Community stress, environment, and diabetes/CVD risk in Accra, Ghana

A rise in the burden of diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases has persisted in the last 100 years despite several intervention efforts. Understanding the contextual drivers of its risk factors, including the built environment, is necessary, particularly from the perspective of community members. We used cognitive maps, a participatory research approach that allows community members to visualise their environmental context through drawing. CMs express in visual form the situated knowledge of the local environment formed from the regional perceptions of daily experiences. Participants recognised their daily environment’s physical and social attributes and how these influenced the risk of diabetes, hypertension and other CVDs. Excessive heat and hazardous noise from overcrowded spaces emerged as key health risks. The social environment was equally important, saturated with a high concentration of drinking bars, spaces for social interaction, and several social engagements on weekends, often linked to the consumption of excessive alcohol and unhealthy food. Community members reported that the pattern of social behaviour and diet associated with their environments was gradually changing for the worse and accounted for observed changing patterns of diabetes and related CVDs.

About the speaker: Dr Mawuli Kushitor is a population scientist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ghana, currently serving as a Visiting Global Research Associate at the GCHU. His work focuses on population health and health systems, particularly the burden and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in African urban contexts. With a deep interest in how the built environment influences cardiovascular disease risks, his research has driven impactful community-level interventions in Accra targeting hypertension and diabetes. Dr Kushitor employs a range of innovative methods including GIS mapping, social network analysis, and mixed-methods research, often integrating his passion for drone imagery and spatial analysis. A committed mentor, he has guided over 60 students, fostering the next generation of urban health scholars in Africa.

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This event takes place online and is open to all.

Open to: Members of Kellogg College, the public,