The Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Mr Kingsley Agyemang, a doctoral researcher, is leading a team to research into obesity in Ghana.
The research, which is aimed at reducing the obesity rate, is in collaboration with the Office of the President and Global Health Academy (Brunel University London).
A virtual stakeholder engagement workshop on obesity was organised recently, following an initial one held in December last year.
The workshop used a multi-sectoral approach to help understand how policy making on obesity in Ghana happens, and who the key actors are.
The recent engagement identified and conceptualised policy relevant empirical research questions on obesity in Ghana. The brainstorming event was attended by 45 stakeholders from multiple sectors in Ghana.
Mr Kingsley Agyemang, Lead Researcher, noted: “Only one of the sixty-three empirical studies on determinants of obesity in West Africa examined the role of contextual factors.” He reiterated: “Whilst research using Ghanaian respondents accounted for about 35% of the publications, the focus on individual characteristics limits the formulation of clear policy guidelines to manage the obesogenicity of the environment.”
Speaking at the event, the Presidential Advisor on Health Matters, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, said: “The comprehensive literature review conducted by Mr Agyemang and the Brunel Global Health Academy clearly outlines the gaps in current knowledge on obesity, and will drive the obesity research agenda in Ghana.”
According to the Deputy Minister for Health, Dr Okoe Boye, this event fulfils the government’s manifesto promise to institute measures to reduce non-communicable diseases in Ghana.
He added: “Consensus building is key to achieving this aim, hence, the multi sectoral approach to garner inputs from academia, the general public, public, private and third sectors.’
The workshop is the second in the series of three workshops on obesity to be held between December 2019 and January 2022.
The research underpinning the workshops is conducted by a research team from Brunel Global Health Academy, led by Mr Kingsley Agyemang, Associate Professor Nana Anokye, and Professors Subhash Pokhrel and Christina Victor.
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