Educational status and beliefs regarding non-communicable diseases among children in Ghana

Delali M Badasu; Aaron A Abuosi; Francis A Adzei; John K Anarfi; Alfred E Yawson; Deborah A Atobrah

doi:10.1186/s12889-018-5211-5

Educational status and beliefs regarding non-communicable diseases among children in Ghana

BMC Public Health. 2018 Mar 5;18(1):313. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-5211-5.

Authors

Delali M Badasu¹, Aaron A Abuosi², Francis A Adzei², John K Anarfi³, Alfred E Yawson⁴, Deborah A Atobrah⁵

Affiliations

¹ Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana. delalibadasu@yahoo.com.
² Department of Public Administration and Health Services Management, University of Ghana Business School, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
³ Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
⁴ Department of Community Health, University of Ghana Medical School, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
⁵ Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.

Abstract

Background: Increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been observed in Ghana as in other developing countries. Past research focused on NCDs among adults. Recent researches, however, provide evidence on NCDs among children in many countries, including Ghana. Beliefs about the cause of NCDs among children may be determined by the socioeconomic status of parents and care givers. This paper examines the relationship between educational status of parents and/or care givers of children with NCDs on admission and their beliefs regarding NCDs among children.

Methods: A total of 225 parents and/or care givers of children with NCDS hospitalized in seven hospitals in three regions (Greater Accra, Ashanti and Volta) were selected for the study. Statistical techniques, including the chi-square and multinomial logistic regression, were used for the data analysis.

Results: Educational status is a predictor of care giver's belief about whether enemies can cause NCDs among children or not. This is the only belief with which all the educational categories have significant relationship. Also, post-secondary/polytechnic (p-value =0.029) and university (p-value = 0.009) levels of education are both predictors of care givers being undecided about the belief that NCDs among children can be caused by enemies, when background characteristics are controlled for. Significant relationship is found between only some educational categories regarding the other types of beliefs and NCDs among children. For example, those with Middle/Juniour Secondary School (JSS)/Juniour High School (JHS) education are significantly undecided about the belief that the sin of parents can cause NCDs among children.

Conclusions: Education is more of a predictor of the belief that enemies can cause NCDs among children than the other types of beliefs. Some categories of ethnicity, residential status and age have significant relationship with the beliefs when background characteristics of the parents and/or care givers were controlled for.

Keywords: Belief; Children; Ghana; Non-communicable diseases; educational status.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Caregivers / psychology*
Caregivers / statistics & numerical data
Child
Educational Status*
Female
Ghana
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Hospitalization
Humans
Logistic Models
Male
Middle Aged
Noncommunicable Diseases* / therapy
Parents / psychology*
Social Class
Young Adult

Grants and funding

URF/5/LMG-002/2011-2012/The Office of Research Innovation and Development (ORID), University of Ghana/International