Perceptions and beliefs about anaemia: A qualitative study in three agroecological regions of Ghana

Abstract

Little evidence exists concerning perceptions of anaemia in Ghanaian communities, which limits understanding of how to potentially improve health in settings with high anaemia prevalence. We explored lay perceptions of anaemia to understand local knowledge and beliefs and to provide an opportunity to inform interventions. A cross-sectional, qualitative study was conducted in selected communities in three regions of Ghana with high prevalence of anaemia. Forty-eight focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with adolescent girls, adult women of reproductive age and adult men (16 FGDs for each demographic group). Participants across the three demographic groups generally described anaemia as inadequate blood in the body and reported that poor diet, heat, alcohol intake, physiological factors and diseases such as malaria were the main causes of anaemia. Consequences of anaemia mentioned in the FGDs included dizziness, weight loss, loss of appetite and weakness.Prevention of anaemia was perceived to result from improved diet, avoidance of exposure to heat and improved sanitation to avoid diseases. The findings suggest that despite areas of convergence between lay and biomedical knowledge on the causes, consequences and prevention of anaemia, the burden of anaemia remains high in the study regions. This highlights a disconnect between local knowledge of anaemia and the health and nutrition behaviours needed to reduce its incidence.Effective interventions can be developed with and for communities that build upon existing knowledge while filling remaining knowledge gaps or misconceptions. K E Y W O R D S adolescent girls, anaemia, community, knowledge, qualitative methods, women of childbearing age 1 | INTRODUCTION With a global prevalence of approximately 33%, anaemia is a ubiquitous public health problem-with adolescent girls and women of reproductive age (WRA) having the highest burden (Global Nutrition Report, 2020; World Health Organization [WHO], 2015). The majority of high-risk populations are found in low-and middle-income countries (Kassebaum et al., 2014).

Nutritional composition and consumer acceptance of tomato paste fortified with palm weevil larvae (Rhynchophorus phoenicis Fabricius) in the Ashanti region, Ghana

“…A study conducted in Ethiopia highlighted that nutrition knowledge was positively related to healthy attitudes, practices, and diet quality (Melesse & van den Berg, 2021). In Ghana, people were generally aware of iron deficiency anemia and its association with poor eating habits (Awuah et al, 2021; Rose Omari, 2017). Therefore, informing people of the potential benefits of akokono consumption on their iron status could serve in increasing their willingness to consume and purchase akokono and akokono ‐based products.…”

Exploring the perspective of young adults about anaemia prevention; the contributions of knowledge about at-risk groups and consequences of anaemia

“…The FGD was the second phase of the data collection (the FGD guide was an adaptation from previous publication [ 13 ] and is enclosed as Supplementary File SF 2 ). The inclusion criterion for the FDG was that only consented individuals who had previously answered the questionnaire were invited to be part of the FGD.…”

“…Most of the previous anaemia-related studies in literature have focused on assessing anaemia and risk factors of anaemia [ 5 , 11 , 12 ]. However, there is scanty primary research exploring the perceptions of individuals on anaemia and what their knowledge of predisposition factors to the condition are [ 13 ]. This is in spite of the fact that anaemia is endemic in Ghana, and that misconceptions and/or poor knowledge about anaemia may be a hindrance to the successful implementation of any anaemia control strategies [ 14 ].…”

Perception of secondary school adolescent girls on their own diet and health status in urban Benin

“…Moreover, weight misperception might conduct to eating disorders [14] and self-perceived overweight is related to higher eating disorders in adolescents [15]. The same disconnect was found about the perception of anaemia and it was identified as complex for improving interventions towards anaemia [16].…”