Accra: Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), in partnership with the International Medical Corporation Canada (IMCC-Ashipti), has launched a three-year project aimed at preventing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) among school children in urban Ghana. The project, dubbed the 'ASHIPTI Project,' seeks to improve the physical health and well-being of children and increase awareness and knowledge on lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and stroke.
According to Ghana News Agency, the intervention, which runs from April 2026 to March 2029, will be implemented at St. Dominic Catholic School, Taifa, and St. Peter's Catholic School, Osu, targeting about 640 students between the ages of 12 and 15 years. Dr. Felicia Akuribire, a Medical Doctor with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, expressed concern over the increasing incidence of hypertension, obesity, and type 2 diabetes among children and young people. She attributed the trend to unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity, and excessive screen time among children.
Dr. Akuribire emphasized that these diseases begin with inflammatory processes at a young age and manifest fully in adulthood. In the past, children were more physically active, regularly playing and burning calories naturally. Today, many children spend long hours behind screens with little or no physical activity. Studies show that one in five children is either overweight or obese, increasing their risk of developing hypertension and diabetes later in life. Some studies have also identified hypertension among children within the 12 to 18 age bracket.
Dr. Akuribire called on parents, schools, and communities to prioritize healthy lifestyles by reducing sugary drinks, promoting fruits and vegetables, encouraging exercise, and limiting children's screen time. She stressed the importance of forming healthy habits early to prevent young adults from suffering from hypertension, kidney diseases, and diabetes.
Ms. Catherine Williams, Project Lead for the ASHIPTI NCD Prevention Project, noted that the initiative was first piloted in 2022 and yielded positive results, despite revealing a lack of knowledge among school children about healthy diets and NCDs. The expansion of the project from one to two schools and from 100 to 640 beneficiaries reflects the commitment of IMCC-Ashipti to promoting preventive healthcare among children.
Ms. Williams explained that volunteers would visit the schools every Friday during Physical Education periods to engage students in activities such as football, volleyball, skipping, sack races, ampe, and running. To support the programme, the project donated 640 skipping ropes, 640 water bottles, 50 sports sacks, footballs, meal charts, physical activity catalogues, and educational materials. Sporting and cooking competitions will also be organized biannually to promote healthy lifestyles among the students.
She expressed concern over the increasing preference for processed and fast foods among children. During the baseline assessment, some children identified foods such as Indomie, pizza, French fries, shawarma, and fried chicken as healthy foods, indicating a significant knowledge gap. The programme will also engage parents through Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings and advocate policies to regulate unhealthy food products and sugary beverages flooding local markets.
Mrs. Theresa Oppong Mensah, School Health Education Programme (SHEP) Coordinator of the Ghana Education Service, described the project as timely and necessary. She noted that Ghana is witnessing a growing burden of NCDs among both adults and children due to changing lifestyles, unhealthy diets, and reduced physical activity.
Mrs. Oppong Mensah warned that without urgent action, there is a risk of raising a generation that is academically equipped but physically unhealthy. She emphasized the inseparability of education and health, as unhealthy children cannot effectively learn or achieve their full potential. She commended HFFG and its partners for demonstrating leadership in addressing major public health concerns affecting children.
Ms. Felicity Sarah Armah, the Headmistress of St. Peters Catholic School, expressed gratitude to HFFG for the initiative and for donating the items to the school. She assured that the items would be used for their intended purpose to prevent NCDs among children.
The ASHIPTI Project forms part of broader efforts to address Ghana's growing burden of NCDs, which accounted for 43 percent of all deaths in the country in 2016. Health experts warn that rapid urbanization, sedentary lifestyles, and increased consumption of highly processed foods continue to fuel the rise in hypertension, diabetes, and obesity among Ghana's youthful population.