Original Research

Effects of the community-based health planning and services on anemia and acute malnutrition amongst under-fives in Ghana: A comparative study

Mark Bigool, Nicodemus Osei Owusu, Angela Anastasia Frimpong
Journal of Public Health in Africa | Vol 14, No 1 | a257 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/jphia.2023.2169 | © 2024 Mark Bigool, Nicodemus Osei Owusu, Angela Anastasia Frimpong | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 08 April 2024 | Published: 27 January 2023

About the author(s)

Mark Bigool, Department of Management, School of Business, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
Nicodemus Osei Owusu, Department of Management, School of Business, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
Angela Anastasia Frimpong, Department of Management, School of Business, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

Abstract

Background: Ghana implemented a community-based health planning and services (CHPS) in 2000 with the aim of bringing health services to the doorsteps of the deprived in the communities. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) supported the implementation of the project with a distinct approach in the Upper West region, employing supportive supervision.

Objective: To investigate the impact of the JICA CHPS model on anemia and acute malnutrition prevalence amongst children less than five years of age. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study design that compares the upper west region with the two other regions of the North implementing the traditional model of CHPS. We used the Ghana demographic and health survey dataset for 2003 as the baseline and 2014 as the follow-up year and employed the difference-in-dif-ference approach. We find a reduction in the likelihood of anemia and acute malnutrition prevalence among children less than five years by 17 and 8 percentage points respectively. We find the project to be cost-effective, at a cost of $7 per each anemia prevalence averted.

Conclusions: The results indicate that the JICA model of CHPS is cost-effective in the reduction of anemia and acute malnutrition prevalence compared to the traditional model. We recommend a nationwide expansion of the JICA model to enhance the reduction of anemia and acute malnutrition in Ghana


Keywords

JICA CHPS; Anemia; Acute malnutrition; Difference-in-difference; Ghana

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Crossref Citations

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