CONTENT
Causes of death across Ghana are changing because of Population Increase, Life Expectancy rise and Living Standard.On this below article we provide graphical representation of major causes of death in Ghana.
Highlights of Ghana BMI and Diet Compositions
Comprehensive data on food supply and consumption is published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Data was analyzed by The Global Graph and is published in these below Highlights, Graphs and Tables (Data Quality & definitions)
- As per United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), average person in Ghana gets their caloric supply from :
- Carbohydrates : 116.27%
116.27% - Fat : 20.52%
20.52% - Plant protein : 9.39%
9.39% - Animal protein : 3.42%
3.42% - 49.60% increase in caloric supply : Currently Ghana gets 3016/kilocalories per person per day worth of caloric supply when compared to 2016/kilocalories per person per day in Year 1961
- Starchy Roots, Cereals & Grains and Fruits & Vegetables are three major diet compositions in Ghana
- Rice, Maize and Wheat are three major Cereal preferences in Ghana
- National and World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on vegetable intake is to range between 200-250g per day and in Ghana average intake is 116.77 grams
- Plantains, Oranges & Mandarines and Pineapples are three major Fruit Types Intake in Ghana
- National and World Health Organization (WHO) typically set a guideline of 200g Fruit Intake per day and in Ghana average Fruit intake is 537.51grams
- In Ghana, average male height is in the decreasing trend and female height is in decreasing trend
- 29.30% of population is suffering from obesity and this trend is continously increasing from last few years
- Average Male BMI in Ghana is in the range of normal and Average Female BMI is in range of normal (BMI = Body Mass Index - The WHO define a BMI <=18.5 as 'underweight'; 18.5 to 25 as 'normal/healthy'; 25.0 to 30.0 as 'obese')
| Rank | Cereals | kcal/capita/day |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rice | 304 |
| 2 | Maize | 222 |
| 3 | Wheat | 109 |
| 4 | Sorghum | 53 |
| 5 | Oats | 1 |
| 6 | Rye | 0 |
| Rank | Type | kilocalories per person per day |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Starchy Roots | 1171 |
| 2 | Cereals & Grains | 725 |
| 3 | Fruits & Vegetables | 395 |
| 4 | Oils & Fats | 293 |
| 5 | Sugar | 145 |
| 6 | Meat | 112 |
| 7 | Pulses | 83 |
| 8 | Other | 57 |
| 9 | Alcoholic Beverages | 18 |
| 10 | Dairy & Eggs | 17 |
Major Cause of Death
Cardiovascular diseases was a major cause of death in Ghana with 34454 registered deaths (in year 2016) i.e. 19% of total deaths. Overall Cardiovascular diseases, Malaria and Neonatal deaths were the highest types of death causes in Ghana.
- We see the maximum number of deaths is seen in age group Under-5 with 48348 deaths (year 2016).
- 35.99% kids below age 5 years die because of Neonatal disorders.
- Malaria, HIV/AIDS and Lower respiratory infections are the major cause of death in kids aged 5 - 14 years.
- HIV/AIDS, Cardiovascular disease and Cancers are the major cause of death in people aged 14 - 49 years.
- Cardiovascular diseases, Cancers and Lower respiratory infections are the major cause of death in people aged over 50 years.
- Overall, it's observed that 30% of people aging over 50 years die because of Cardiovascular diseases.
Major Risk Factors of Death
- Three Major factors of death in Ghana are High blood pressure, Alcohol use and Household air pollution. Every year around 3210 people die due to High blood pressure.
- Low birth weight and Child wasting are the major risk factor of kids death aging under 5 years.
- Unsafe sex and Household air pollution are the major risk factors of death of people aging between 5 to 14 years.
- Unsafe sex, Alcohol use and High blood pressure are the death risk factors of people aging between 15 to 49 years.
- High blood pressure, Alcohol use and High body-mass index (obesity) are the major death risk factors of people aging between 50 to 69 years.
- High blood pressure is the major death risk factors for people aging more than 70 years.
Cancer Analysis
0.19% of Ghana population was suffering from cancer i.e. 28123 people (average of years 2011-2016). Highest number of cancer patients deaths were recorded due to Cervical cancer (Count : 1479) and Liver cancer was also concerning with 1250 deaths in a year. In last few years it has been observed that, people suffering from Stomach cancer have 3% of survival chance.Ghana was really successful in diagnosing Kidney cancer where 92% of people were cured.Highest number of cancer patients i.e. 11160 people were of age group 50-69 year olds.In 2016, 8733 were suffering from Cervical cancer out of which 1479 people were dead. This means 16.94% death rate of people suffering from Cervical cancer. This below data represents major cancer types in Ghana and number of deaths due to particular cancer types :
- 0.19 % of Ghana population is suffering from cancer
- Highest number of deaths were registered due to Cervical cancer
- Kidney cancer was most cured cancer in Ghana
- Cervical cancer got lowest survival rate
Tables (Appendix)
| Cause of Death | Number of Deaths | % of Total Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Dementia | 1990 | 1.11% |
| Cardiovascular diseases | 34454 | 19.21% |
| Kidney disease | 2380 | 1.33% |
| Respiratory disease | 3982 | 2.22% |
| Liver disease | 5987 | 3.34% |
| Diabetes, blood and endocrine disease | 10810 | 6.03% |
| Digestive disease | 3855 | 2.15% |
| Hepatitis | 614 | 0.34% |
| Cancers | 15413 | 8.59% |
| Parkinson's disease | 171 | 0.1% |
| Fire | 743 | 0.41% |
| Malaria | 19674 | 10.97% |
| Drowning | 909 | 0.51% |
| Homicide | 1007 | 0.56% |
| HIV/AIDS | 14002 | 7.81% |
| Drug disorder | 275 | 0.15% |
| Tuberculosis | 6193 | 3.45% |
| Road incidents | 3635 | 2.03% |
| Maternal deaths | 1265 | 0.71% |
| Neonatal deaths | 18168 | 10.13% |
| Alcohol disorder | 242 | 0.13% |
| Natural disasters | 0 | 0% |
| Diarrheal diseases | 4289 | 2.39% |
| Meningitis | 4816.42856149 | 2.69% |
| Liver disease | 5987 | 3.34% |
| Tuberculosis | 6193 | 3.45% |
| Diabetes, blood and endocrine disease | 10810 | 6.03% |
| HIV/AIDS | 14002 | 7.81% |
| Cancers | 15413 | 8.59% |
| Lower respiratory infections | 16576.4614396 | 9.24% |
| Neonatal deaths | 18168 | 10.13% |
| Malaria | 19674 | 10.97% |
| Cardiovascular diseases | 34454 | 19.21% |