The Status of Environmental Health and Its Implications in an Urban Community in Accra, Ghana: Using Community Diagnosis as a Tool in Medical Education - Abstract
Background: A community diagnosis assesses the living conditions and health status of a community. This paper reports the environmental health aspect of a community diagnosis performed by undergraduate medical students from a private medical school in Accra, Ghana. An assessment of knowledge and skills gained from participation in the activity are also reported.
Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based household survey was conducted at Lenshie Quarters, Accra. Households were selected by cluster sampling. One household head or informed adult with a minimum age of 18 years was interviewed (face to face) in each household. Descriptive statistics were generated using statistical software (SPSS, Microsoft Excel). Knowledge and skills gained by students were assessed, summarized and presented as graphs.
Results: Respondents had a mean age of 30 (± 1.88; n=430) years. Lack of ceilings, scarce household ownership of latrines and sewerage systems, inadequate solid waste disposal, pests and noise were identified as environmental hazards. The most commonly reported diseases were malaria (42.6%) hypertension (19.2%), urinary tract infections (8.5%). Improved water sources for domestic purposes and hand hygiene might have mitigated diarrheal diseases. Knowledge and skills were gained in health planning, design and conduct household surveys, analysis and presentation of health data. Group benefits included team work, communication skills and respect for one another.
Conclusion: Students learnt skills relevant to professional practice through the conduct and presentation of a community diagnosis. Mitigating the hazards identified requires behavior change and enforcement of by-laws at district level to promote a more health supporting environment.