New study says 60% of Ga Mashie residents have hypertension and diabetes

The research, led by the Contextual Awareness Response and Evaluation; Diabetes in Ghana (CARE Diabetes) project, including teams from the University of Ghana, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, UHAS, and funded by the MRC of the UK Research and Innovation, aimed to delve into the prevalence and impacts of diabetes within the community.

The findings are alarming, with an 8.2 percent prevalence rate for diabetes and a 19 percent increase in hypertension cases from 2013 to 2023.

Additionally, individuals with diabetes are experiencing a significantly reduced quality of life. This extensive study was part of an effort to understand diabetes in Ga-Mashie better and to identify effective community-based strategies for its prevention and control.

The study, which surveyed adults 25 years and older across 80 areas from the 2021 Ghana Population and Housing Census, revealed a high awareness of diabetes causes but also uncovered widespread misconceptions.

Financially, the impact is stark; residents with diabetes, earning less than GHc600 on average, are spending 85 percent of their income on managing the condition.

The majority are uninsured, bearing the brunt of healthcare costs out-of-pocket, with only a third turning to biomedical care sources.

The research pointed out the prevalence of unhealthy food options in the community, contributing to the high rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

This situation is further complicated by the presence of communicable diseases, placing the community under a "double burden of disease," with both communicable and non-communicable diseases affecting the population's health.

Given these findings, Dr. Raphael Awuah, one of the study's co-investigators, emphasized the urgent need for focused attention from all stakeholders, including the NCD division of the Ghana Health Service, on urban poor communities like Ga Mashie.

The CARE Diabetes project plans to implement a pilot intervention program, including promoting registration with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) among the community members.

The issue of diabetes is not just a local but a global concern, with prevalence rates nearing 10 percent in some regions of Ghana. The study emphasizes the critical need for immediate action to address NCDs and improve health outcomes through community-engaged interventions.

Additionally, there's a call for enhanced NHIS education in Ga Mashie to address access issues and improve healthcare service utilization among residents.