Category Archives: Articles

The Mounting Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Savannah Belt of Ghana and its Implication on Livelihoods

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), often known as chronic diseases, are non-transmissible illnesses of often long-term or long duration. They include heart diseases and stroke (cardiovascular diseases – CVDs), diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer and mental health conditions just to mention a few. They are driven primarily by a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioural factors…

Mounting Burden of non-communicable diseases in the middle belt of Ghana and its implications on livelihood

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…

The effects of sugar-sweetened beverages on health

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are non-dairy or non-alcoholic beverages that have caloric sweeteners added to it. More simply, they are drinks with the largest source of added sugar in the diet. They include carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks/sodas, flavored/fruit juice drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened tea and coffee drinks, and electrolyte replacement drinks. Added sugars…

Ghanaian adults just keep getting unhealthier

Ghanaian adults continue to put on more kilos. In the 1980s, just about 2 percent of Ghanaians were obese. Today, Ghana’s obesity rates have surged to about 15 percent. Like obesity, many Ghanaian adults are becoming overweight. The number of Ghanaian adults with high blood pressure (also called hypertension) is also on the rise. Recent…

A4H Coalition lauds Akufo-Addo for assenting Excise Duty Amendment Bill

The Advocating for Health (A4H) Coalition, comprising academics, civil society organizations, public health and nutrition professionals, is commending President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, for assenting the Excise Duty Amendment Bill, 2022. This bill, among others, seeks to tax sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and rake in an estimated 400 million cedis annually. While the effects of…

Parliament must Choose Public Health and Pass the Excise Tax Bill Now!

It is questionable how we as a country intend to achieve the projected 30% decrease in NCD deaths by 2025 if we are unwilling to explore the evidence-based tax and other intervention that promises these developmental returns. For many years, the convenience of feigned helplessness of being between two opposing sides has been an escape…

Yes! Taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages is a ‘Win-Win-Win’ Public Health Intervention

Overweight/obesity are currently on the increase in most developing countries. They are also risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and an increased risk for some forms of cancer (Renehan et al., 2008;World Health Organization, 2015). In Ghana, nearly 43% of the adult population is either overweight or obese…

Do Not Relent, Get It Done to Promote, Protect and Guarantee the Health of Ghanaians, as Health Costs and Deaths Linked to Diet-Related Non-Communicable Diseases Mount.

 “In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes” – Benjamin Franklin once said. On ‘taxes’, it is a common refrain in daily conversations of Ghanaians – as they lament “over-taxation”. An associate of mine once noted: “when one makes money, one gets taxed, when one spends, one gets taxed, and when one saves,…

Protect kids from sugary drinks; Stop, rethink and take action now!

Obesity is a complex disease involving an excessive amount of body fat. It is a medical problem that increases the risk of other diseases and health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers (Goldman et al, 2021). Obesity is prevalent in both children and adults (Bouchard, 2010). Childhood obesity has…

We need to be heard! A call for government to curb sugar-sweetened beverages menace

Currently, in Ghana, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are very much available and affordable and may be replaced with water for some people. They have become a part of us; most people cannot finish a meal without drinking one. You will be surprised to know that teenagers and youth are the highest consumers of SSBs. Almost all…