Contextual Awareness, Response and Evaluation: Diabetes in Ghana
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Institute for Global Health
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) affects approximately 6% of adults in Ghana resulting in poor mental and physical health, premature death, and increased costs for individuals, families and healthcare services. The CARE:Diabetes project represents a research collaboration between public health specialists, historians, social scientists, economists, political scientists, psychologists, pharmacists and engineers to understand the contextual drivers and consequences of T2D in three urban communities in Accra, Ghana. This will include research into the historical, political and physical context of T2D, giving us insights into how environmental, economic and social factors have shaped T2D risk in this urban setting. Information on individual, household and community burdens of disease and risk factors will be gathered through community surveys while social science methods will provide deep understanding of contextual determinants and perceptions of disease. Assessment of digital infrastructure and development capacity will identify opportunities for digital strategies to raise awareness of T2D, prevent disease, and strengthen health systems. We will also map available formal and informal health care providers and work with these, community groups and policy makers to co-create intervention strategies to reduce T2D risk in the study area. In particular, we will adapt and test a specific community mobilisation intervention that has proven successful in reducing diabetes risk in other settings.
Technical Summary
Ghana is a lower middle income country where type 2 diabetes (T2D) affects approximately 6% of adults and prevalence is increasing, resulting in poor mental and physical health, premature mortality, and increased costs for individuals, families and healthcare services. There is an urgent need for cost-effective T2D prevention programmes designed specifically for Ghanaian populations. Any such intervention must address the broad socio-cultural and economic determinants and consequences of T2D that include traditions and customs, gender norms, urbanisation, living conditions and housing arrangements, rural-urban migration cycles, health service provision and market forces and regulation.
We will conduct truly interdisciplinary research to understand the history, epidemiology, narratives, socio-ecological drivers, consequences and responses to T2D. We will use this contextual understanding to identify specific strategies and recommendations for intervention. This will include community, health system, market and policy level solutions and will recognise the emergent potential of appropriate digital interventions such as mHealth education and behaviour change, electronic decision support, and enhanced peer-to-peer communication and consultation systems.
Further, we will adapt and test a Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) community mobilisation intervention for T2D. The PLA intervention, proven to reduce T2D prevalence and risk in Bangladesh by over 60%, works by facilitating community discussion, mutual learning to raise critical consciousness and foster collective action to reducing disease risk in general populations. With appropriate contextual adaptation, we hypothesise that PLA community mobilisation has the potential for substantial impact on reducing the T2D burden in urban Ghana.
We will conduct truly interdisciplinary research to understand the history, epidemiology, narratives, socio-ecological drivers, consequences and responses to T2D. We will use this contextual understanding to identify specific strategies and recommendations for intervention. This will include community, health system, market and policy level solutions and will recognise the emergent potential of appropriate digital interventions such as mHealth education and behaviour change, electronic decision support, and enhanced peer-to-peer communication and consultation systems.
Further, we will adapt and test a Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) community mobilisation intervention for T2D. The PLA intervention, proven to reduce T2D prevalence and risk in Bangladesh by over 60%, works by facilitating community discussion, mutual learning to raise critical consciousness and foster collective action to reducing disease risk in general populations. With appropriate contextual adaptation, we hypothesise that PLA community mobilisation has the potential for substantial impact on reducing the T2D burden in urban Ghana.
Planned Impact
Through a holistic, integrated approach to examining the contextual factors related to T2DM we will build awareness, tools and capacity to address the issues from a communities, systems, research and policy level.
The beneficiaries of the research will be:
- People with type two diabetes or at risk of developing type two diabetes and their families
- Health professionals
- Policymakers
- Civil society organizations
- Industry
- Researchers
Overall impact will be:
- Increased understanding of diabetes, healthy lifestyles and ways to address it within communities in Accra
- A better equipped health system to deal with T2DM and well-developed local models for community interventions
- At a policy and civil society level the profile of diabetes will be raised, and specific recommendations for an integrated approach to tackling T2DM available
- Increased capacity of researchers in the UK and Ghana through mutual learning
The beneficiaries of the research will be:
- People with type two diabetes or at risk of developing type two diabetes and their families
- Health professionals
- Policymakers
- Civil society organizations
- Industry
- Researchers
Overall impact will be:
- Increased understanding of diabetes, healthy lifestyles and ways to address it within communities in Accra
- A better equipped health system to deal with T2DM and well-developed local models for community interventions
- At a policy and civil society level the profile of diabetes will be raised, and specific recommendations for an integrated approach to tackling T2DM available
- Increased capacity of researchers in the UK and Ghana through mutual learning
Publications
Kretchy IA
(2022)
Scoping review of community health participatory research projects in Ghana.
in Global health action
| Description | Below is a summary of key findings emerging from our transdisciplinary exploration of diabetes within the context of urban Ghana. Finding come from mixed methods of investigation, including literature reviews, historical archive research, policy analysis, geospatial mapping, epidemiological surveys, qualitative and social science methods, health systems research and community engagement. Our scoping review showed that community participation is essential in the acceptability and feasibility of research projects in Ghana and highlighted community participation's role in the diagnosis, development, implementation and evaluation stages of projects. Lessons from this review were considered in the development, implementation, and future evaluation of the CARE diabetes project. Our work on policy provides evidence that Ghana has shown some advancement in the implementation of the WHO "Best Buy" strategies for non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and control, particularly in reducing the likelihood of premature mortality caused by NCDs. However, Ghana's implementation scores are low relative to lower-middle-income countries and upper-middle-income countries. Major challenges faced in implementing NCD policies include a) limited stakeholder engagement b) weak enforcement and implementation of public health policies and guidelines c) limited or absence of clear implementation guidelines for NCD policies and programs, d) limited public awareness and education on NCDs and their risk factors, e) underfinancing and lack of pooled funding for NCD prevention and control f) lack of preventive services, and g) limited decentralization of NCD care. Cognitive maps were used to define the physical boundaries of the environment of Ga Mashie, Accra (our study area) and to characterize the environment. Participants recognised both the physical and social attributes of the environment and how they influenced the risk of diseases. Excessive heat and hazardous noise resulting from overcrowded spaces emerged as critical issues. The social environment was equally important, saturated with a high concentration of drinking bars, spaces for social interaction, and several social engagements on weekends - often linked to the consumption of alcohol and food. Community members felt that the pattern of social behaviour and diet associated with their environments was gradually changing for the worse and accounted for observed changing patterns of disease. Specifically, community members attributed the cause of hypertension and other heart diseases to hazardous noise and psychological distress associated with the built environment, while diabetes was generally attributed to the social environment. Our population-based epidemiological survey in Ga Mashie, Accra shows prevalence of diabetes is around 8%, with more than 1 in 4 people living with diabetes unaware of their status and more than one third of those with a diagnosis having uncontrolled diabetes. Our data show that there is a very high prevalence of common NCD risk factors, including inadequate physical activity (73%) and central obesity (75%). Prevalence of hypertension among the study participants is 47.3% and the prevalence of pre-hypertension is 27.8%. Among respondents with hypertension, about 46% are aware of it, 36% have received treatment in the last 12 months, 30% received follow-up treatment in the last 14 days, and only 16% have their blood pressure under control. Being overweight/obese and having a family history of diabetes are associated with hypertension prevalence. Diabetes and NCD risk is unevenly distributed in Ga Mashie, with women and older adults experiencing the greatest burden of physical inactivity, adiposity and diabetes as well as uncontrolled diabetes, and men being more likely to smoke and consume alcohol. Less than half of our survey respondents had knowledge of the causes, symptoms, complications, ways to prevent and ways to control diabetes. Men, younger adults, individuals with secondary education, of Christian faith, and people living with diabetes and aware of their diabetic status tended to have greater diabetes knowledge. Individuals with diabetes, hypertension and obesity reported significantly reduced measures of quality-of-life outcomes compared to those without these conditions or any other self-reported NCD. Compared to the healthy comparison group, differences in quality of life were more pronounced among those who were aware of their condition (i.e. with a prior diagnosis of diabetes or hypertension) than among those identified with raised blood glucose or raised blood pressure in our survey, but no prior diagnosis. There was no evidence of diabetes effect on indicators of psychosocial wellbeing such as social support, and psychological distress. Measures of social connectedness are associated with self-rated health in our population, with important differences between men and women. For instance, women tend to benefit more from belonging to associations and having more close friends than men in terms of self-rated health and quality of life. Greater self-perceived stress was associated with a significant increase in body mass index (BMI) and waist-circumference-to-height ratio (WHR; reflecting general and visceral adiposity respectively) for poorer women living in Ga Mashie. No associations were found for women in higher levels of wealth nor in men. Fruit and vegetable consumption was low and about a third of the sample were food insecure. The respondents had a low score on 'NCD-protect' foods. From the historical interviews, the community members reported that changes in food acquisition and preparation explain the food the current dietary behaviours reported in the quantitative survey. In qualitative interviews and focus group discussions, community members commonly described diabetes as a "sugar disease". Particularly, those living with diabetes described it through the presentation of complications and "body listening" of symptoms. Community causal attributions to diabetes included unhealthy diets/dietary practices (e.g., sugary and fatty/oily foods), unhealthy lifestyles (e.g., excessive alcohol intake and smoking), high blood pressure, physical inactivity, ageing and family history. We documented a degree of diabetes stigma in the community and this affects support (including caregiving) for those living with the condition. Many qualitative study respondents were reasonably well versed in the causes of diabetes and were well aware of the importance of managing the condition if acquired. They were always keen to acquire new knowledge, but they emphasised that there were severe constraints to putting knowledge into practice. This related to both prevention and management. Constraints of money, time and space emerged clearly from our discussions. Older respondents in particular noted important meanings of food being more than just nutrition, emphasising that food is about family, community, care, satisfaction and enjoyment and all of these contributed to health and wellbeing in a wider sense. The overriding concern of our respondents in relation to food was that they had lost control over their food system and hence their diets. As diabetes spreads rapidly across communities it can appear "infectious" - not in a biomedical sense, but in a social one. Diseases often carry moral meanings - in the case of diabetes this is sometimes associated with the "night activities" of young men. These ideas can co-exist with biomedical explanations. Our respondents also associated diabetes with exposure to risks in their environments over which they had much less control - air pollution, crowded and insanitary living conditions, plastic waste, and exposure to chemicals in the food itself. There are a range of diverse health providers in Ga Mashie and they are pragmatic when it comes to preventative and care services provided to community members. They often refer to other providers when deemed appropriate (e.g. traditional providers referring to biomedical providers when acute care is required). Formal healthcare providers offer services such as home visit services and care, counselling on diet and medication, diagnosis of diabetes by identifying the signs and symptoms, conducting tests, and also refer patients to specialist clinics and follow up with monitoring and evaluation. Additionally, study participants indicated that they check both fasting and random sugar, provide laboratory services to diagnose or confirm suspected diabetes cases, and look out for diabetes comorbidities and complications to prevent further deterioration. Facilitators to providing health care to patients with diabetes include 1) quarterly in-service training, 2) availability and accessibility of medications, sphygmomanometers, glucometers, and strips, 3) wellness clinics and 4) collaboratively working with other stakeholders such as dieticians and family members. Some challenges to care provision include cost, poor coverage of national health insurance, medicines unavailability, poor adherence to medications, and cultural practices. Our survey shows that direct cost of managing diabetes and hypertension comorbidity constitute almost 94% of the monthly total household economic cost burden of care, and the average direct cost of care is US$59.03 (95% CI:0.00-135.86). The economic burden associated with care is unevenly distributed in Ga Mashie, with patients within the lower socioeconomic bracket and men incurring greater burden. The implications of the high economic burden resulting from self-funding of healthcare are: 1) low treatment quality and poor access to healthcare; (2) poor medication adherence; 3) aggravated direct non-medical and indirect treatment cost; and (4) psychosocial support help cope with cost burden. Our systematic review shows that community volunteers and health workers are influential in the recruitment of participants in community-based intervention due to pre-established trust and assistance in recruitment. Our intervention development work, community engagement and pilot implementation indicate that co-designing a Participatory Learning and Action intervention for diabetes prevention and control is urban Ghana is possible and highlights the value and importance of involving community advisory groups from the beginning to help guide the process. Exploration of the digital context shows that mobile phones could be used to empower community leaders as community health agents to perform health-promotion T2D services (such as education and screening) within Ga-Mashie. This empowerment must involve the provision of initial training, access to ongoing clinical support, and integration into the broader digital health ecosystem. This system-level strategy is most aligned with the community's preferences identified in relation to T2D, enabling the scale-up of acceptable and familiar in-person health services. |
| Exploitation Route | We continue to disseminate and discuss our findings with relevant stakeholders. The insights into the complex issue of diabetes and NCDs broadly in the urban Ghanaian context have potential to inform and influence policy, systems, and community-led responses. Our pilot intervention work has proven popular and there is desire among the community and other stakeholders to build on this. Several of our research findings raise further important research questions that will require further investigation. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Communities and Social Services/Policy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education Environment Healthcare Government Democracy and Justice |
| Description | We have communicated our findings widely in the study community and at national and international levels. Coverage by media in Ghana have helped to disseminate findings to a wider, non-academic audience. Our community engagement approaches and our pilot participatory community intervention strategies resulted in larger than expected actions to raise awareness of diabetes risk in the Ga Mashie community, including public announcements, education sessions at places of worship and schools, and promotion and facilitation of access to the National Health Insurance Scheme. Research findings related to uptake and use of the National Health Insurance Scheme have been communicated with relevant stakeholders, who have requested further details and indicated commitment to act on the information provided. We continue to disseminate and publish our findings. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | UCL Institutional Emergency Global Research Fund |
| Amount | £29,057 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2021 |
| End | 07/2021 |
| Description | UKRI Covid-19 CoA funding |
| Amount | £15,281 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 181573 |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2021 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Description | Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne |
| Organisation | University of Melbourne |
| Country | Australia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne are collaborators and co-investigators on the CARE Diabetes project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne are collaborators and co-investigators on the CARE Diabetes project. |
| Impact | This collaboration has led to protocol development and ethical approvals for CARE. As part of the wider CARE project the collaboration is multidisciplinary. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | University of Ghana |
| Organisation | Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMRR) |
| Country | Ghana |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research are collaborators and co-investigators on our CARE Diabetes award. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research are collaborators and co-investigators on our CARE Diabetes award. |
| Impact | This is a multidisciplinary colaboration, including the following: epidemiology; medicine; social sciences; urban planning; history; pharmacy; digital health |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | University of Greenwich |
| Organisation | University of Greenwich |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | University of Greenwich is a collaborating partner on our CARE Diabetes project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | University of Greenwich is a collaborating partner on our CARE Diabetes project. |
| Impact | This collaboration has led to the development of study protocols and ethical applications. As part of the wider CARE project this is a multi-disciplinary collaboration. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | University of York |
| Organisation | University of York |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | In 2019 Dr Ed Fottrell joined the 'Improving Outcomes in Mental and Physical Multimorbidity and Developing Research Capacity (IMPACT) in South Asia' consortium led by the University of York. As part of this work DMagic partners joined the network and subsequently we have secured NIHR funding for work on diabetes and depression in Bangladesh and Pakistan. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Diabetic Association of Bangladesh joined this network and attended a workshop in York to develop a funding bid (as co-investigators) to develop and test an intervention for diabetes and depression in Bangladesh and Pakistan. |
| Impact | This is a multidisciplinary collaboration that has so far resulted in secured funding for research activity that will begin in 2020. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | 2021 Stakeholder Meeting, Accra |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This half day stakeholders' meeting was organised for relevant key stakeholders in the fight against the growing burden of diabetes around the following key objectives: 1. To formally inform stakeholders about the CARE project, planned activities, expected outcomes and expected roles of the stakeholders in the implementation of the project. 2. To provide the opportunity for the project team to elicit from stakeholders their views and contribution on the study design, proposed intervention and implementation of the project activities and how these could inform and impact the overall implementation of the project. The meeting had in attendance representatives from the following national and community organisations and groups: Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service NCD Control Programme, Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana NCD Alliance, Ghana Medical Association, Ghana Psychological Association, and community representations from Accra Metropolitan Authority, James Town Health Club, Ga Mashie Development Agency (GAMADA), Chief Fisherman and a Linguist from Ga Mashie, a market queen from Ga Mashie among others. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | CARE Diabetes dissemination meeting and symposium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 29th Feb 2024 we held a dissemination event and symposium to share and discuss study findings with national and local-level stakeholders in Accra, Ghana. Attendees included representatives from key ministries of health, gender and social support, health service providers and national bodies representing nursing and pharmacy, community leaders and academics. The event sparked lively discussion and debate, especially around study findings indicating a need to improve awareness and access to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The direct of NHIS was in attendance and, subsequent to the event communicated his gratitude for the engagement and requested further details which would help to inform future action and improvements of the system. The event was also attended by two leading media outlets, which reported on key project findings. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://citinewsroom.com/2024/03/60-ga-mashie-residents-have-hypertension-diabetes/ |
| Description | Community engagement event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a community engagement event to formally introduce the CARE diabetes project to the two study communities, Jamestown and Usshertown (Ga Mashie). The meeting was intended to create a platform for dialogue between the researchers and study communities. The engagement was also intended to build synergies with the community and inculcate the sense of ownership of the project among the community from inception. To facilitate the community ownership process, we partnered with the Ga-Mashie Development Agency (GAMADA), an organisation tasked with the responsibility of leading development processes in the two communities that form Old Accra in organizing the programme. GAMADA provided the space and facilitated the platform to host the research team and the community. Leaders of GAMADA welcomed the participants and introduced all the guests. This was followed by two presentations. The CARE Diabetes project was formally introduced to the community at this point by co-investigator Dr. Ernestina Dankyi. Participants were informed about the general nature of the research and how it would be carried out. They were informed that the research would involve questionnaire administration, interviews, rapid diagnostics using some amount of blood samples, pictures and others. There were also breakout sessions which created a platform to listen to community perspectives on Type-2 diabetes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Ghana NCD Priority setting and expansion of the benefit package under the National Health Insurance Scheme |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Project co-investigator Dr Leonard Baatiema is engaged in an initiative that seeks to refine/revise the health benefits package for essential interventions to address Non-Communicable Diseases in Ghana. This draws directly from key findings from the CARE diabetes study and other studies in Ghana. The expectation is to recommend a list of prioritized NCD interventions for the attention of policy makers to include the National Health Insurance Scheme benefit package. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| Description | Ghana NCD, Injury and Poverty Commission |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Co-investigator Dr Leonard Baatiema contributes to the Ghana NCD, Injury and Poverty Commission, who's goal is to establish the burden of NCDs, including injuries and how that relates to poverty and catastrophic health expenditures/huge out of pocket payments. The Commission will then engage the parliamentary select committee on health, the Ghana NCDs Alliance, National Diabetes Association and the Ghana Health Service NCD Control Programme. Many key findings from the CARE Diabetes project will feed into this, providing empirical evidence on the scale of NCD burden and risk in urban Ghana. This activity has a capacity building component where funding is provided for 3 masters students and 2 PhD students to undertake research projects relevant to NCD financing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| Description | Ghana Policy Stakeholder Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | As part of the CARE project, we brought together policymakers and key stakeholders in the NCDs space, including healthcare professionals to discuss the rising burden of diabetes, understand the implementation of policies to tackle this and jointly agree on the next steps and key recommendations in reducing the high burden of diabetes. Though the focus was on diabetes, participants also placed emphasis on other chronic conditions such as hypertension. The event saw key presentations on the burden of diabetes globally, in Ghana and the study context /Ga-Mashie (urban poor Ghana). This was followed by another presentation on the WHO Best Buys to highlight to participants the global policy framework for the implementation of policies and interventions for NCDs care. Three major panel group discussions where we had different panels for healthcare professionals, people living with diabetes, and CSOs/NGOs/Media/Policy Makers. Though this was meant to gather data on the implementation of policies and interventions for diabetes care, the activity created a platform for stakeholders to discuss the burden of diabetes and proffered solutions to the implementation challenges which would subsequently inform future implementation efforts. A representative of the Health Minister acknowledged the potential impactful nature of the CARE project and promised to ensure the recommendations are prioritized in national-level discussions to enhance overall NCDs policy implementation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Health Inequalities in Diabetes Research Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Project PI, Edward Fottrell, was an invited participant at a Health Inequalities in Diabetes Research Workshop organised by Diabetes UK. This workshop brought together people with lived experience of diabetes, researchers and healthcare professionals to identify key research recommendations around health inequalities in diabetes. The two-day workshop sought to better understand how research can be used to reduce diabetes-related health inequalities, including for socially deprived and minority ethnic groups. A summary of the event and recommendations for future activity were published in Diabetic Medicine (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dme.15024). As a direct consequence of this workshop, UCL and Diabetes UK have organized a further workshop and round-table discussion to be held in March 2023 to explore cross-learning and knowledge exchange between global health diabetes research and UK-based diabetes research, with a focus on mixed-methods implementation science approaches. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dme.15024 |
| Description | Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research Annual Conference 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) of the University of Ghana, 2-Day Annual Research Meeting (ARM) on November 17-18, 2022. The theme of the research meeting was "Epidemics, Pandemics and Diseases of Public Health Importance: Bridging the Research - Policy Divide". The organising committee asked for submissions that addressed a broad range of health science topics in the areas of communicable and non-communicable diseases and encouraged submissions on a range of research including health systems, implementation research and intervention research and the CARE Diabetes project fit in well with this criteria. We submitted an abstract and gave an oral presentation to staff at based at the NMIMR and external speakers including Dr Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, the coordinator of Ghana's COVID-19 response. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.ug.edu.gh/events/nmimr-annual-research-meeting |
| Description | Nutrition and Diabetes Research & Practice Group Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This was a meeting of the Nutrition and Diabetes Research & Practice Group at the University of Greenwich. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss research and practice projects and collaborations. Members of the group include researchers, students and healthcare professionals from institutions in the UK, Nigeria and China. The meeting took place on the 15th of May 2023 and Dr Kafui Adjaye-Gbewonyo gave a presentation to the group which consisted of an overview of the CARE: Diabetes project and preliminary findings from the epidemiological survey. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Service delivery and financing for NCDs and mental health |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Project co-investigator Dr Leonard Baatiema is part of a group engaged with 20 CSOs/NGOs, Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Health, Development Partners such as the World Bank, USAID, PharmAccess, Ghana Partnership Programme (FDCO funded programme), etc. seeking to establish an investment case for NCDs and mental health globally and especially in LMICs where funding for NCDs and mental health is woefully inadequate. The initiative is supported by WHO-HQ to undertake stakeholder consultations to understand the NCDs and mental health landscape, specifically on service delivery and financing for these services, political commitments and prioritization and implementation of the WHO Best Buys. This project is a joint effort by the WHO/WB to plan for the second global dialogue meeting on the financing of NCDs and mental health. Reports from these policy engagements will also feed into the 2025 UN General Assembly Meeting. Findings from the policy research included in the CARE Diabetes project and led by Dr Baatiema feed directly into this activity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| Description | The Institute for Lifecourse Development Showcase Event: This is our Time |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | This was an event showcasing research in which members of the Institute for Lifecourse Development, University of Greenwich are involved. The purpose of the event was to showcase this research and its impacts to the University and to external partners from UK organisations. The event took place on the 20th of April 2023 and Dr Kafui Adjaye-Gbewonyo displayed slides summarising the CARE: Diabetes project at the booth for the Centre for Chronic Illness and Ageing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | UK Dissemination & Symposium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We held a public event in London to share the methods and preliminary findings from the CARE Diabetes project with a community of researchers, healthcare professionals, policy and civil society organisations. The event followed a four-day workshop of project team members in London and was an opportunity to showcase the broad range of methodological approaches and disciplines within the project. Preliminary findings were discussed and the timing and nature of the event allowed for broad feedback and recommendations on future analyses and activities as we enter the final year of the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |