Abstract:
Objectives: The study provides a full description of
the state of women’s health in Accra, Ghana using selfreported
as well as objective health measures. Using
data from the Women’s Health Survey of Accra, Wave
2 (WHSA-2), the authors a) examine the consistency of
the objective measures of health status (anthropometry
and blood pressures) with self-report measures, including
the Short Form 36 indices for 8 separate domains of
health; and b) describe the main socio-economic differentials
in morbidity.
Methods: Cross-sectional household survey with field
measurements. 2814 women aged 18 and over were
interviewed and measured in their homes in late 2008
and early 2009. The physical measurements included
height, weight, waist and hip measurement and 3 or
more measures of resting blood pressure.
Results: Using the 8 domains of self-reported health
captured by the Short Form 36 instrument, we find that
physical health worsens more sharply with age than
mental health. Social class differentials are narrow in
the younger cohorts but widen amongst the elderly. The
physical measurements reveal unhealthy levels of obesity
and hypertension, worsening steadily with rising age.
Age and the wealth of the household influence women’s
health more than their individual characteristics such as
education.
Conclusions: Younger women appear to be in good
health with steady declines in physical and mental
health with age. The major threat to women’s health
appears to be the rising levels of obesity and hypertension
with mean BMIs for all women over age 45 in excess
of 30, producing elevated blood pressures and associated
high risks of heart attacks and stroke rising
sharply amongst the elderly.