ERIC Number: EJ1095877
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Apr
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1090-1981
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Noncommunicable Diseases in Ghana: Does the Theory of Social Gradient in Health Hold?
Tenkorang, Eric Y.; Kuuire, Vincent Z.
Health Education & Behavior, v43 n1 suppl p25S-36S Apr 2016
The theory of social gradient in health posits that individuals with lower socioeconomic status (SES) have poorer health outcomes, compared with those in higher socioeconomic brackets. Applied to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), this theory has largely been corroborated by studies from the West. However, evidence from sub-Saharan Africa are mixed, with those from Ghana conspicuously missing in the literature. Using data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health, and applying random-effects C log-log models, this study examined the relationship between SES and the risks of living with NCDs in Ghana. Results confirmed a negative social gradient, as Ghanaians with higher SES were more likely to live with NCDs compared with those with low SES. The addition of lifestyle factors attenuated the risks of living with NCDs among Ghanaian men and women with higher SES. This study underscores the need for policies targeted at specific socioeconomic and demographic groups, such as the emerging middle and upper class Ghanaians. It is similarly important for interventions to move beyond biomedical solutions that put more emphasis on epidemiological risk factors to strategies that embrace psychosocial factors as important correlates of cardiovascular health.
Descriptors: Diseases, Foreign Countries, Health, Socioeconomic Status, Life Style, Risk, Intervention, Aging (Individuals), Correlation, Biomedicine, Statistical Analysis, Public Policy, Epidemiology, Social Class, Heart Disorders, Urbanization
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ghana
Grant or Contract Numbers: HHSN268201500073P
Author Affiliations: N/A