Browsing by Author "Setorglo, J."

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Anaemia among school children older than five years in the Volta Region of Ghana
(The Pan African medical journal, 2014-01) Egbi, G.; Steiner-Asiedu, M.; Kwesi, F.S.; Ayi, I.; Ofosu, W.; Setorglo, J.; Klobodu, S.S.; Armar-Klemesu, M.
INTRODUCTION: Anaemia among children is a public health issue in Ghana. The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) was instituted on pilot basis in an effort to provide nutritious lunch to school children. Evidence on the nutritional status of pupils is needed to inform the expansion of GSFP. This study sought to assess anaemia among Ghanaian pupils.METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved a random sample of 143 pupils aged 6 to 12 years. Blood samples were collected and analysed for serum-ferritin (SF), C-reactive protein (CRP), haemoglobin and malaria-parasitaemia (MP). Stool samples were examined for soil-transmitted helminths. Dietary data were collected using the 24 hour-recall method on three non-consecutive days and a food frequency questionnaire. The Student's t-test was used to compare mean values between sexes. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with anaemia. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.RESULTS: SF and haemoglobin concentrations were 23.9 ± 15 ng/ml and 120 ± 11 g/L respectively. The prevalence of anaemia was 30.8%. More females (41.5%) than males (21.8%) had anaemia (p < 0.005). Seventy-one percent of pupils had low SF levels. MP prevalence was 67.8%. Hookworm infestation was only observed in males (18.0%). Dietary iron and vitamin C intakes were 18.98 ± 8.8 mg and 23.7 ± 6.7 mg, respectively. Child's sex, SF and MP were associated with anaemia. Males had a lower likelihood of being anaemic (OR = 0.2, CI 0.1-0.5, p = 0.002).CONCLUSION: The study findings underscore the need for multi-pronged approaches that address both malaria control and nutrition in order to reduce anaemia among pupils.
Anaemia prevalence and nutrient intake among women in peri-urban settlements in Accra, Ghana
(African Scholarly Science Communications Trust (ASSCAT), 2016) Agbemafle, I.; Steiner-Asiedu, M.; Saalia, F.K.; Setorglo, J.; Chen, J.; Philips, R.D.
Anaemia among women is a major public health concern globally. In developing countries, nutritional anaemia may be due to poor bioavailability of dietary iron, haemoglobinopathies, or intestinal parasites. The study objectives were to determine the prevalence of anaemia and current nutrient intakes essential to erythropoiesis among women of reproductive age (WRA) in peri-urban settlements in the Ga-East Municipality, Accra, Ghana. This cross-sectional study assessed the nutrient intake, sickling and haemoglobin levels of 134 women aged 15-49 years enrolled in a peanut-based field trial at baseline. A pretested semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess energy and nutrient intake using the Food Processor (ESHA) software. Whole blood was used to determine full blood count using the haematology automated analyser. Sickling was determined by blood staining. Anaemia was classified based on recommended cut-offs. Chi-square analysis was used as a test of independence between anaemia and age groups. Linear regression was used to determine predictors of haemoglobin concentration. The mean age of the women was 29 ± 8 years. The mean total caloric intake was 2315 ± 915 kcal, whilst protein and fat intakes were 67 ± 27g and 68± 30g, respectively. Almost three-quarters of the women met the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for iron and vitamin C. However, only a third met the RDA for fat, and about two-thirds met their needs for energy and protein. None of the women met the RDA for folate which is integral for haem formation. Also 17% (23/134) of the women were sickle cell anaemia positive. Mean haemoglobin concentration was 12.1 ± 1.8 g/dL. Mild, moderate and severe anaemia due to iron deficiency was present in 35.8%, 6.7% and 1.5%, of the women respectively. All categories of anaemia was present in 44% of the women. Anaemia, prevalence increased during the early stages of the reproductive age (15-29 years) and declined towards the end of the reproductive age period (40-49 years). An increase in age of one year was significantly associated with a 0.056 g/dL rise in haemoglobin level (p=0.014). Anaemia due to iron deficiency exists as a public health problem among women in peri-urban settlements in the Ga-East Municipality, Accra, Ghana. Dietary diversity to include green leafy vegetables which are rich in folate and pro-vitamin A may reduce the current level of prevalence.
Carotenoids content of Corchorus olitorius and Solanum macrocarpon - commonly used Ghanaian vegetables
(International Food Research Journal, 2014-01) Steiner-Asiedu, M.; Agbemafle, I.; Setorglo, J.; Danquah, A.O.; Anderson, A.K.
Green leafy vegetables are rich in carotenoids. The study investigated the effect of duration of storage and cooking time on the carotenoids in Corchorus olitorius and Solanum macrocarpon, locally known as 'adeimey' and 'gboma' respectively. The storage conditions were: overnight at room temperature (25°C), refrigeration for one day and a week, and cooking at 100oC for thirty minutes. The three individual carotenoids and total carotenoid content (TCC) were quantified using HPLC and by measuring absorbance at 450 nm, respectively. The TCC varied from 17.1 mg/100 g to 670.2 mg/100 g. The β-carotene content ranged from 7.5 mg/100 g to 196.3 mg/100 g while lutein ranged from 1.4 mg/100 g to 112.8 mg/100 g. The zeaxanthin content ranged from 0.7 mg/100 g to 16.3 mg/100 g. These results show that the two green leafy vegetables are good sources of carotenoids. There were variations in the concentrations of carotenoids in Solanum macrocarpon and Corchorus olitorius with the latter having a higher carotenoids content than the former. β-carotene was the most predominant carotenoid whilst zeaxanthin was the lowest in the vegetables studied. It was observed that the β-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and the total carotenoid contents decreased drastically when the vegetables were left to stand overnight at room temperature, refrigerated for one day and a week and then cooked for thirty minutes. These findings suggest modification in the storage and cooking practices of these green leafy vegetables to ensure retention of the carotenoids for the best nutritional value and health benefit; hence the need for policy towards nutrition education on vegetable processing and storage. © 2008 IFRJ, Faculty of Food Science & Technology, UPM.
The degree and appropriateness of computed tomography utilization for diagnosis of headaches in Ghana
(Heliyon, 2021) Gorleku, P.N.; Dzefi-Tettey, K.; Edzie, E.K.M.; Setorglo, J.; Piersson, A.D.; Ofori, I.N.; Brobbey, I.F.; Fiagbedzi, E.W.; Brakohiapa, E.K.K.
Introduction: Headache is a common and sometimes debilitating medical condition. Patients presenting with no neurologic anomaly, nontraumatic primary headache require careful evaluation before neuroimaging. National Guidelines standardizing exploitation of Computed Tomography (CT), the most utilized imaging modality in this clinical scenario, has not been established in Ghana, a developing country with limited healthcare resources. The country has not also adopted existing guidelines such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) of the United Kingdom or the Appropriateness Criteria (AC) of the American College of Radiologists (ACR). The purpose of this review was to analyze the propensity of CT utilization for diagnosing headaches against the AC of the ACR and discuss some of the socio-economic inferences thereof. Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed CT imaging records and clinical data of all patients referred for head CT scans between 1st January 2016 and 31st December 2018 at five major health facilities (four tertiary government hospitals and one private hospital) across Ghana. We isolated all head CT scans performed for the diagnosis of headache for analysis. We analyzed the type of presenting headache, CT findings, gender distribution, pattern of referrals, and head CT appropriateness against the AC of the ACR. Results: A total of 44,218 patients were referred to the five facilities for head CT secondary to diverse indications for the period. All non-trauma cases were 41.7%; trauma cases were 31.6%, the majority (72.3%) were from road traffic accidents. The majority (64.9%) of trauma casualties were males.Atotal of 11,806 (26.7%) patients were referred for a head CT scan for the diagnosis of headache. The private hospital recorded the highest referrals for head CT scan for diagnosis of headache. The gender distribution of all headache patients was 57.6% females, and 42.4% were males. The age distribution showed 19.3% were children, 71.2% were adults, and the aged constituted 9.4%. The results showed 2.8% significant cranial CT findings of all reviewed headache patients. Pathological findings among the cohort of children were 0.6%. The sources and pattern of referrals showed 57.3% were from the Outpatient Department, 26.6% from the Emergency Department, in-patients’ referrals were 9.4%, and specialist consultation was 7.1%. Analysis of CT scans performed against the AC of the ACR, showed 69.0% of headache patients were likely scanned inappropriately. Conclusions: There is a need to implement international best practice guidelines or develop a national neuroimaging policy to protect patients. Unjustified CT utilization for diagnosis of headaches exposes patients to unnecessary ionizing radiation that can instigate cancer and unnecessary expenditure. Head CT scan for some headache patients with normal neurologic findings may be unnecessary in an emerging country like Ghana. Clinicians must, therefore, be discerning in CT scan requests for the diagnosis of headache.
Food And Nutrition Security Situation in Ghana: Nutrition Implications For National Development
(2021) Koryo-Dabrah, A.; Ansong, R.S.; Setorglo, J.; Steiner-Asiedu, M.
Achieving food and nutrition security is fundamental to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) due to its strong interdependence with economic growth and development. Eradicating hunger and all forms of malnutrition (SDG 2) remain high on the global agenda and is at the forefront of high panel deliberations because poor dietary intake has long term negative consequences on individuals and economic advancement. The goal to end hunger and malnutrition can be achieved when food and nutrition insecurity is properly tackled through investment in agriculture parallel to economic and social protection programmes. In Ghana, about 1.5 million of the population are estimated to be food insecure while undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies persist across the life stages. Challenges to food and nutrition security in Ghana have been identified as: poverty, climate change, rapid urbanization and population growth, gender inequalities and poor infrastructure. Poor economic growth, health, education, hygiene and environmental exploitation are implications of these challenges. Addressing these implications sets long-term foundation for the development of the nation by prioritising policies that are nutrition sensitive which directly address the complexity of malnutrition. The level of food and nutrition insecurity in Ghana can be reduced through a national commitment towards addressing the four pillars of food security coupled with programmes that bring about resilience through sustainable systems. To this end, intervention programmes have been introduced by government to reduce the poverty burden on households. These programmes are in the form of social interventions, governmental flagship projects, and research-driven agricultural interventions to improve yield that withstand the effect of climate change. This review is aimed to present the food and nutrition security situation in Ghana and emphasise the challenges that exacerbate the problem while bringing to light the nutritional implications to national development. It is hoped that the recommendations from this review will help the government in achieving food and nutrition security in Ghana.
Knowledge and Practice of Iodized Salt and Iodine Deficiency Disorders among Men in Nungua, Ghana
(Universal Journal of Public Health, 2020-04-19) Setorglo, J.; Agyei, B.A.; Steiner-Asiedu, M.; et.al
Background: Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDDs) continues to be a problem in Ghana after several years of salt fortification with iodine. Sustainable IDD prevention requires a well-informed population willing to use iodized salt. This study determined men's knowledge levels on iodized salt, and IDDs iodized salt usage. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 400 men (18 years and above) sampled conveniently at Nungua in the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Data on socio-demographics, knowledge, use of iodized salt, and IDDs were collected. We computed descriptive statistics for socio-demographic data, knowledge of iodized salt, usage of iodized salt, and knowledge of IDDs. We grouped scores for knowledge of iodized salt into poor and good. Scores for knowledge of IDDs were split into tertiles and labeled as low, moderate, and high. Chi-Square (χ2 ) test and multinomial logistic regression were performed to determine the association between socio-demographic characteristics, good knowledge of iodized salt, and high knowledge about IDDs. Results: The majority of respondents (37.5%) were aged between 26 and 41 years. About 97.8% have heard about iodized salt and 69.3% first heard about iodized salt through the media. About 70.5% used iodized salt in cooking and 76.8 % of the respondents would encourage women to use salt in cooking. When the knowledge level was split into two groups, the higher proportion (266 out of 400) had poor knowledge of iodized salt and in tertiles, the majority (184 of 400) had low knowledge on IDDs. There were statistically significant differences between age, marital status educational level, and knowledge of IDDs all at P< 0.001. Those with Junior High School education had 54% less chance, OR= 0.465; 95% CI: (0.244, 0.884) of obtaining a good knowledge of iodized salt compared with those with a University education. Conclusions: Knowledge of iodized salt was low, and knowledge of IDDs was low among the men. There is a difference in the level of knowledge of IDDs among the socio-economic groups but not knowledge on iodized salt and its use. The more educated the men are, the more likely they are to use iodized salt.
Nutritional management of cirrhosis patients: A qualitative study exploring perceptions of patients and health workers in Ghana
(Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 2019-10-03) Agyei-Nkansah, A.; Nartey, Y.A.; Asem, M.; Awuku, Y.A.; Setorglo, J.; Duah, A.; Bampoh, S.; Ayawin, J.; Asibey, S.O.; Ye, W.; Afihene, M.Y.; Roberts, L.; Plymoth, A.
Background and aims: Malnutrition is common among patients with end stage liver disease including liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Optimal nutrition is important to reduce morbidity and mortality of these patients. There is limited qualitative data on nutritional status and management of chronic liver disease patients. We aimed to explore the knowledge, opinions and practices of cirrhosis patients and health workers in nutritional management of cirrhosis in Ghana, in order to determine whether there is a need to improve nutritional care for cirrhosis patients. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews of cirrhotic patients (n ¼ 16) and healthcare providers (n ¼ 27) in three academic centers in Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast (Ghana). Recruitment was by purposive sampling of patients attending specialist liver disease clinics. The recorded data were analyzed using NVivo 11 software, with generation of codes, themes and subthemes. Results: The major themes that emerged from the data included nutrition as part of care delivery during the hospital visit, nutritional recommendations, dietary changes and long-term practice improvement. The results showed that patients and health workers felt dietary recommendations for patients were frequently addressed, but could be significantly improved. We found that in the opinion of study participants, local guidelines are important and necessary in nutritional management of cirrhosis patients, and that participants felt it was difficult to change dietary habits following cirrhosis diagnosis. Conclusions: These results suggest that nutritional management of cirrhosis patients in Ghana requires improvement. Strategies to improve this could include a multi-disciplinary approach to nutritional management, development of local guidelines and continued nutritional assessment, monitoring and follow-up.
Overnutrition and associated factors among adults aged 20 years and above in fishing communities in the urban Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana
(Public Health Nutrition, 2013-04) Pereko, K.K.A.; Setorglo, J.; Owusu, W.B.; Tiweh, J.M.; Achampong, E.K.
Objective The study aimed to highlight the determinants of overnutrition (overweight plus obesity) in fishing communities and establish if these were the same as reported elsewhere in Ghana. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting The study was conducted in Idun, Ola and Duakor fishing communities in Cape Coast, Ghana. Subjects Adults (n 252) aged 20 to 50 years. Results Results showed that 32 % of participants were overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25·0 kg/m 2). Participants' mean age was 31·7 (sd 1·0) years, they had 13·7 (sd 8·1) mean years of formal education, their median monthly income was $US 7·4 (interquartile range $US 3·3, 20·0) and their median daily energy intake was 7·3 (interquartile range 5·3, 9·8) MJ. Significant associations (P < 0·05) were found between BMI and gender, age, years of education, fat intake and marital status. Females were almost eight times more likely to be overweight/obese than males (adjusted OR = 7·7; 95 % CI 3·6, 16·4). Persons aged ≥40 years were about six times more likely to be overweight/obese than those aged 20-29 years (adjusted OR = 6·1; 95 % CI 2·6, 14·1). Married people were nearly three times more likely to be overweight/obese than singles (adjusted OR = 2·8; 95 % Cl 1·4, 5·7). People with more than 13 years of formal education (adjusted OR = 0·3; 95 % CI 0·1, 0·9) and people with >30 % fat contribution to daily energy intake (adjusted OR = 0·3; 95 % CI 0·1, 0·6) had reduced odds of being overweight/obese. Conclusions Overnutrition was prevalent in the fishing communities and associated with factors such as age, gender, marital status, educational status and fat intake. © The Authors 2012.