TO LIVE HEALTHY, KNOW ABOUT NCDS!

Ever heard of the NCDs? Well, NCD is simply NON COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. And Non Communicable Diseases are diseases that cannot be transferred from one person to the other. In other words, they are non contagious. 

Non Communicable Diseases are mostly called the lifestyle diseases because 99% of them are acquired as a result of our modus vivendi-(lifestyle).  Examples of NCDs include hypertension, STROKE, diabetes, some cancers, chronic kidney diseases, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and others.

Non communicable diseases are more and more prevalent in developing countries like Ghana. These diseases are highly correlated to risk factors like smoking, alcohol, obesity, diet and inactivity.

According to the Ghana Health Service, NCDs kill an estimated 86,200 persons in Ghana each year with 55.5% of them aged less than 70 years and 58% of males being affected. This goes on to put the focal lens on the male population, and also, the leading cause of deaths worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that NCDs account for 60% (more than 35 million) deaths annually. Majority of Ghanaian men are deeply affected by NCDs because of their social life; their over indulgence in alcohol intake, meat consumption, highly seasoned foods, saturated and oily dishes, ( “chinchinga,” beer, palm wine, carbonated drinks, “kelewele,” “kyebom,” “srade-nam”) and many others as well as lack of physical exercises.

Over the years, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, arthritis, osteoporosis and kidney related diseases have been the major causes of death among Ghanaian men. It is often believed that, a healthy Ghanaian man must possess a well-built physique with a pot belly, whereas the average Ghanaian woman is equally expected to have a curvaceous and voluptuous figure, mostly known as the African body. These are some of the notions that needs to be demystified. 

Growing up, I always saw my father eat all the “delicious meals”  I could ever imagine. He was served the largest portion of meat during mealtime, he loved so much sugar, salt and fatty foods. He shared in the typical Ghanaian ideology that, a man is the head of the household who provides the daily bread of the family and so, his efforts needs to be rewarded with a hefty meal. Fast forward, my father now has hypertension and diabetes which routinely requires clinical management and other therapies.

 NCDs have a huge social and economic effects in the country. The chronic nature of NCDs means patients are sick, suffer longer and require more medical care. Consequently, family members often have to care for loved ones who are unable to work due to illness or disability, resulting in additional lost productivity and wages. Here in Ghana, the noncommunicable disease (NCD) and risk factor burdens are shifting toward the poor. Treating chronic diseases can be expensive. NCDs short- and long-term disability can lead to a decrease in working-age population participation in the labor force and reduce productivity and, in turn, reduce per capita gross domestic product growth.

Also, another effect that is very significant yet overlooked is the nutritional challenge it brings to the young ones. Instead of feeding the children with all the necessary nutritious foods for their perfect development, these dishes rather end up with the adults who are already fully developed. This leads to the incidence of malnutrition amongst the young ones. Such adverse effects of malnutrition visibly seen in these children include scurvy, kwashiorkor, marasmus, lack of concentration, stunted growth, yellowish hair growth and others. 

Being a person affected by NCDs, I believe these healthy lifestyles can best improve or even curb the prevalence of the menace. 

1. Reducing the major modifiable risk factors, such as tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets, and physical inactivity. Ghanaians should endeavour to join health walks at least, 3 times in a month to reduce their risk of getting NCDs. 
2. Sugar can be replaced with other sweeteners like honey, monosodium glutamate(white seasoning ) and other seasonings on the market should be less used in cooking. In as much as salt is good, it should be minimal in dishes. Fizzy drinks can be replaced with natural juices.
3. Regular medical check up should also be taken seriously.
4. The media should also endeavour to educate the public on Non Communicable Diseases and its  precarious effects on the citizens . 
5. Policies in sectors responsible for education, trade, food, alcohol and urban development need to be as much part of the action on NCDs as the responses from the health sector.

In all, it is important to live a healthy lifestyle to be on the safer side. Always remember: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, SO DONT BE FAST, CHEAP, EASY or FAKE. As Jim Rhon says it, “Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live.”