The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has voiced concern over the rising incidence of overweight and obesity among children in the country.
Joseph Owusu Asante, a nutritionist with the Nutrition Unit of the Bono Regional Health Directorate, attributed the troubling trend to over-nutrition. He urged families to take a more active role in managing their children’s dietary habits.
Mr Asante described the situation as alarming, warning that failure to address it could result in serious health complications by the time affected children reach their forties.
In addition to controlling diet, he emphasised the need for physical activity. He encouraged parents to allow their children to participate in regular play and simple household tasks such as sweeping, washing clothes, cooking, and cleaning, to promote healthier lifestyles.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Sunyani as part of African Vaccination Week (AVW) and Child Health Promotion Week (CHPW), Mr Asante cautioned against the frequent consumption of junk and processed foods, highlighting their long-term harm to children’s health and development.
The meeting, organised by the Bono Regional Directorate of Health, aimed to raise public awareness of the importance of immunisation and other child health services. It also provided a platform for collaboration among key stakeholders including government agencies, development partners, community leaders, health professionals, and the media.
Mr Asante noted that a child’s future success is strongly linked to proper nutrition, pointing out the serious consequences of over-nutrition on long-term health.
On breastfeeding, he shared encouraging statistics from the region, noting steady improvements from 2022 to 2024. Continued breastfeeding at one year rose from 93.3% in 2022 to 95.1% in 2024. Exclusive breastfeeding at three months improved from 85.3% in 2022 to 90.5% in 2024. Similarly, early initiation of breastfeeding reached 95.6% in 2024, up from 91.7% in 2022.
Mr Asante also underscored the importance of Vitamin A supplementation for children aged six months to five years, highlighting its role in disease prevention and eye health. He pointed out a concerning gap: while coverage for children aged 6–11 months remains above 90% annually, it drops below 50% for those aged 12–59 months. He attributed this to reduced attendance at Child Welfare Clinics, as many children are enrolled early in school.
He stressed that Vitamin A provides vital micronutrients essential for fighting infections, preventing blindness, and supporting children’s survival, growth, and development.
Meanwhile, Dr Prince Quarshie, Deputy Director of Public Health at the Bono Regional Health Directorate, urged all stakeholders to support the GHS in implementing government health initiatives to improve outcomes across the region.
African Vaccination Week (AVW), launched by the World Health Organsation (WHO) in 2010, is observed annually from 24th to 30th April to promote the life-saving impact of immunisation. The Child Health Promotion Week (CHPW), introduced by Ghana’s Ministry of Health in 2004, focuses on improving child survival and is marked from 5th to 9th May, with an emphasis on nutrition, immunisation, and preventive care for children under five.