Lifestyle Risk Factors in Hospital Attendants in Kumasi, Ghana: Cross-Sectional Study
[1]
Frank Botsi Micah, Department of Medicine, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
[2]
Bernard Cudjoe Nkum, Department of Medicine, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
[3]
Michael Ntim, Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Majority of noncommunicable diseases have strong association and are causally linked with four behavioral risk factors and these are the harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use. The objective for this study was to determine the prevalence of alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption among the participants and to determine the relationship between these risk factors and measures of obesity like body mass index, waist to hip ratio and waist circumference. This was a cross-sectional study undertaken in the outpatient clinics of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and a total of 424 patients were recruited. These were patients aged 20 years and over who were reporting for the first time to KATH. A questionnaire was administered (including the WHO STEPwise approach to Surveillance questionnaire) after obtaining informed consent, anthropometric measurements were then taken and blood investigations including fasting blood glucose were undertaken. The prevalence of current smoking was 3% while the prevalence of alcohol consumption was very high with 43% of participants having ever consumed alcohol and with 42% having consumed alcohol in the past 12 months. The proportion of participants who consumed fruits was 48% while 89% consumed vegetables. In all 66% were involved in some form of physical activity (work, moving from one place to another, recreation, sport or leisure time activity). In conclusion, these lifestyle factors were common among these participants. There is the need to promote the healthy aspects of these risk factors among these patients.
Alcohol, Tobacco, Smoking, Fruit, Vegetable, Physical Activity, Systemic Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus
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