The value of good health is unquestionable when one has been sick for just a day. Every aspect of our lives depends on good health.
The burden of dealing with a particular condition for the rest of your life can rob you of the joy of living in the moment and that is exactly what Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) do.
According to a report from the WHO in 2021, NCDs kill 41 million people globally each year, and that accounts for 71 per cent of all deaths globally.
About 15 million people between the ages of 30 and 69 years die from NCDs worldwide according to the WHO report. A report released by Lancet on October 16, 2020, stated that NCDs disabilities emerged as the biggest contributor to the global burden of diseases.
Gone were the days when NCDs were considered the disease of the rich but today, NCDs have emerged as the major health issue in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Ghana.
The Global Burden of Diseases (2019) report noted that “LMICs’ health systems are less equipped to tackle the rapidly growing burden of NCDs.
A BMC report in 2014 noted that it will be highly difficult for a country like Ghana to achieve universal health coverage due to the rising burden of chronic NCDs.
The report also noted that the dual burden of infectious and NCDs weakens the already compromised health system.
A 2021 report in BMC Public Health observed that, in Ghana, people barely pay attention to non-communicable diseases until the advanced stage of the condition because the knowledge of the general public on non-communicable diseases in Ghana is very limited.
I had an opportunity early this year to help a friend collect data on patients with diabetes and hypertension on their knowledge of the condition, and I observed that most of the participants associated their condition with an evil spirit.
What is NCDs?
In general terms, a non-communicable disease (NCD) is a medical condition that is non-infectious. These diseases slowly progress and last for a very long time. Hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and cancers are a few examples of NCDs. Non-communicable diseases can be categorised into two, which are:
- Diseasescaused by food deficiency such as anaemia, Kwashiorkor, malnutrition, scurvy
- Diseases that result from growth or change in the body cells such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes.
Cancers: The leading cause of death globally is cancer and it accounts for nearly 10 million deaths. Cancers occur as a result of mutations of cells in the body viruses, most cancers are determined by genetics and environmental factors. Not every disease has obvious causes to avoid but taking care of factors you can control can go a long way.
It is important to do regular checks to identify pre-cancer cells. Getting a vaccine such as the HPV vaccine can help prevent the occurrence of the disease.
Living a healthy lifestyle and avoiding the use of harmful substances like tobacco can prevent certain cancers.
Chronic Respiratory Diseases: These diseases may damage the lungs and airways permanently if proper care is not taken. Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) are the most common chronic respiratory diseases. The impact on the lungs is long-term and may not dwindle.
Avoiding smoking and alcohol intake can go a long way to preventing and reducing the damages that comes with chronic respiratory disorders.
Healthy lifestyle and healthy dietary intake can help control, manage, and prevent chronic respiratory disorder
Cardiovascular Diseases: Heart attack, stroke, and coronary heart disease are forms of cardiovascular diseases.
It can be life-threatening and even alter the quality of life if left untreated. The third 2012 NCDs policy aims at the primary prevention of diseases expanding on tobacco, diet, physical activity, alcohol, and immunization.
Diabetes: the inability of the body to regulate sugar levels. It is estimated that in Ghana, between 3.3 per cent and 6 per cent of the population has diabetes. A healthy planned diet coupled with intake of the recommended medication can prevent diabetes from worsening.
All the five key focuses of the 2012 NCDs should be adhered to in dealing with diabetes but to prevent diabetes, the first point which focuses on primary prevention should be the first point of call.
NCDs In Ghana’s Middle Belt
A 2018 country profile report estimated that 43 per cent of deaths in Ghana are caused by NCDs. Cancer, diabetes, stroke, and hypertension are part of the top 10 causes of the deaths.
During the launch of the 2012 World Physiotherapy Day celebration in Kumasi, Dr. Aaron Offei who was the Ashanti regional health director stated in his speech delivery that, “Ghana is going through an epidemiological transition and NCDs are getting a growing concern.”
According to Dr. Offei, NCDs kill an estimated number of 86,200 persons in Ghana per year with ages ranging from 15 to 59 years and that is a cause for alarm because that is the most reproductive age range for economic development.
The current data shows that NCD death is affecting people below 50 years and in the productive years in general.
The Director of nursing and midwifery at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Barnabas Kwame Yeboah said, “this is alarming as it impacts the socio-economic fabric of every society.
WHO identifies globalization, urbanization, weak health system, aging population, and sedentary lifestyle as some of the leading causes of NCDs.
“Mapping Obesogenic Food Environments in South Africa and Ghana: Correlations and Contradictions”, a study that looked into the food environment in Ghana (Ashanti region) and South Africa discovered that several Ghanaians buy and consume food that is unhealthy. According to the study, the consumption of bread and sugar-sweetened beverages was high.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) pose a growing public health threat globally, and the Middle Belt region of Ghana is no exception. The burden of NCDs in the Middle Belt region of Ghana is increasing.
Lifestyle behaviours such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption are prevalent within the middle belt of Ghana and contribute significantly to the incidence and prevalence of NCDs.
The lack of access to healthcare services and inadequate public health interventions exacerbates the burden of NCDs in the Middle Belt region.
A recent study conducted by Aryeetey et al. (2021) investigated the burden of NCDs in the Middle Belt region of Ghana.
The study reported a high prevalence of NCDs, with hypertension being the most prevalent, affecting about one in three adults. Diabetes and obesity were also prevalent, affecting approximately one in ten adults.
Additionally, the study found that the prevalence of NCDs increased with age, with older adults being more affected than younger adults.
A study by Dosoo, (2019) to assess the prevalence of hypertension in the middle belt of Ghana, hypertension was found to be 28.1% and the study concluded that about one-quarter of adults living within the middle belt of Ghana were hypertensive.
These findings highlight the urgent need for public health interventions to address the burden of NCDs in the Middle Belt region of Ghana.
Writer
Dr. Charles Apprey-Nutritional Biochemist, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, KNUST Email: appreycharles@gmail.com/capprey.cos@knust.edu.gh