Evidence on physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Ghana: A rapid scoping review

Abstract

In Ghana, more than four in ten deaths in 2016 resulted from non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviours are important risk factors for NCDs. No previous systematic reviews examining physical activity and sedentary behaviour among Ghanaians were identified. Therefore, this rapid scoping review was conducted to find and synthesise what is known about the epidemiology of physical activity and sedentary behaviour of children and adults in Ghana. MEDLINE was searched for eligible studies and a narrative synthesis was conducted based on 17 identified papers as well as the 2008 Demographic and Health Survey report. Little recent high-quality data on prevalence of physical activity or sedentary behaviour in Ghana was found. Existing nationally representative data is now more than ten years old. The data identified suggest that the majority of Ghanaian adults, aged 18+ years, are physically active, achieving or exceeding World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations (84.3% according to data collected in 2007-2008). Studies reporting sedentary behaviour in adults further suggest that the majority of Ghanaians are minimally sedentary. The most consistent associations with physical activity were by gender (men achieved more than women), employment (the employed, particularly in skilled manual jobs, achieved more than the unemployed), urban or rural residence (rural inhabitants achieved more than urban inhabitants) and socio-economic status (lower physical activity with increasing socio-economic status). Meanwhile, the few existing studies of physical activity in children (all of which investigated children aged 12+ years) suggest that the proportion of children achieving WHO recommendations on physical activity may be lower than for adults. A similar gender trend exists for children as in the adult data, with boys achieving more physical activity than girls. Physical activity is accrued most frequently through active travel, and active occupations, while leisure time physical activity is low. This means that the Ghanaian population may be vulnerable to becoming increasingly inactive as work and travel become more frequently mechanised and sedentary.