Proximity to physical activity centres and risk of chronic disease in poor urban areas of Accra, Ghana

Ernest K. Afrifa-Anane, Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS)

Regular physical activity (PA) reduces the risk of chronic non-communicable disease (NCDs). In most low and middle income countries where NCD prevalence is rising, there is limited data on PA and PA-enabling spaces like parks and gyms. Using logistic regression and the 2011 Urban Health and Poverty data in Accra, we sought to examine the association between proximity to PA centres and NCD risk among individuals 15 years and older in three poor urban communities. About 2.9% and 11.8% had been diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension respectively: 1.4% and 6.2% for males and 4.4% and 17.8% for females. Male participants spent less time (7.89 minutes; SD=7.118) compared to females (8.77 minutes; SD=8.44). This may explain the lower levels of PA among females in poor urban Accra and hence to deal with the incidence of NCD risk in these areas, regular PA and PA-enabling spaces should be encouraged especially among females.