Water intake among Ghanaian youth aged 15–34 years: quantitative and qualitative evidence

摘要

Background: The prevalence of obesity is on the increase in Ghana, and the intake of sugar-sweetened beveragesmay be a determinant. The aim of this study is to use quantitative and qualitative data to investigate water intakeamong Ghanaian youth 15–34 years old. Methods: The 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey data is used to investigate the effects of socio-demographicfactors on water intake behaviours of a sample of 2771 male and 2806 female youth aged 15–34 years old inGhana. Additionally, data from focus group discussions are used to examine perceptions with regard to waterintake. In terms of the analysis, the quantitative bit of the data utilised Stata software and the qualitative dataused the Atlas Ti software. Percentages, means, standard deviations, t test, one-way ANOVA, Tukey’s post hoc test andPoisson regression were used for the quantitative analysis while the qualitative data was analysed thematically. Results: Quantitative results found that age (IRR = 1.112, 95% CI 1.070–1.156) and region of residence (IRR = 0.855, 95%CI 0.780–0.937; IRR = 0.910, 95% CI 0.834–0.993) were important predictors of water intake in males, while age(IRR = 1.103, 95% CI 1.054–1.153), region of residence (IRR = 0.907, 95% CI 0.844–0.975; IRR = 1.258, 95% CI 1.130–1.400),ethnicity (IRR = 0.919, 95% CI 0.834–1.013) and marital status (IRR = 1.051, 95% CI 0.999–1.106) were found tobe important predictors of water intake among females. From the focus group discussion, accessibility and physiologicalfactors were mentioned as issues hampering adequate water intake. Conclusion: The similarities and differences between males and females should sensitise policy makers to the need formore gender-specific interventions to encourage water intake for the purposes of preventing non-communicablediseases. Moreover, intervention(s) to promote water intake should address issues of accessibility, physiologicalfactors, weather and weight management.