Division of Global Public Health, Department of Health Sciences, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, UK.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 13;19(8):4671. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19084671.
A critical understanding of the interrelationship between two behavioral decisions—participating in physical activity, and eating healthily—is lacking in Ghana. This study aimed to determine which factors affect each of the two behavioral decisions, jointly and separately, among adults aged 18 years or older in three metropolises (Kumasi, Accra, and Tamale) of Ghana. The data from the Ghana Obesity Survey 2021 were used. A bivariate probit model was fitted to estimate nonlinear models that indicate an individual’s joint decision to participate in physical activity and consume a healthy diet. A positive correlation (r = 0.085; p < 0.05) was found between these two decisions, indicating a relationship between these two behavioral decisions. The common correlates between these decisions were self-reported good health status, high income, and attitudes toward being overweight. Men were more likely to be physically active but less likely to eat well. Both religion and culture determined participation in physical activity, but not the consumption of a healthy diet. Marital status determined diet, but not physical activity. The new knowledge gained from this analysis around the nature and the extent of the interconnectedness between physical activity and diet is critical to devising targeted interventions for obesity prevention in Ghana.
加纳对参与体育活动和健康饮食这两种行为决策之间的相互关系缺乏批判性的理解。本研究旨在确定在加纳三个大都市（库马西、阿克拉和塔马利）的 18 岁及以上成年人中，哪些因素共同和分别影响这两种行为决策。本研究使用了 2021 年加纳肥胖调查的数据。拟合了双变量概率单位模型，以估计表明个人参与体育活动和健康饮食的联合决策的非线性模型。这两个决策之间存在正相关（r = 0.085;p < 0.05），表明这两个行为决策之间存在关系。这些决策的共同相关因素是自我报告的健康状况良好、高收入和对超重的态度。男性更有可能积极参与体育活动，但不太可能吃得健康。宗教和文化都决定了体育活动的参与，但不决定健康饮食的参与。婚姻状况决定了饮食，但不决定体育活动。这项分析围绕着体育活动和饮食之间的相互关系的性质和程度获得的新知识，对于制定加纳肥胖预防的针对性干预措施至关重要。
