TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence of diabetes and associated risk factors in Ga Mashie, Accra, Ghana
T2 - a cross-sectional CARE Diabetes community-based survey
AU - Grijalva-Eternod, Carlos Salvador
AU - Sedzro, Kojo Mensah
AU - Adjaye-Gbewonyo, Kafui
AU - Kushitor, Sandra Boatemaa
AU - Lule, Swaib Abubaker
AU - Kushitor, Mawuli Komla
AU - Marphatia, Akanksha Abhay
AU - Gray, Ethan
AU - Amon, Samuel
AU - Sanuade, Olutobi Adekunle
AU - Awuah, Raphael Baffour
AU - Baatiema, Leonard
AU - Kretchy, Irene Akwo
AU - Arhinful, Daniel
AU - Koram, Kwadwo Ansah
AU - Fottrell, Edward
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
PY - 2026/4
Y1 - 2026/4
N2 - Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of diabetes and associated risk factors and to deepen understanding of the diabetes burden in Ga Mashie, an urban-poor area in Accra, Ghana. Design: Cross-sectional epidemiological cluster survey. Setting and participants: We surveyed adults aged over 25 years in 80 enumeration areas within Ga Mashie, targeting 959 randomly selected households based on the 2021 census. Outcome measures: Household-level data included household membership and structure, water and sanitation, cooking infrastructure and asset ownership. Individual-level data encompassed demographics, lifestyle behaviours and biometric measurements. Diabetes was identified through random blood glucose levels ≥11.1 mmol/L or a prior diagnosis, with obesity defined as a body mass index >30 kg/m2 and central obesity as a waist circumference-to-height ratio >0.5. We derived weighted prevalence estimates and compared these estimates by age, sex and wealth using unadjusted ORs. Results: The survey, achieving a 67% response rate, covered 854 individuals from 644 households. It unveiled a notable prevalence of risk factors known to be associated with diabetes: 47.2% for alcohol consumption (95% CI 43.7% to 50.8%), 50.7% for insufficient physical activity (95% CI 46.0% to 55.3%), 28.9% for unhealthy snack consumption (95% CI 24.5% to 33.7%), 35.1% for obesity (95% CI 31.3% to 39.1%) and 74.5% for central obesity (95% CI 70.8% to 77.9%). Diabetes affected 8.2% of the population aged ≥25 (95% CI 6.4% to 10.5%), with disparities evident across age, wealth and sex (2.66 greater odds in females for diabetes (95% CI 1.38 to 5.12)). Conclusion: Diabetes and its risk factors are highly prevalent in Ga Mashie, with significant demographic disparities underscoring the need for targeted interventions. The study highlights the critical challenge diabetes poses in urban-poor contexts, emphasising the necessity for tailored health initiatives to mitigate this burden.
AB - Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of diabetes and associated risk factors and to deepen understanding of the diabetes burden in Ga Mashie, an urban-poor area in Accra, Ghana. Design: Cross-sectional epidemiological cluster survey. Setting and participants: We surveyed adults aged over 25 years in 80 enumeration areas within Ga Mashie, targeting 959 randomly selected households based on the 2021 census. Outcome measures: Household-level data included household membership and structure, water and sanitation, cooking infrastructure and asset ownership. Individual-level data encompassed demographics, lifestyle behaviours and biometric measurements. Diabetes was identified through random blood glucose levels ≥11.1 mmol/L or a prior diagnosis, with obesity defined as a body mass index >30 kg/m2 and central obesity as a waist circumference-to-height ratio >0.5. We derived weighted prevalence estimates and compared these estimates by age, sex and wealth using unadjusted ORs. Results: The survey, achieving a 67% response rate, covered 854 individuals from 644 households. It unveiled a notable prevalence of risk factors known to be associated with diabetes: 47.2% for alcohol consumption (95% CI 43.7% to 50.8%), 50.7% for insufficient physical activity (95% CI 46.0% to 55.3%), 28.9% for unhealthy snack consumption (95% CI 24.5% to 33.7%), 35.1% for obesity (95% CI 31.3% to 39.1%) and 74.5% for central obesity (95% CI 70.8% to 77.9%). Diabetes affected 8.2% of the population aged ≥25 (95% CI 6.4% to 10.5%), with disparities evident across age, wealth and sex (2.66 greater odds in females for diabetes (95% CI 1.38 to 5.12)). Conclusion: Diabetes and its risk factors are highly prevalent in Ga Mashie, with significant demographic disparities underscoring the need for targeted interventions. The study highlights the critical challenge diabetes poses in urban-poor contexts, emphasising the necessity for tailored health initiatives to mitigate this burden.
KW - DIABETES & ENDOCRINOLOGY
KW - Health Surveys
KW - Obesity
KW - Prevalence
KW - Risk Factors
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105037877147
U2 - 10.1136/bmjopen-2026-119125
DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2026-119125
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105037877147
SN - 2044-6055
VL - 16
JO - BMJ Open
JF - BMJ Open
IS - 4
ER -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being