Assessing the dietary behaviours and food choices of people with type 2 diabetes in the Wa Municipality of Ghana.

Authors

Joe Dare Nyefene, Patricia Glago, Abdul-Basit Abdul Rahaman, Nana Adiyiwa Obeng Mensah, Patience Darko, Esther Kumea Ashun, Jennifer Nkrow, Asmau Ahmed

Published in

Rural and remote health. Volume 26. Issue 3. Pages 10622. Epub Jul 13, 2026.

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes poses a growing global health challenge, with dietary behaviours and food choices playing a critical role in its management. This study assessed dietary practices, food preferences, and nutrition-related determinants among patients with type 2 diabetes in the Wa Municipality of Ghana, and further evaluated overall dietary behaviour using a dietary behaviour index derived from key dietary behavioural indicators.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 208 adult respondents selected from diabetes clinics in the municipality using structured interviewer-administered questionnaires and 24-hour dietary recalls. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographics, food-choice determinants, dietary practices, and 24-hour food-group consumption. A total dietary behaviour score was computed from 10 dietary behaviour indicators, classified into a dietary behaviour index. Independent samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance were used to examine differences in dietary behaviour score across selected participant characteristics at a significance level of p<0.05.
Most participants were female (69.2%), aged 45-64 years (49.0%), married (73.6%), had no family history of diabetes (48.1%), and had no formal education (39.4%). Major influences on food choices included food availability (79.8%), financial constraints (76.0%), appetite (71.6%), and nutrition advice from healthcare providers (72.1%). In the previous 24 hours, a high proportion of participants reported consuming meat, poultry, and fish (90.4%), whereas fewer reported consuming eggs (17.8%), fruits other than those rich in vitamin A (26.9%), and healthy fats (38.5%); 67.3% reported consuming foods containing trans fats. Participants had limited nutrition knowledge - 53.4% did not understand the glycaemic index, 60.6% did not know which carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels, and 63.9% never read nutrition labels. Most participants indicated moderate dietary behaviour (65.4%), while 23.6% had good dietary behaviour and 11.1% had poor dietary behaviour. Total dietary behaviour scores were significantly associated with eating situation (p=0.001), meal decision making (p=0.004), and nutrition label use (p<0.001), but not with gender (p=0.070), religion (p=0.254), or family history of diabetes (p=0.112). Participants demonstrated predominantly moderate dietary behaviour, with important gaps in fruit intake, carbohydrate monitoring, application of glycaemic knowledge, and nutrition label use. Household food arrangements and nutrition literacy were found to be more strongly associated with healthier dietary behaviour than basic sociodemographic characteristics.
Context-specific interventions that strengthen practical nutrition education, improve food label literacy, and support household-level dietary decision making may improve diabetes dietary management in this setting.

PMID:
42444278
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Jul 2026.

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