Prevalence of overweight and obesity among health-care workers in Ghana: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Obesity and overweight are among the major problems faced by the health sector with their prevalence increasing at an alarming rate and health-care professionals play a major role in mitigating these conditions. We, therefore, sought to identify and discuss available epidemiological data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among health workers in Ghana. Methods: We retrieve articles available in PubMed/Medline, African Journal Online, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. The keywords combination used to search the databases were (((overweight) AND (obesity)) AND (healthcare workers)) AND (Ghana) and (((overweight) OR (obesity)) AND (healthcare workers)) AND (Ghana) and (((overweight) AND (obesity)) AND (health workers)) AND (Ghana) without the restriction of date or type of articles. Four studies were eligible and were used to systematically review the prevalence of overweight and obesity among health-care workers in Ghana. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among health-care workers in Ghana ranged from 25.3% to 38.39% and 12.5% to 28.9%. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among health workers in Ghana. Thus, it is imperative to create more awareness of the imminent dangers posed by these conditions and promote a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise regimens and dietary choices.