Department of Environment and Public Health, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, PMB, Somanya, Ghana.
Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana, Legon-Accra, Ghana.
PLoS One. 2022 Aug 8;17(8):e0272274. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272274. eCollection 2022.
Obesity is rising in sub-Saharan Africa and globally, and is a highly significant public health problem that needs urgent attention. To reduce the obesity prevalence levels and associated challenges, public health interventions highlight healthy eating and increased physical activity, which are key elements for weight management.
This study explored perceived factors that hinder or facilitate weight management in an urban poor context in Accra, Ghana.
A cross-sectional qualitative data was obtained from eight focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted among community members. The FGDs were audio recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis.
The findings indicate that weight management is mainly inhibited by the perception that healthy foods are expensive and not satisfying, laziness, lack of time to engage in physical activity, and social representation of being fat or slim. On the contrary, personal decision to manage weight and social support facilitated engagement in weight management.
The findings indicate that weight management is influenced by individual, community, and structural factors. These findings have programmatic implications in terms of health education strategies and messaging.
肥胖在撒哈拉以南非洲和全球范围内呈上升趋势，是一个亟待关注的重大公共卫生问题。为了降低肥胖流行水平和相关挑战，公共卫生干预措施强调健康饮食和增加身体活动，这是体重管理的关键要素。
本研究探讨了加纳阿克拉城市贫困地区在体重管理方面存在的阻碍和促进因素。
通过 8 组社区成员进行的焦点小组讨论（FGD）获得了横断面定性数据。对 FGD 进行了录音、转录，并使用主题分析进行了分析。
研究结果表明，体重管理主要受到以下因素的阻碍：认为健康食品昂贵且不满足口腹之欲、懒惰、缺乏时间进行身体活动以及肥胖或苗条的社会观念。相反，个人管理体重的意愿和社会支持促进了体重管理的参与。
研究结果表明，体重管理受到个人、社区和结构因素的影响。这些发现对健康教育策略和信息传递具有计划意义。
