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Health authorities in Ghana attribute the rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among young people to lifestyle changes.
Vice-President of the Ghana Medical Association, Professor Ernest Yorke, explained that factors such as increased reliance on junk food, increased alcohol intake and decreased physical activity are the main triggers of NCDs among youth.
In an interview with City News, Professor York highlighted the risk factors and changes in lifestyle choices associated with these conditions.
He noticed that fewer people were doing physical activities such as walking or taking their children to school on foot. Instead, choose vehicle transportation, even for short distances.
Furthermore, the type of diet has also changed, with many Ghanaians now consuming large amounts of carbohydrate-rich foods such as banku and rice, which may be contributing to the rise in NCDs.
“In fact, that’s what we’ve seen and what I’ve seen in the materials and publications I’ve looked at. The trend is in the same direction with children, and the reasons are not far-fetched. You can talk about your lifestyle. Nowadays, very few people walk their children to school.
I now use my car for small errands, like taking a quick jaunt to my neighbor’s house. And you know our diet, that’s the key. We talk about protein elsewhere, and meal types are characterized by the protein they contain. We eat a lot of banku, rice. ”
In response to this growing concern, the National Coordinator of the Ghana NCD Alliance, Labram Musa, emphasized the need for stakeholders to implement policies to curb this trend.
He suggested that one effective way could be to overhaul the country’s tax system and impose higher taxes on unhealthy products.
He believes this could make such products more expensive, potentially discouraging product consumption and encouraging healthier choices among the population.
“Our heads of state, our policy makers, our decision makers everywhere, from the Ministry of Finance to the Ghana Health Service to the EPA, we have one of the most effective tax structures, so how can we best do this? I think we need to consciously consider how we can rethink our tax system. A way to reduce the burden on people is to tax unhealthy products. When they become expensive, people don’t invest in them. I’ll think about whether or not to do it.”
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