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.
