Chronic Diseases in Ghana and Their Contribution to Disabilities among the Elderly

Olutobi A. Sanuade, University of Ghana
Charles Agyemang, University of Amsterdam
Kwadwo Koram, University of Ghana

In Ghana, the effect of chronic disease on the different domains of life functions has been increasing. The study seeks to find out which of the chronic diseases has more effect on physical, cognitive, psychological and social functions of the elderly in Ghana. Wave 1 of the WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) data (2007-2010) was used. The sample size was 4724 respondents aged 50+. Stepwise linear regression was used to show the effect of the chronic diseases on disabilities. The mean age was 64.3 years and 52.3% were males. 2.7% were living with stroke, hypertension (13.6%), arthritis (13.1%), diabetes (3.9%), angina (3.3%), asthma (3.7%) and chronic lung diseases (0.6%). The predictive power of stroke on each domain of disabilities was higher than the other chronic diseases. Stroke explains 2.5% of the variation in physical disabilities. There is need for further research on stroke rehabilitation in Ghana.