A recent study by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) 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 behaviour, 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 and Dr. Arti Singh.