Rapid review of research on dietary attitudes, beliefs and practices in Ghana 1990-2020

Food-related beliefs and attitudes influence dietary behaviors and are important drivers of nutrition outcomes. Understanding beliefs and attitudes that drive dietary behaviors, as part of the process for developing Food-based Dietary Guidelines is critical for targeting messages to motivate healthy dietary diets. This rapid review was undertaken to summarize readily available local evidence on food-related beliefs, attitudes, and associated practices in Ghana. A rapid review of 39 peer-reviewed publications and graduate-level theses on the dietary behaviors of Ghanaians was conducted between November and December 2020. The study only included articles published between 1990 and 2020 involving apparently healthy populations living in Ghana. Documents were identified through a systematic literature search of Google Scholar and PubMed. Data on food-related knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and practices were extracted into an excel template and analyzed using thematic content analysis. The sampled research included primarily cross-sectional studies of urban, rural, peri-urban and mixed localities throughout Ghana: one was a prospective research. A range of food-related taboos were identified and classified as taboos for the general population, pregnancy-related, or child-related. Although awareness of food-related taboos was common, they were not extensively practiced. Energy-giving and nutrient-dense foods are commonly promoted during pregnancy. Culturally prescribed pre-lacteal feeds and other infant and young child feeding (IYCF) behaviors reported in the studies were not aligned with IYCF recommendations. A 3-meals-a-day pattern was observed, commonly, across all age groups; most adult meals, particularly supper, was prepared at home. However, ready-to-eat meals were regularly purchased by adults and adolescents. Adolescents frequently reported snacking and skipping meals; breakfast was the most frequently skipped meal. Fruits and vegetables were the least consumed food groups across all age groups. Muslim faith was associated with consuming more diverse diets and greater fruit and vegetable consumption. The findings of this review provide an overview of food-related beliefs and practices of Ghanaians and can inform decisions on areas to emphasize in food-based dietary guidelines and associated nutrition education messages to promote healthy diets in the Ghanaian population. Effective nutrition education is needed to dispel harmful food beliefs and practices and promote healthy food choices across the life cycle. Dietary patterns in Ghana are linked with cultural and religious practices that are often unique to particular subgroups, although there are common strands of beliefs across ethnic groups. These beliefs can result in either adverse or beneficial outcomes, depending on what eating patterns it determines.