Epidemiological Transition and the Double Burden of Disease in Accra,Ghana |
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Authors: | Samuel Agyei-Mensah Ama de-Graft Aikins |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana;(2) Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK;(3) Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana |
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Abstract: | It has long been recognized that as societies modernize, they experience significant changes in their patterns of health and
disease. Despite rapid modernization across the globe, there are relatively few detailed case studies of changes in health
and disease within specific countries especially for sub-Saharan African countries. This paper presents evidence to illustrate
the nature and speed of the epidemiological transition in Accra, Ghana’s capital city. As the most urbanized and modernized
Ghanaian city, and as the national center of multidisciplinary research since becoming state capital in 1877, Accra constitutes
an important case study for understanding the epidemiological transition in African cities. We review multidisciplinary research
on culture, development, health, and disease in Accra since the late nineteenth century, as well as relevant work on Ghana’s
socio-economic and demographic changes and burden of chronic disease. Our review indicates that the epidemiological transition
in Accra reflects a protracted polarized model. A “protracted” double burden of infectious and chronic disease constitutes
major causes of morbidity and mortality. This double burden is polarized across social class. While wealthy communities experience
higher risk of chronic diseases, poor communities experience higher risk of infectious diseases and a double burden of infectious
and chronic diseases. Urbanization, urban poverty and globalization are key factors in the transition. We explore the structures
and processes of these factors and consider the implications for the epidemiological transition in other African cities. |
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Keywords: | Infectious diseases Chronic noncommunicable diseases Epidemiological transition Migration Urbanization Urban poverty Globalization Accra |
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