Razak M Gyasi

African Population and Health Research Center | APHRC · Aging and Development

Extant research has linked flooding with mental distress (MD) among flood-prone populations, but the mechanisms underlying this association remain largely unknown. This paper examines the association of flood stressors with MD among households in flood-prone communities in Ghana and estimates whether flood risk perceptions mediated the association....

Introduction: There is a dearth of studies examining the association between the use of community centers for older adults and psychosocial factors. Thus, our aim was to examine the association between the use of community centers for older adults and psychosocial factors (in terms of loneliness, perceived social isolation, and life satisfaction;...

Background There are no data on the association between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and sarcopenia in older adults from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aimed to investigate the association between LTPA and sarcopenia in individuals aged ≥65 years living in six LMICs. Methods Cross-sectional data from the Study on Glo...

Background: Previous studies have increasingly shown the adverse effects of being bullied on suicidal behavior among young people, but the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. We examined the association between bullying and suicidal behavior among in-school adolescents. We further tested whether loneliness mediated the link betw...

Little is known about the relationship between food insecurity and sleep problems in low- and middle-income countries, while the mediators of this association are largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated the association between food insecurity and insomnia-related symptoms in six low- and middle-income countries (i.e., China, Ghana, India, Mexic...

Many Ghanaian cities are increasingly becoming hotspots for floods with rising household vulnerabilities. However, research to understand the coping mechanisms of these households remains limited. This paper examines flood coping and adaptation strategies of flood community-dwelling households (n = 45) using a qualitative approach. Data gathering i...

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for adhesive capsulitis in older adults from Germany. The one-year and lifetime prevalence of adhesive capsulitis were assessed in adults aged ≥65 years with at least one visit to one of 1207 general practices in Germany in 2021. Associations between physical and psychiatric conditi...

This study examines the association between physical inactivity (PI) and happiness among Ghanaian older adults and whether emotional and physical-related experiences (EPE) mediate the association. Data from the Aging, Health, Psychological Well-being and Health-seeking Behavior Study (AgeHeaPsyWel–HeaSeeB) conducted in 2016–2018 among 1201 older Gh...

Poor sleep is a long-term public health issue that has become increasingly prevalent among socially isolated older adults. However, research on the mechanisms explaining the link between social isolation and impaired sleep (IS) remains limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study explored the serial mediating effects of lon...

Background: The Global Burden of Disease Study in 2016 estimated that the global incident cases of meningitis have increased by 320,000 between 1990 and 2016. Current evidence suggests that diabetes may be a prime risk factor for meningitis among individuals, including older adults. However, findings of prior studies on this topic remain inconsist...

The present study examined the association between housing conditions and long-term care needs of older adults in Ghana. We used data from 4,920 adults aged ≥50 years that participated in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Study on adult health and AGEing Ghana Wave 1. Housing conditions were assessed with drinking water, sanitation, cooking con...

Background: Understanding traditional medicine practitioners (TMP)-seeking behaviour for childhood diseases may be important to reducing child mortality. However, a comprehensive picture of TMP utilisation and its associated factors for childhood illness in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is lacking. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of women wi...

Flood exposure has been linked with psychological distress (PD) but the mechanisms underlying this association remain largely unknown. This paper examines the association of flood exposures with PD among flood-prone households in Ghana and estimates whether flood risk perceptions mediated the association. The study involved 767 heads of households...

Discourses on “illegal” or informal small‐scale mining (galamsey) have presented it largely as a menace. Using Ghana as the focus of our study, we present a counter‐narrative to the predominant discourse. Employing qualitative in‐depth interviews with 193 local galamsey operators, the study found that economic factors coupled with the combative pos...

Whilst climate change is expected to tremendously influence the regional transmission of malaria, the available data reveal conflicting results. This study provides contextual evidence. We adopted multi-scale geographi�cally weighted regression (MGWR) modelling approach. AICc and local r 2 were used to evaluate performance of the MGWR. . The MGW...

The degree to which corporations benefit from social welfare has induced increasing attention, enjoining corporations to act in a socially responsible manner. The sustainability investing landscape has witnessed rapid ramifications over the years, but with fewer empirical studies relative to the conventional way of investing. Regarding the extent o...

Females on average live longer but with higher rates of functional impairment and lower physical and economic activities than men. However, research linking retirement to functional impairment and the modifying role of gender and physical activity (PA) is limited especially in low- and middle-income countries. This paper examines the association be...

Background: Physical activity (PA) is a vital modifiable psychosocial intervention for promoting healthy longevity but problematically decreases with age. Innovative community-based strategies are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to improve PA but prior research has seldom considered the interactive effect of financial inclusion,...

Objective: In this study, we investigate the patterns and the risk factors of functional limitations in a sample of 1323 slum-dwelling older adults in Kenya who participated in the Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems. Methods: We conducted crude and adjusted logistic regression analyses to evaluate the associations. Results: T...

Urban floods have long-term mental health implications but remain largely neglected in flood-related studies. This paper examines the psychological distress (PD) of adults exposed to floods in Ghana. Cross-sectional data involving 767 flood-prone community-dwelling household heads aged ≥20 years were analyzed [mean = 47.3 years (SD = 13.7); males =...

Objectives : Pain is prevalent among older adults and may result in impairment in physical function. However, little is known about the effect-modification of this relationship by physical activity (PA) participation. This large and representative study sought to estimate the effect of pain on physical function among older adults in Ghana and eval...

Background Endocrine disruptors originate from multiple sources making their health impacts enormously complex. This study systematically synthesizes the sources, exposure, and effects of personal care products on reproductive health. Main body The PRISMA and Meta-Analyses frameworks were used to review and present integrated evidence. The literat...

We examined the moderating role of social capital (SC) in the association of socioeconomic status (SES) and health literacy (HL) with oral health (OH) status and the intentions to use OH services (IUOHS) among older Ghanaians. Data were derived from a cross-sectional survey ( n = 522) and analyzed using ordinal and binary logistic regressions. Brid...

Several attempts have been made by the global public health efforts and national governments to contain the spread and vulnerabilities to COVID-19. Evidence, however, shows a disproportionate upsurge in COVID-19 cases in correctional facilities such as prisons, particularly, in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). The poor adherence to COVID-19...

Background: The associations of water and sanitation with population health have been well-documented. However, the specific effects of water and sanitation on chronic diseases in old age are least explored. This study examines the associations between water, sanitation and chronic diseases among older people in Ghana and whether these associations...

Background While depression is the most frequent psychiatric disorder among the older adults, the use of water and sanitation has been associated with both physical and psychological adverse outcomes. We investigated the associations of water and sanitation with depressive symptoms among older adults in Ghana. Methods The study used data from 4,73...

Background Although loneliness and physical function impairment (PFI) are common geriatric syndromes and public health issues, little is known about how their association varies by self-perception of health. We examine how loneliness is associated with PFI, and whether the association is modified by perceived health status. Methods We conducted a...

Background: International literature suggests that food insecurity is linked with increased risks of functional impairment. However, data on the mediational mechanisms underlying this association are largely lacking. This study investigates the indirect relationship (via mental distress) between food insecurity and functional limitations among olde...

Background: Evidence of how social factors affect the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors is limited. Our study explores the association between socio-demographic, health-related and psycho-social (stigma) factors and EVD survivors' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Sierra Leone. Methods: We cond...

Objective: Sleep architecture in older age is an important public health concern. However, little is known about the effect of food insecurity on sleep quality among older people. We provide the first representative study of the association between food insecurity and poor sleep quality (PSQ) in older adults in the sub-Saharan African context. Met...

Internal migration is an age-old practice. UNDESA/UNESCO estimates that about 763 million people are involved in internal migration, nearly three times higher than international migrants. Internal migration is, therefore, expected to shift populations and displace the spatial demographics of most countries. Internal migration in Ghana, Kenya, and N...

The current policy and stakeholder debates suggest that climate change remains a risk factor for the rising urban floods situation in Ghana. However, there is a dearth of empirical works to explain the link between flood incidence and climatic-related factors. Using a long-term secondary climatic data, this paper analyses the extent to which climat...

Background Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for poor health. However, it is unclear how physical activity (PA) is associated with perceived social isolation (PSI) in older age. This study aims to explore 1) associations between PA and PSI in older people in Ghana and 2) if social participation (SP), age, and sex modify any associations....

Objective: For many older people, loneliness represents a common source of impaired quality of life particularly in the context of poor access to financial services. This article examines the association between financial inclusion and loneliness in older adults and explores the moderating effects of gender and physical activity in this association...

This paper discusses the potential abuse and mistreatment against older adults by informal caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic has distorted many informal caregivers' roles, which require serious adjustment for reducing caregiving stress and burden. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenging situati...

While the genesis of the drone technology is not clear, one thing is ideal: it emerged as a military apparatus and gained much attention during major wars, including the two world wars. Aside being used in combats and to deliver humanitarian services, drones have also been used extensively to kill both troops and civilians. Revolutionized in the 19...

Background: It remains poorly understood how financial inclusion influences physical health functioning in later life in the sub-Saharan African context and whether the association differs by gender and social relationships. We aim 1) to examine the associations of financial inclusion with functional impairment during older age in Ghana, and 2) t...

Background Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for poor health. However, it is unclear how physical activity (PA) is associated with perceived social isolation (PSI) in older age. This study aims to explore 1) associations between PA and PSI in older people in Ghana and 2) if social participation (SP), age and sex modify any associations....

Several pandemics have been reported throughout history. The Black Death, Spanish flu, SARs and MERs among many others have received attention by earlier and recent scholarships due to their impact on humanity. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, scholars anticipated future outbreaks with the same, if not greater, impact. The coronavirus which spread...

This study sought to examine whether and how social connectedness impacts the association between physical activity and loneliness among older people in Ghana. Data for the analysis were obtained from the 2016–2017 Aging, Health, Psychological Wellbeing and Health-seeking Behavior Study (AgeHeaPsyWel-HeaSeeB) (N = 1200; mean age 66±12 years; women...

Research is an essential tool for the creation and advancement of knowledge for socio-economic development. Whilst individuals pursue different kinds of education in order to match international standards, employers are keen to recruit employees with needed skills for a competitive edge. Due to the newly existing educational technologies, individua...

This study investigates how financial services inclusion (FSI) may affect food insecurity among older Ghanaians and seeks to identify any modifying roles of age and gender in the associations. Data were analyzed for 1,200 adults aged 50+ years. Generalized linear models with a logit link function examined associations and interaction terms. Average...

Objective Water and sanitation have been related to the health of populations, yet, the effects of these factors on the occurrence of chronic conditions (CC) in later life have been least explored. This study examines the association of CC with water and sanitation among older Ghanaians and whether the associations are moderated by gender and resid...

Objective Water and sanitation have been related to the health of populations, yet, the effects of these factors on the occurrence of chronic conditions (CC) in later life have been least explored. This study examines the association of CC with water and sanitation among older Ghanaians and whether the associations are moderated by gender and resid...

The pace of aging globally and its local variations within countries and sub-regions is remarkable. For the first time in human history, persons aged 65 or over now outnumber those under-5, due to various combinations of increasing longevity and declining fertility. However, manifestations of aging and the associated impacts vary considerably. Demo...

Urban area expansion has often been cited as a flood inducing factor globally. However, there is a dearth of research on how the phenomenon influences the occurrence of floods in Ghana. This paper examines urban sprawl-induced green space depletion and its attendant implications for urban flood incidence in a developing world context. Focusing on K...

Noncommunicable diseases account for about 71% of the 57 million deaths reported around the world every year. Most of these deaths are caused by diabetes, cancers, heart disease, and lung disease. Over 85% of these “premature” deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. A big concern is the growing prevalence of these conditions in older pop...

COVID-19 and Mental Health of Older Africans: An Urgency for Public Health Policy and Response Strategy - Razak M Gyasi

In an editorial published in the International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Correia strongly advocates that COVID-19 is still far from being under control. While we recognize the emergence and reverberations of the COVID-19 pandemic and its possible future waves or other outbreaks, collaborative response strategies, alertness and soli...

Introduction There is limited knowledge in the context of Africa on how work history associates with hypertension at old age. Therefore, this paper analyses such an association using Ghana as a case study. Methods Data from the World Health Organisation Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health Wave 2 was used to explore the relationship between work...

Public health emergencies in times of epidemics and the effects of contagion mitigation strategies such as emergency lockdown may cause intense fear and anxiety particularly among the at-risk populations. Correia 1 has also emphasized that health systems globally have diverted attention and resources toward the fight of COVID-19. This has significa...

Background: The rising burden of chronic diseases in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where health care systems are least developed has led to recent calls for increased investment in chronic care models (CCM) appropriate for low-resource settings. In SSA, limited resources are often allocated to treating acute diseases thus management of chronic condition...

The paper examines risk perceptions of urban and peri-urban vegetable farmers in relation to their on-farm activities. The study involved 66 in-depth interviews with vegetable farmers from four farming sites in urban and peri-urban Kumasi using interview guide and systematic observations. Relevant data were analysed thematically using NVivo 9 analy...

Problem: Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) indicators in Garissa County are still poor and there are numerous challenges facing utilization of MNCH services. The barriers to health care utilization are at various levels including individual, household and community as well as health system-levels. Cultural barriers operating at individual,...

Non-Communicable diseases (NCDs) are a prevalent and growing burden among older cohorts in sub-Saharan Africa and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as in many wealthier parts of the world. This stems from the combined effects of factors such as demographic aging, behavioral transitions, and developmental origins of health and disease....

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has demonstrated the urgency to reconsider social behavior and the health system quality to efficiently support and improve global health. Diverse global and country-specific mechanisms to fight COVID-19 have been displayed, but the gendered analysis of these efforts still remains too li...

The novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has upended the social lives and health of all people globally. The debilitating brunt of the infection and mortality has been huge for older adults with comorbidities. The exponential rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Ghana have engendered intense fear and anxiety among the at-risk populations with...

Background: Social isolation is widespread and strongly associated with worsening health-related outcomes across the life-course. Despite this broad base of knowledge, there is a paucity of research on the role of lifestyle choices in the link between living alone and later life psychological state particularly in low- and middle-income settings. T...

Whilst efforts are now gathering pace in response to the deleterious impacts of COVID-19, gendered analysis of the impacts and response to the pandemic has been far too little. Taking into account the gendered lenses and the respective brunt of health crises of the outbreak on men and women can improve our understanding and direction of efforts tow...

Background Spousal loss, common in older age, has been linked to negative mental health outcomes and well-being, yet the mechanisms linking spousal loss and mental health are still unclear. Objective To investigate whether physical activity, social support, and gender modify the psychological distress effects of marital loss among community-dwelli...

Background: Hunger frequently and persistently occurs in older populations in low-income countries especially in sub-Sahara Africa. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between food insecurity with hunger and psychological distress among older people in Ghana. Methods: A total of 1200 individuals aged ≥50 years were recruited durin...

Background: Social isolation is widespread and strongly associated with deleterious health-related outcomes across the life course in low- and middle-income settings. Despite this broad base of knowledge, there is little reported research on the pathways linking living alone to later life psychological state. Thus, the aim of this study was to exam...

Although socioeconomic status (SES) has long been linked with health services utilisation, the associations of demographic factors and SES, and multiple healthcare options in later life remain unclear. This paper utilised a large and representative dataset from a 2016/17 Ageing, Health, Psychological Wellbeing and Health-seeking Behaviour Study (AH...

Objectives: This study examines the relationships between National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) enrollment and the frequency and ‘timing’ of health services utilization among community-dwelling older Ghanaians. It also investigates whether the NHIS policy has improved equity in access to healthcare in later life. Methods: Cross-sectional data w...

Objectives: This study examines multidimensional social supports as predictors of health services utilization among community-dwelling older Ghanaians. Methods: Using data from a 2016/17 Aging, Health, Psychological Wellbeing and Health-seeking Behavior Study (N = 1,200), Poisson regression models estimated the associations of aspects of informal s...

The article examines public perceptions of Capitation Payment System and the implications for health-seeking behavior in rural and urban Ghana. Drawing on qualitative approach, the study employed focus groups (n = 20), in-depth (n = 20) and key informant (n = 14) interviews with community-based adult men and women, aged 18-65 years in Ashanti Regio...

Background: Social isolation has been increasingly recognized as a strong risk factor for health-related outcomes, yet, there is limited knowledge about the pathways linking living alone to later life psychological disorders. This study examines the influence of living alone on older people’s psychological disorders and explores the protective role...

Background: Social isolation is widespread and strongly associated with deleterious health-related outcomes across the life course in low- and middle-income settings. Despite this broad base of knowledge, there is little reported research on the pathways linking living alone to later life psychological state. Thus, the aim of this study was to exam...

Most studies on farmers’ adaptation strategies do not adequately treat the downside of such practices, and how practitioners can survive with the strategies in the wake of climate variability and change. Emphasis has always been on benefits of adaptation which includes showing resilience to increase food production, enhancing livelihood outcomes wi...

Objective Loneliness and living alone have been strongly related to mental health but limited empirical evidence of these relationships exists among older people in Ghana. This understanding may contribute to successful aging agenda. We examine the pathways of independent and interactive impacts of loneliness and living alone on psychological distr...

T his study examines the relationships between the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) enrollment and health-seeking behavior of non-institutionalised older Ghanaians and whether the policy has led to equitable access to healthcare. Using data from an Aging, Health, Psychological Wellbeing and Health-seeking Behavior Study conducted in 2016/201...

Background: Interest in mHealth interventions, defined as the use of mobile phones to access healthcare is increasingly becoming popular globally. Given its technology-based applications, university students may be key clients of the mHealth adoption but studies are rare in sub-Saharan Africa. This study provides a snapshot and baseline evidence o...

Purpose: The HIV-infected older people in sub-Saharan Africa are inevitably vulnerable to chronic health-related conditions, yet the needed social support for these people is mostly inadequate. Drawing on the anthropology of disease and health paradigms, this study explores the recomposition of multidimensional and multidirectional nature of mutual...