical Package for

Social Science (SPSS).

2.7 Ethical considerations

 Identity of respondents shall not be disclosed under any circumstance.

 No persons shall be force when unwilling to provide by information of a sort.

 Information provided by respondents shall be treated in its original form without biased

alteration of any form.

 All respondents shall be treated with equal respect

 CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

3.1 PREVIOUS WORKS RELATED TO THE STUDY

A detailed report on the earthquakes in Ghana and a detailed analysis of the 1939 (6.5 M)

earthquake has been given by Junner (1941). A geophysical investigation for the seismicity of the

Weija area, Essel (1997) asserts that the area is seismically active. Using geological data to study

earthquakes, Rajendran (2000) asserts that in many compression settings, faults tend to develop

as splays or blind thrusts and not reach the surface. The rupture that reaches the surface tends to

develop complex geometries. From the earthquake hazard point of view, it can be established

that most earthquakes are temporally and/or spatially associated with weak zones. It is also

observed that the Cameroon line and the Ngaourandere fault zone are situated near the boundary

between the Congo and a belt of Pan-African deformation that extends as far as west of Accra

(Sykes, 1978). Bacon and Quaah (1981) also attribute most of the epicenters occurring south of

Weija, to be due to the existence of an old thrust zone which has been reactivated. Amponsah

(2004) is of the view that most of the earthquakes in Ghana occur in the western part of Accra at

the junction of the two major fault systems, thus, the Coastal boundary fault and Akwapim fault

zone. It has been observed that earthquakes in Ghana are concentrated in the area where the

Akwapim fault intersects the coastal boundary fault. According to Amponsah (2002), seismic

activity in Ghana is concentrated in the southeastern sector, at the junction between the two

major active faults.

However, the seismic stratigraphic record of transpression and uplift on the Romanche transform

margin offshore Ghana shows that the neo tectonic activity around the Pan African Structures
may involve tectonic inversion (Attoh et al., 2003). Attoh et al. (2005) also tried to link the

enhanced neo tectonic activity near the south of the PF to the intersection of the PF and the

Coastal boundary fault (CBF). Additionally, Talwani (1998) also observes that although large

earthquakes in continental interiors are much less frequent than those along plate boundaries,

they have been responsible for a disproportionate amount of destruction. In furtherance of this he

asserted that the nature of the seismicity in continental interiors is not well understood as that of

its plate boundaries. Factors influencing earthquake generation in such areas include: i.

Rheological properties of the medium ii. Nature of fault zones associated and iii. Stress

conditions Earthquakes in Ghana are concentrated in the wider area where the Akwapim fault

zone intersects the coastal boundary fault (Amponsah, 2004). Some of the epicenters have been

located offshore and may be related to the activeness of the coastal boundary fault. The

epicenters are related to the active parts of the faults, although because of many sources of

inaccuracies it is not possible to assign them to individual faults or fault sections. Amponsah et

al. (2009) modeled seismic ground motion of GAMA for land use planning and disaster

mitigation by deterministic computation, using a hybrid method based on the modal summation

and finite difference method. Peak Ground Accelerations University of Ghana

http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 12 (PGAs) calculated ranged from 0.14 g to 0.57 g. It was observed that

areas underlain by unconsolidated sediments experience the greatest shakings. Mavonga and

Durrheim (2009) compiled all available catalogues in the region 14 º S to 6 º N and 10 º E to 32 º

E from 1910 to 2008 for the Democratic Republic of Congo and surrounding areas. They

calculated the b-values for three key active areas namely, Upemba-Moero Rift, Congo Basin and

Western Rift and obtained 0.813, 1.020 and 0.773 respectively. The above works have laid

credence to the fact that earthquake hazard in some parts of the stable continental region are real.
However, none has tried calculating the b-value for the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area. The

research is therefore aimed at calculating the b-value to help examine its characteristic impact on

GAMA and find out if it has any bearing on earthquake hazard.

3.2 THE b-VALUE AND EARTHQUAKE OCCURRENCE

Earthquakes are not uniformly distributed in time, space and magnitude. The distribution of

earthquakes with respect to magnitudes exhibits scale invariability and obeys a power law

usually referred to as the magnitude-frequency relation. The relation however, exhibits some

deviation from linearity which is due to the fact that magnitude scales saturate and also there are

problems associated with the way magnitudes are measured. Sometimes the catalogues available

to work with are too short and rarer large magnitudes are missing (Kulhanek, 2005). Whereas

Kagan (1999) believes that b-values rarely change, others like Felzer (2006) with a lot of

credible publications believe there are significant spatial and temporal variations in b-values.

Instrumental data shows that large earthquakes (M ≥ 7.2) are less frequent than expected from

smaller ones. Also, with small-time sampling, b-value is reasonably well estimated from smaller

earthquakes, but not for large ones. High and low stress can cause earthquake series with low and

and high b-values respectively. This is an observation that can be used to study stress levels and

structural anomalies in the crust and/or upper mantle (subduction) (Kulhanek, 2005). According

to Wiemer et al (1998), earthquake predictions and identification of volumes of active magma is

possible when this observation is employed.

3.3 GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES AND SEISMICITY

Generally, GAMA is low-lying. With reference to Nyanyano, the epicenter of the 1939

earthquake, prominent ranges of hills running from north-east direction from the coast and rising

to more than 600 feet above sea level occur. In fact, the area is slightly undulating (Junner,

1941).

The effects of earthquakes on buildings and other structures vary greatly depending on the

underlying rocks. The tectonogeological units of GAMA are interspersed with the five distinct

tectonogeological units of Ghana. These include

 The Paleoproterozoic complex of the West African Craton (WAC)

 The Voltaian basin of the WAC

 The Akwapim Togo belt

 The Pan-African province of neoproterozoic metamorphic age

 Several small sedimentary basins of post-African age

The tectonic setup of GAMA and its offshore area is characterized by three areas with distinct

tectonic elements namely, the Akwapim fault zone, faults in the coastal area and near coast shelf

with the coastal boundary fault as main feature, and the Romanche fracture zone (Amponsah et

al., 2012). Attoh et al. (2005) were also convinced that neotectonic activity along the Pan-African

structures may involve tectonic inversion as well as tectonic reactivation along the seismic Pan-

African fracture zone (which may have occurred in the Paleozoic era and again more recently

along the Pan-African sutures) To understand the phenomena of intraplate seismicity of the study

area, the connection between the Pan-African Structures and seismic activity along the coast of

Ghana must be well examined. This is evident in the several events recorded on and off-shore
GAMA. The seismic stratigraphic record of the Ghana margin also strongly indicates that

subaerial erosion related to uplift was later than or accompanied the folding, rather than earlier

and as such transpressional deformation likely contributed to the uplift along the Cote d’Ivoire –

Ghana Transform Margin (CIGTM) (Attoh et al. 2003) In certain areas in Accra such as Weija,

where the Akwapimian rocks have been observed to contain bands of soft Phyllite and are

fractured and faulted, the area has recorded a lot of seismic activity.

2.4 SEISMICITY OF GAMA AS COMPARED TO OTHER INTRAPLATE REGIONS

Comparing the epicenters of earthquakes for the period 1900 to 1973, it may be concluded that

the seismicity of the West Coast of Africa is low (Singh et al., 2009). University of Ghana

http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 15 Additionally, like other intraplate regions, GAMA, some parts of the

Scandinavia and Greenland have recorded earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 and above (Gregersen,

2006). The East African Rift System has also recorded earthquakes with average focal depth of

20 km. However, the Eastern Rift seismic activity seems to be more concentrated in swarms of

certain areas. In Ghana, the most damaging earthquake was the 1939 earthquake, which recorded

a focal depth of 18 km at Nyanyano, near Accra-Ghana. The disaster took seventeen (17) lives

and hundreds were injured (Amponsah et al., 2012).

Table 3.1: Ghana’s Seismicity

YEAR MAGNITUDE REMARKS

1615 - Felt in Elmina

1636 5.7 Felt in Axim. Buildings as well as underground workings of

Portuguese mines collapsed

1862 6.5 Every building in Accra was razed to the ground. The Osu Castle and

Forts in Accra were rendered uninhabitable. The shocks were felt in

Togo where water in the Mono river fell much below its normal level.

1906 5.0 Many buildings in Accra particularly castles and forts were

cracked. The earthquake was felt in other areas as far as Togo.

1939 6.5 Intensity was greatest in areas between Accra, Weija, Gomoa Fete and

Nyanyano. The computed peak ground acceleration ranges from 0.14g

to 0.57g corresponding to VII to IX on the Modified Mercalli Scale. In

Accra 16 people were killed with 133 injuries.

1964 4.5 Felt mainly in Akosombo.

1969 4.7 Felt mainly in Accra.

1997 3.8 Felt mainly in Accra

2003 4.8 Felt in some parts of Accra

2011 4.0 Felt in the coast of Ghana-Togo.

2012 4.2 Near the Coast of Accra

CHAPTER THREE
 METHODOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents the research methods employed by the researcher for the study. It describes the

designs, population of the study, sample and sampling techniques, research instruments, validity and

reliability of the instruments, ethical considerations, procedure for the data collection and procedure for

data analysis.

The Study Approach

There are two approaches to research, inductive and deductive. The inductive approach of research is

the systematic process of establishing a general proposition based on observation or particular facts. The

deductive approach, on the other hand, is the logical process of deriving a conclusion from a known

premise or something known as true. Although these two approaches are well distinct in theory, it is

sometimes hard to make out the distinctions between them when it comes to application. This is simply

because the research methods used can develop and change during the study. The study approach is

deductive. To achieve the study’s objectives, the authors start with a review of literature based on a

geophysical investigation for the seismicity of the Weija area, Essel (1997) asserts that the area is

seismically active.

Research Design
The study employs a quantitative research design which helps in assessing earthquake knowledge and

preparedness of the elderly people in Weija-Gbawe Municipality. In this regard a survey

questionnaire is used to collect data, and the collected data are analyzed using frequency tables and

graphs generated by Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software tools used in the data

analysis. This method of data analysis is known as descriptive statistics and it is beneficial as it allows the

study to summarize and organize the data in an efficient and meaningful manner. The quantitative

research design was chosen due to its suitability for the study’s questions in the study and its flexibility

of use. This study adopts a survey strategy as the most suitable strategy to study earthquake

knowledge and preparedness of the elderly people in Weija-Gbawe Municipality. J. W. Creswell

defines a survey strategy as a design that “provides a quantitative or numeric description of trends,

attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that population.” The main purpose of a

survey research strategy in this situation was to be able to generalize the findings obtained from the

objective data collected from the sample to the entire population of the study.

The necessary information relevant to the study was gathered from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly,

Ghana Geological Survey Department and the National Data Centre of the Ghana Atomic Energy

Commission. Additionally, other research works conducted in the area were also gathered to have a fair

knowledge about seismic activities in the study area. Some of these communities such as Accra Central,

Weija, Kwabenya and Nyanyano were visited to gain an insight into current structural readiness in case

any of the past events is repeated. In Accra Central, short buildings are being replaced with high rising

ones. Weija on the other hand has become a bit developed with modern structures but most unplanned

settlements surround the lake. This area is noted for high seismic activity from past seismicity

evaluations. Kwabenya and Nyanyano lands are being given out for development but no significant

attempt has been made to build earthquake resistant structures even though modern structures in these

places are stronger than earlier ones.

Data Collection

The study needs valid data to determine the research outcomes, and the procedure needed for such

data collection could be considered either relying on the primary or secondary data. The primary data is

what the research design uses to achieve its result outcome. The primary data could be received in any

of these forms such as a questionnaire, interview, and observation. In other words, the primary data is

the first-hand data collected for the study. The research strategy used for the study will be best served

with the primary data, using questionnaires and interviews. It is very flexible and it also helps the study

to maneuver with the data at hand and is very flexible to manipulate. The questionnaire data collected

for the study are easier to analyze, but it is also characterized by a low response rate. Apart from the

questionnaire and interviews used, the study equally relied on secondary data to augment the findings

and also cross-checked with the current study trend.

Furthermore, secondary data were collected from various books, reports, previously conducted research

papers, journals, internet articles, published literature, news articles, handbook, brochures, and

pamphlets. Assessment of preparedness level and awareness are analyzed based on semi structured

interviews. The researcher conducted simple observation at different household and offices to

understand the settings and basic earthquake mitigations measures if they have taken. The primary data

collected from this study was analyzed by grouping, summarizing, and interpreting the findings which

are specified and detailed in headings and subheadings.

Data Processing and Analysis

To address the research questions that were formulated to guide the study, the data obtained from

respondents were filtered to remove any irrelevant responses and then coded. Afterwards, they

were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS version 22.0). both

descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data to show the direction of the

responses. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the demographic characteristics of

the respondents.

Data Presentation and Analysis

This section is set up to present the data generated from the responses by the respondent where the

actors are and the victims’ base on disaster related issues. This section is made up of the background of

the study area from which the study is understudied, and the geographical location of the study area,

Weija-Gbawe. To address the research questions that were formulated to guide the study, the data

obtained from respondents were filtered to remove any irrelevant responses and then coded.

Afterwards, they were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Both

descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data to show the direction of the

responses. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the demographic characteristics of

the respondents.

Population

The target population for the study is the elderly residents in the Weija-Gbawe municipality. The

demographic characteristics of the research will be based on gender status, age and location. The
Weija Gbawe Municipality is located in the South Western part of Accra. It lies within Latitudes 5°47'30"N

and 5°27'30"N and Longitudes 0°31'30"W and 0°16'30"W and occupies a land area of approximately

502.31 sq. km with about 120 settlements.

 
The Municipality shares boundaries with Ga South Municipal to the north, Ga Central Municipal
to the east, and Ablekuma North Municipal to the south-east. The Municipality also share
boundary again with Ga South Municipal to the south-west and the Gulf of Guinea to the south.
 
The population of Weija Gbawe Municipal Assembly is 213,674 according to the 2021 PHC
report. This is made up of 104,910 males and 108,764 females. 
The accessible population consisted of 2560 elder women between the ages of 55 to 69 years and
3470 elderly men between the ages of 62 to 79 years.
These people are from the areas of Mccarthy Hill, New Gbawe, Oblogo, and Weija. The total

number of elderly people from the Weija-Gbawe municipalities was 6030. The population

distribution of the elderly people based on their area of residents, gender and age are distributed

in Table 2 and 3 respectively.

Table 2: Population distribution of the female elderly people in Weija-Gbewa municipality

AGES FEMALE SUBURB

55-59 500 Mccarthy hill

60-63 700 New Gbawe

64-66 600 Ogblogo

66-69 760 Weija

Table 3: Population distribution of the Male elderly people in Weija-Gbewa municipality

 AGES MALES SUBURB

62-65 570 Mccarthy hill

66-69 900 New Gbawe

70-75 865 Ogblogo

76-79 1135 Weija

SOURCE: Accra Weija-Gbawe Municipal District PHC 2021

Sample and Sampling Procedure

Some scholars in Social Science have confirmed that for a sample to be representative in a study, it must

be a right proportion of the population (Welman, Kruger, & Mitchell, 2005). This establishes the fact

samples of the study population are taken when it is not feasible to carry out whole population study.

Thus, by observing the characteristics of sample, one can make certain inferences about the

characteristics of the population which it is drawn.

Proportionate stratified random sampling was used to select the areas and people for the study. Stratified

random sampling is a method of sampling that involves the decision of a population into smaller

subgroups know as strata. In stratified random sampling, the strata are formed based on members

shared attributes such as income or educational attainment (Nickolas, 2019).

Chapter Summary

This chapter presented a detailed explanation of the methods that were employed in this study.

The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Proportionate stratified random

sampling technique was used in the selection of the elder people and the sample determined by
Krejcie and Morgan (1970) was used to determine the sample area of location of the elderly

people. The census technique was used in the identification of the age and gender differences of

the elder people because it was less difficult to go with that. In all about 6030 elderly people

(both men and women between the ages of 55-79) within the suburb of Mccarthy Hill, New

Gbawe, Oblogo and Weija which are within the Weija-Gbawe municipality were used for the

study.