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Background: Sickle cell disease-related persistent chronic manifestations, such as leg ulcers, continue to raise clinical and psychosocial concerns. The Quality of Life (QoL) issues have not been adequately defined in sickle cell disease (SCD) management. This study examined the psychosocial effects of leg ulcers in people living with SCD in Ghana. Methods: A total of 95 adult SCD patients aged 18–65 participated in the cross-sectional study, with 41 having chronic leg ulcers and 54 without leg ulcers. Participants were administered the Sickle Cell Illness Impact Measurement Scale (SIMS) to assess five main domains of QoL: general health perception, physical functioning, social functioning, emotional well-being, and quality of care. The Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) test was used to determine the differences in the quality of life between the groups while controlling for the effect of genotype, gender, and age. The multivariate logistic regression was conducted to identify the clinical and demographic predictors of QoL among adult SCD by examining the relationships between multiple independent variables and a binary QoL outcome. Results: Generally, SCD patients without leg ulcers had an overall good QoL (p = 0.017), functioned better socially (p < 0.001) and had good general health perception (p = 0.012) than their counterparts with leg ulcers. Patient's age at registration at clinic [aOR = 1.062 (95%CI 1.01, 1.12) p = 0.022], having a Sickle Cell Leg Ulcer (SCLU) [aOR = 3.716 (95%CI 1.44, 9.62) p = 0.007] predicted poorer QoL of the SCD population. Conclusion: These findings have significant clinical implications. Integrating early, enhanced and targeted interventions into the clinical management of SCD patients, especially those with sickle cell leg ulcers, is crucial to improving their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes remains a major, global clinical and public health threat with consistent rises in prevalence around the world over the past four decades. Two-thirds of the projected increases in global diabetes prevalence to 2045 are expected to come from low- and middle-income countries, including those in sub-Saharan Africa. Ghana is typical of this trend. However, there are gaps in evidence regarding the appropriate development of interventions and well-targeted policies for diabetes prevention and treatment that pay due attention to relevant local conditions and influences. Due consideration to community perspectives of environmental influences on the causes of diabetes, access to appropriate health services and care seeking for diabetes prevention and management is warranted, especially in urban settings. The 'Contextual Awareness, Response and Evaluation (CARE): Diabetes in Ghana' project is a mixed methods study in Ga Mashie, Accra. An epidemiological survey is described elsewhere. Six qualitative studies utilising a range of methodologies are proposed in this protocol to generate a contextual understanding of type 2 diabetes mellitus in an urban poor population. They focus on community, care provider, and policy stakeholder perspectives with a focus on food markets and environmental influences, the demand and supply of health services, and the history of the Ga Mashie community and its inhabitants. The results will be shared with the community in Ga Mashie and with health policy stakeholders in Ghana and other settings where the findings may be usefully transferable for the development of community-based interventions for diabetes prevention and control. Paper Context: Main findings: Diabetes is a major, global health threat with rises in incidence projected in low- and middle-income countries, including Ghana, yet evidence gaps remain related to the development of contextually appropriate interventions and policies for diabetes prevention and treatment. Added knowledge: Sitting within a larger, mixed methods study entitled 'Contextual Awareness, Response and Evaluation (CARE): Diabetes in Ghana', this study design paper introduces six complementary qualitative studies designed to address this gap in Ga Mashie, Accra. Global health impact for policy and action: Robust methods to describe diabetes burdens and dissemination of evidence are crucial for health policy and impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes is estimated to affect between 3.3% and 8.3% of adults in Ghana, and prevalence is expected to rise. The lack of cost-effective diabetes prevention programmes designed specifically for the Ghanaian population warrants urgent attention. The Contextual Awareness, Response and Evaluation (CARE): Diabetes Project in Ghana is a mixed methods study that aims to understand diabetes in the Ga Mashie area of Accra, identify opportunities for community-based intervention and inform future diabetes prevention and control strategies. This paper presents the study design for the quantitative survey within the CARE project. This survey will take place in the densely populated Ga Mashie area of Accra, Ghana. A household survey will be conducted using simple random sampling to select households from 80 enumeration areas identified in the 2021 Ghana Population and Housing Census. Trained enumerators will interview and collect data from permanent residents aged ≥ 25 years. Pregnant women and those who have given birth in the last six months will be excluded. Data analysis will use a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics, and all analyses will account for the cluster sampling design. Analyses will describe the prevalence of diabetes, other morbidities, and associated risk factors and identify the relationship between diabetes and physical, social, and behavioural parameters. This survey will generate evidence on drivers and consequences of diabetes and facilitate efforts to prevent and control diabetes and other NCDs in urban Ghana, with relevance for other low-income communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study assessed the rates of hypertension awareness, treatment and control as well as the socio-economic and demographic correlates in Ghana. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. We used wave 1 of the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) conducted between 2007and 2008. The sample was 5526 respondents aged 18 years and above. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the respondents and binary logistic regression was used to determine the correlates of hypertension awareness, treatment and control. Results: The hypertension prevalence was 58.9%. About 19.0% of the individuals living with hypertension were aware of their hypertension; 67.6% of those who were aware of their hypertension were treating the condition, and; 11.6% of those who were on treatment had their hypertension controlled. Age, place of residence, level of education, employment status, ethnicity, and religion were associated with hypertension awareness and treatment. None of the factors was associated with hypertension control. Conclusion: Our study suggests high hypertension prevalence in Ghana, with low rates of awareness, treatment and control. Socio-economic and demographic factors are essential correlates of hypertension awareness and treatment in Ghana. The findings indicate the need to develop pragmatic intervention approaches such as rigorous education programs and use of the task-shifting system, in addressing hypertension and issues related to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drowning is a significant public health challenge globally. In Africa and Ghana, drowning has remained a silent epidemic among poor communities. Limited evidence has challenged advances in drowning knowledge and prevention. While drowning deaths are often widely circulated in the newspapers, drowning data are not systematically organised to constitute a body of evidence sufficient for scientific exploration. Although drowning was frequent, they were poorly understood. We explore the context of drowning from multiple perspectives from the Volta-basin where the largest man-made lake in the world has become a hotspot for drowning., Method: This study adopts a sequential-mix-qualitative study comprising content analysis of newspaper reports on drowning, structured-observations and in-depth interviews with boaters and fisherfolk. We first explored, the content of newspapers over a 10-year period. This information provided the context of drowning. We followed up with extensive observation of activities on the lake by a team of five. Photovoice qualitative interviews were conducted with 22 boaters, fishers and community members. Thematic content analysis was applied to both the newspaper reports and the in-depth interviews., Results: Drowning was attributed to both proximate and distal causes. Distal causes were the reasons for movement, while proximate causes were the immediate cause of the drowning. Travelling to farm, market, hospital, church, sell were important distal causes of drowning. Proximate determinants included strong winds, tree stumps, overcrowding, no-adherence to safety procedures, spiritual reasons and high tides. Four types of boat accidents were observed: boat-capsizing, boat-sinking, boat-splitting and boat-catching-fire. Ideas converged and diverged in comparing the newspaper content analysis to the photovoice interviews., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)