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Culture is different in every country, even within the country; it makes us who we are. However, different cultures can also have a large impact on health whether we connect it or not. What we do, or others do, in their daily lives can have a short and long-term affect on how their current and future health presents itself.

            Ghana still presents itself in a tribal manor with four diverse groups: Mole-Dagbani in the Northern region, Ewe which is East of Lake Volta, Ga-Adangbe on the East, and Akan which is half of Ghana’s population within the southern and center part of Ghana. Within these 4 groups there are approximately 40 different languages and 70 different dialects, the most popular being: Akan of Twi, Ashanti, and Fante. Each village has a Chief, which is normally elected by a “board of elders” who continue to have control over final decisions and the ability to change the elected Chief(SOS Children).

            There are multiple festivals throughout various tribes in Ghana. Three of the most popular are:

Bakatue: held within July as a praise for a bountiful fishing season

Homowo: within the spring for the hope of good rains

Kobine: within the fall to give thanks for a good harvest (Africa Guide).

Within individual tribes there are also specific festivals. Many tribes are also known to have multiple “Right of Passage” festivals for birth, puberty, marriage, and death (Africa Guide).

            If one was to visit Ghana you would see that they are a religious and conservative population (iExplore).

            A large part of a population’s culture is how they survive, what type of work do they do? Ghana is a large area with different cultures, economic levels, and traditions. Within the Ashanti tribe they are craft makers, women are allowed to make pottery, however, the men produce any of the art painted on the pottery, weaving, woodwork or ceramics only (Africa Guide). Within the Ewe tribe they are workers of livestock, fishing, and women preform all trade. (Africa Guide). The professional and business fields are becoming more popular with time, most likely from result of economic needs (Markham). However, it is noted that a large number of the population still depends on “trade skills” skills that are taught over time through apprenticeships. It seems that most of the inhabitants of Ghana possess a hard work ethic, with the quote, “No food for the lazy man. (Markham)” Some skills include hauling materials from different locations, whether this be by foot, cart or vehicle. Cement block manufacturing, tailors who mend or create clothing, auto mechanics, and service workers. (Markham). To access those jobs they utilize multiple forms of transportation- walking, bicycles, buses, or taxis, with the option of trains for long distances (Visual).

            I find that the jobs listed above mainly involve a large amount of labor—and possibly a small amount of income, income that is needed to provide bountiful meals for proper nutrition. Throughout my research I found that most Ghanaians consume high carb and calorie foods but seem to lack proper minerals and vitamins. They are known to eat:

Soups: the most popular being “fufu” which is pounded plantain and cassava or yam.

Kokonke- cassava meal cooked into a thick, heavy paste.

Banku- fermented corn dough

Boiled yams

Rice

Bread

Plantains or Cassava (Africa Guide)

Cassava is mentioned many times throughout my research. It’s a root that is easily grown in “harsh environments.” It is also known by the term “Yuca” described as an “edible starchy tuberous root.” Boiled, which is the main way to prepare cassava because if consumed raw it is poisonous, it lacks a variety of nutrients.

            112 calories: 98% from carbs

            27g of carbs

            1g of fiber

            20% of recommended daily intake of thiamine

            5% of recommended daily intake of phosphorous

            2% of recommended daily intake of calcium

            2% of recommended daily intake of riboflavin

It is also stated that the more the cassava is cooked or “broken down” the more the nutrients decrease (Elliott).

            Throughout my research I found many personal blogs stating what their “daily life” was while spending time within Ghana. One I found that was significantly in depth made it clear that they participate in long days, utilizing the sun as long as it was up, with hard work as well as strong family time.

            I believe, from the research I have preformed thus far, Ghana is a growing society, however, with it being large with so many different “tribes” it does not have one utilized culture. Health is impacted not only from lack of advancements and low economic standing but also, in my opinion, the lack of nutrients. It seems that most within the working age preform high labor jobs however they only eat high carb and caloric foods with lack of essential vitamins.

Explanation / Answer

Comments regarding the research activity:

Cultural differences within a city:

Culture represents a group of ideas, beliefs, customs, and practices which is common to a particular society or a community. Culture varies from country to country, city to city and even multiple cultural patterns can exist within a city. A good example is Ghana, a nation located along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean, with four diverse groups: Mole-Dagbani, Ewe, Ga-Adangbe, and Akan. Within these four groups, multiple languages are spoken.

However, different cultures can also have a large impact on health whether we connect it or not.

Culture and health:

A person’s health depends upon multiple factors. One of the important factors is sociocultural factors because this influences the perception of health, illness, death, beliefs about the cause of a disease, lifestyle, occupation, economic status, food patterns, attitudes towards social status, etc. a cultural pattern may influence one’s health either positively or negatively.

Culture also influences decision-making behavior, approaches to problem-solving, attitudes towards others, their interaction patterns, body language, leadership styles, nature of friendship, etc. By this way, it influences the psychological and social well-being of an individual and has a greater impact on the health of an individual.

What we do, or others do, in their daily lives can have a short and long-term effect on how their current and future health presents itself.

A link between daily cultural patterns and health status:

Cultural patterns influence the behavior of a person in his daily lives and affect the health status both short-term and in the long-run. From this research activity, it is evident that how Ghana’s lifestyle and work-patterns affect their health. For example, in Ghana, people are mostly traders and perform many physical activities. In contrast to current work patterns in cities, they have increased physical activities which lead to the reduction of many diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, etc. However, they still belong to low-income groups and as a result, they have difficulty in accessing healthcare systems. Most of them cannot afford much to pay for their health expenses. Another example is their food patterns – diet which is high in energy producers and lacks many essential nutrients. These two cultural patterns in Ghana have adverse effects on their health. If this pattern continues, it will lead to long-term problems associated with malnutrition, dietary-deficiency diseases, etc. Thus, cultural patterns affect current and future health status of a community.

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