The Burden of Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases in Two Selected Districts in Northern Ghana

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and communicable diseases (CDs) are major public health problems in Ghana, as in other developing countries. While research often focuses on population subgroups, such as children or adults, or on specific diseases, recent evidence points to the need to pay attention to all age groups, as both communicable and non-communicable diseases affect populations of all ages. Understanding the causes of death is crucial for designing interventions and resource allocation to avert premature mortality and improve population health and well-being. However, policy and programme planning to prevent premature deaths in many lower- and middle income countries (LMICs) are hindered by inadequate vital statistics, limited data on disease burden, and a lack of critical analyses of the available data in these settings. This study used data from the Navrongo Health and Demographic Surveillance System (NDSS) site to estimate the impact of communicable and non-communicable diseases on longevity in rural poor contexts in Ghana. Single and multiple decrement life table models were employed to estimate the demographic burden of diseases. Age-specific decomposition analysis was conducted to determine which age groups contributed most to the burden of mortality and thus to longevity if public interventions were implemented to address the different causes of death. The results showed that mortality rates were higher in males than in females. The burden of NCDs was higher (46.0%) compared to CDs (37.4%), with cardiovascular disease being the leading NCD cause of mortality. More males died from NCDs (46.5% vs. 45.7%), while a higher proportion of females died from CDs (40.3% vs. 35.1%). Successfully reducing NCDs through public health interventions would contribute to a 6.7-year improvement in life expectancy, while the elimination of CDs would result in a 5.2-year improvement. Efforts to reduce the burden of diseases and promote the health of the population in the study area should focus more on reducing NCD mortality.