Education remains key in addressing health challenges - GSS

The Ghana Statistical Services (GSS) has underscored the crucial role of education in addressing health challenges across the country.

Commenting on its 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey which revealed disparities between education and health, the GSS highlights the need for accelerated efforts and investments in addressing the gaps.

Similarly, the 2021 Population and Housing Census shows that 5.4 million persons aged 6 years and older, representing one in every five, have never attended school.

On the back of these damning statistics, Government Statistician Dr. Samuel Kobina Annim warned that without accelerated efforts and investments, the country will be unable to achieve health-related targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Findings of the recently released 2022 GDHS report found a link between educational attainment and health and well-being, thus highlighting the importance of ensuring education for all.

For instance, the finding established that women’s education improves maternal and child health.

“Under-5 mortality for children whose mothers have no education (52 deaths per 1,000 live births) is almost three times higher than for children whose mothers have secondary education or more – 19 deaths per 1,000 live births.

“Among women aged 15 to 49 years who had a live birth in the previous two years, one in every four females (26.5 percent) with no education delivered at home, which is almost 18 times the percentage of females with more than secondary education (1.5 percent).

Also, less than half – 41.8 percent – of children aged 12 to 23 months whose mothers have no education have been fully vaccinated according to the national schedule, while the percentage for those whose mothers have secondary education or more is 82 percent.

In addition, the frequency of alcohol consumption decreases with the level of education, with one in every four males – 26.4 percent – aged 15 to 49 years with no education reported drinking alcohol daily or almost daily, which is about three times the percentage of males with more than secondary education, 9 percent.

“The percentage of females in this age range with no education who reported drinking alcohol daily or almost daily, 11.6 percent, is over five times higher than that of women with more than secondary education, 2.1 percent.

“The likelihood of experiencing violence for females aged 15 to 49 years similarly decreases with educational attainment with females with no education having the highest percentage, 15.1 percent. The rate for sexual violence, 7.1 percent, rates about twice that of women with more than secondary education,” it added.

The report further noted that reporting positive attitudes to wife beating declines with education for both males and females.

“About one in every three women – 35.6 percent – aged 15 to 49 years, with no education, agree that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife – almost eight times higher than women with secondary education or more, 4.5 percent.

“Among men, the percentage of males in this age range with no education who agree wife beating is justified – 27.9 percent – is about seven times higher than men with secondary education or more, 3.8 percent.

It further added that access to mass media and information communication technology increases with educational attainment.

“Among males aged 15 to 49 years with no education, almost half – 44.8 percent – do not access media weekly, compared to males with more than secondary education, 12.7 percent. Furthermore, one in every ten – 11 percent – females and two in every 10 (22.0 percent) males aged 15 to 49 years with no education did not use the Internet in the previous 12 months compared to over nine in every 10 for those with secondary education or more,” a GSS statement to mark the International Day for Education added.