Youth and Their Health in Ghana

The Center for Social Development (CSD) has recently released a research brief titled, “Youth and Their Health in Ghana.” The brief offers baseline data on youth’s health in an effort to expand our knowledge on the impact of savings programs on youth health because, “[a] key aspect of youth savings is the potential impact it could have on youth development”.

CSD examines a number of health factors “critical for young people’s ability to safely transition from adolescence to young adulthood, including health perception, protective factors (including parental connection and parental monitoring), risky health behaviors (including attitude toward sex and HIV prevention), and access to health facilities.”

The survey of 6,252 youth and 4,576 guardians shows that the health outlook of Ghanaian youth is rosy. For instance, most of the young Ghanaians describe their health as good, with their guardians sharing this opinion. Also, most young people maintain strong connections with their parents, but avoid discussing some of the sensitive issues, such as having a boyfriend or girlfriend. Reversely, parents like to be involved in their children’s lives, yet allow them some degree of freedom as to how they spend their free time.

As for attitudes toward risky behaviors, Ghanaian youth are more sexually conservative and more knowledgeable about sexually-transmitted diseases than their western peers. This reflects different social norms and extensive school education about HIV/AIDS. An overwhelming majority of youth believe that it is unacceptable for young people to have sex, even with a person they love, until they are married. Similarly, 90 percent of young Ghanaians understand that HIV/AIDS is deadly, can happen to them, and that condoms are the most effective protection against infection.

Researchers also explore the availability of health facilities, reasoning that physical access is a good indicator to health outcomes. Findings show that households have varying levels of access, but on average it takes a person around 18 to 19 minutes to reach the nearest health facility. More than half of households surveyed are within one kilometer (about half a mile) of the closest health facility and nearly 8 out of 10 people are no more than two kilometers away from a health center or hospital. Thus there is little evidence that access to a health facility discourages the youth and their families from accessing appropriate health care.

Overall, this brief provides an important examination of young Ghanaians’ health and attitudes toward health and establishes a strong base for further exploration. In 2014, when the follow-up data is collected, results will help us to expand our knowledge about the impact of financial inclusion on youth health and development. The full Baseline Report from the YouthSave Ghana Experiment is now available.