A recent study by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology researchers has unveiled interesting findings regarding the risk factors associated with diabetes and hypertension in rural communities.
According to the report captured in the February 2024 edition of the journal, Health Open Research, community members engaged in fishing and farming, as well as students and apprentices, exhibited reduced chances of developing diabetes.
The study which was conducted in 2022 involved over 2,500 participants and assessed factors associated with hypertension and diabetes in the Asante Akim North Municipality of the Ashanti region of Ghana.
The study further found that participants who consumed snacks during working hours also had a lower likelihood of developing diabetes.
This unexpected finding suggests that certain dietary habits may play a role in mitigating the risk of this chronic condition.
Contrary to common assumptions, the study concluded that widely recognized risk factors such as dietary behavior, alcohol intake, tobacco use, and physical activity were not significantly associated with hypertension or diabetes in the rural areas studied.
Instead, sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender and marital status etc. and inadequate health screening practices emerged as the primary predictors of these conditions.
The research underscores the urgent need for improved health education and population-level screening initiatives to control hypertension and diabetes in rural regions.
Enhancing awareness and access to regular health screenings could play a pivotal role in early detection and management, thereby reducing the burden of these chronic diseases.
The scientists call for immediate action from health authorities and policymakers to address the underlying sociodemographic factors and implement comprehensive health screening programs to safeguard the well-being of rural populations.
Study authors include: Dr. Joseph Kwasi Brenyah, Prof. Yeetey Enuameh, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, Dr. Francis Asenso-Boadi, Mr. Roland Miah, Dr. Peter Twum and Dr. Ebenezer Dassah.
The rest are Mr. Samuel Frimpong Odoom, Dr. Thomas Peprah Agyekum, Dr. Nana Ayisi-Boateng, Mr. Richard Adade, Prof. Fred Stephen Sarfo, Prof. Daniel Ansong and Dr. Arti Singh.
Latest Stories
-
Opportunity International Savings and Loans Ltd holds 12th graduation ceremony for 30 kayayei in Kumasi
39 mins -
I am open to marriage – Tems
53 mins -
NDC’s Prof Opoku-Agyemang begins Western Regional tour
1 hour -
Telecel Ghana launches 7th edition of SME Month
1 hour -
KIC Agritech challenge participant Samuel Naamgwinaa wins top prize in Presidential Pitch Season 5
2 hours -
Ruthless Sabalenka sets up Navarro quarter-final
2 hours -
Tiafoe sets up all-American semi-final against Fritz
2 hours -
Suspected Boko Haram militants kill at least 37 in Nigeria attack
2 hours -
Naana Opoku-Agyemang performs last academic ritual as Chancellor of Women’s University in Africa
2 hours -
‘I feel troubled every time I fornicate’ – Spyro opens up about pre-marital struggles
2 hours -
I will start asking Bawumia 200 questions from now – Haruna Iddrisu
3 hours -
Why Nigeria’s ‘Mr Flag Man’ has waited a year to be buried
3 hours -
Galamsey: NDC and NPP manifestos don’t show we’re in a crisis to protect water bodies – Ken Ashigbey
3 hours -
Telecel Ghana partners Infinix to launch XPAD – the first AI-powered tablet in Ghana
4 hours -
‘No preaching’ and other tactics as China woos African leaders
4 hours