Three in every four Ghanaian adults eat fewer than five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, and about one in five has raised blood pressure or takes medication for it, according to the 2023 Ghana STEPS survey.
The Programme Manager of the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Control Programme at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Wallace Odiko-Ollennu, presented the findings of the World Health Organisation (WHO) STEPwise approach to NCD risk factors surveillance (STEPS) at a healthy living development programme for the Christian Council of Ghana Food and Faith Programme organised by the Meatless Monday Initiative under the Communications Initiative for Change of the Johns Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programme.
The survey covered 5,438 adults aged 18 to 69 from across the country, who answered questions and underwent body measurements and blood tests.
Dr Odiko-Ollennu said the results helped the service choose its prevention priorities.
For blood pressure, 21.7 per cent of adults had raised readings or were on medication, yet 24.3 per cent had never had their blood pressure checked.
"Feeling well does not tell us our blood pressure," he stressed.
Physical inactivity showed a clear gender gap as overall, 9.9 per cent of adults did not meet the activity recommendation, but the figure was 14.6 per cent for women against 5.5 per cent for men.
Work and walking for transport, he said, counted towards activity as church activities could make regular movement easier.
On diet, 13 per cent of adults often or always added salt or salty sauce at the table, while 22.8 per cent often or always ate processed foods high in salt.
Dr Odiko-Ollennu advised people to taste food first and cut back on extra salt gradually.
He also cautioned that frequent sausages and corned beef added salt and unhealthy fat. He therefore suggested beans as a partial meat substitute.
“Boiling, steaming or grilling often uses less oil than deep frying. Soft drinks, sweetened sobolo and energy drinks could add much sugar, so water is an easy first change,” he said.
The survey found that 4.8 per cent of adults currently smoked tobacco and 22.6 per cent had drunk alcohol in the previous 30 days, saying alcohol could harm the liver and raise blood pressure and cancer risk.
Dr Odiko-Ollennu also addressed mental well-being, saying money worries and caregiving could affect daily habits.
He added that rest, supportive relationships and prayer could help coping, but persistent sadness, anxiety or poor sleep deserved attention, adding that counselling and medical treatment could support recovery.
He urged churches to offer water, fruits and healthier meals at gatherings, organise inclusive walking groups, link health talks and screening to health facilities, and help members with transport, treatment and caregiving.
He listed face drooping, arm weakness or speech difficulty as possible signs of stroke, and severe chest pain or sudden serious breathlessness as needing urgent care, adding that family and church members could help arrange care quickly.
Non-Communicable Diseases
The Executive Director, Meatless Monday, Emmanuel Fiagbey, said the initiative, which was a global one, was to urge Ghanaians to skip meat one day a week to curb rising chronic diseases.
He said non-communicable diseases caused 45 per cent of deaths in the country and cited a STEPS survey showing that fewer than five per cent of adults ate enough fruits and vegetables.
Red and processed meat, he said, raised risks of heart disease and hypertension.
The acting Director, Health Promotion Division, GHS, Mabel Asafo, said the service strongly recognised that improving the health of the population could not be achieved by the health sector alone, saying health was shaped by the environment in which people lived, the choices available to them, the information they received, and the social and cultural institutions that influenced their everyday behaviours.
Dr Darriel Harris from Johns Hopkins University’s (JHU’s) Centre for a Livable Future called on churches to adopt the initiative and add religious backgrounds for easy adoption.
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