A Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), Prof Gordon Abekah-Nkrumah, has attributed the prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to lifestyle problems.

Speaking at a JoyNews national dialogue on "NCD - The Silent Killer" on Thursday, July 11, he emphasised the need to address NCDs from a broader, more holistic perspective rather than just medicalising the issue.

"The problem is that we have just over-medicalized so many things. I don't think that NCD is a medical problem. It is a lifestyle problem," he stated.

Prof Abekah-Nkrumah suggested that policy discussions about NCDs should involve multiple sectors, including the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Education, to effectively prevent these diseases.

He highlighted that both wealthy and poor children are at risk due to their lifestyles and nutrition habits.

He explained that wealthy children are at risk due to unhealthy lifestyle choices, while poor children are vulnerable because of inadequate nutrition, which can predispose them to NCDs later in life.

"Kids in school who don't get better nutrition, there is a way that the body can adjust to that situation such that by the time they are 30, they are predisposed to NCDs," he elaborated.

He cited a study conducted after World War II to support his point.

"In looking at kids born during and after the war, they realized that kids born during the war were more predisposed to NCDs because the body systems had to adjust to depreciation."

Prof Abekah-Nkrumah commended the Ghana school feeding programme at the lower level in public schools while calling for an educational model to educate rich kids to stay off junk foods.

Prof Abekah-Nkrumah concluded that a comprehensive approach involving various sectors is essential to effectively tackle the root causes of NCDs.