A non – governmental and not for profit organization , Communication Initiatives for Change (CIC) has held a day’s sensitization workshop for a select group of journalists to educate them on healthy meat consumption habits under its flagship programme codenamed “Meatless Monday” in the country and how the mass media in Ghana can pass on adequate lifestyle education to the citizens.
The workshop was held on September 17 ,2024 in Accra with journalists drawn all across various media houses in the major meat consuming regions in the country to throw light on how citizens can consciously reduce dependence on meat consumption particularly red meat and its attendant effects on the health of the consuming public .
Experts from all across the Public health space and resource persons were drawn from top hospitals across the country as well as from the Ghana Health Service to educate on the dangers of constant meat consumption and the prevailing issues of non communicable diseases fast spreading in the population in recent times .
Speaking at the ceremony, the Acting Director of the Health Promotion Division at the Ghana Health Service, Dr Mary Osafo indicated that the “Meatless Monday” programme developed by the CIC which seeks to enlighten the Ghanaian populace on how to manage their meat consumption for atleast one day in the week ties in perfectly with the vision of the Health Promotion Division of the Service in encouraging preventive health care in the population to create awareness on how to keep healthy lifestyles which saves huge financial resources the state spends on providing medical attention to persons who turn up in the various medical centres for treatment due to lifestyle choices which can be avoided.
“ The main aim for the creation of the Health Promotion Division of the Ghana Health Service was to institute ways and means of engaging the general populace to keep to healthy lifestyles in general and to inculcate self preservation into consumption behaviour of what meals to consume and its overall impact on their health by reducing the risk of falling to non communicable diseases like diabetes , stroke , high blood pressure amongst others with a focus to reducing the burden on health facilities across the country.
The Division is grateful to see proactive private sector and non governmental entities like CIC for providing partnership for the regenerative health policy developed by the Ministry of Health in 2007 by training health reporters to use mass media communication tools to encourage healthy eating with a special focus on plant based consumption through the “Meatless Monday” programme which goes a long way to help Ghanaians in totality to be more responsible in their eating habits which will automatically translate into a reduction In the cases of non communicable diseases reported at health facilities across Ghana”.
Also, the Executive Director for Communication for Initiatives also intimated that the concept of “Meatless Monday” is very relevant in the global community with presence in close to 30 countries and with the rapid urbanization in Ghana amongst the most fastest in the world, the change in income levels and career progression across the population spurs high taste for meat consumption particularly red meat which leads to an attendant health conditions which involves high rate of non communicable diseases in the youthful and economically active aspects of the population which needs immediate attention.
“ Ghana has one of the fastest urbanizing rates in the world and a very health conscious and proactive health promotion programme like the “Meatless Monday” which has gained traction in close to over 30 countries ought to be replicated and advocated for to be adopted into the lifestyles of the citizenry in order for health authorities and policy makers to be able to check the rapid rise in non communicable diseases among the populace due to lifestyle changes and over consumption of animal protein (red meat).
Highly reputable health journals and research carried out by both global health experts and African professionals indicate that Ghana lags behind many of its contemporary nations when it comes to wholesome consumption of plant based protein as an alternative to animal proteins with South Africa , Nigeria (73%) and Kenya (94%)holding close to 68% percent with regards to consumption of fruits and vegetables in meals compared to 27% (Ghana) which calls for urgent national attention.
The worse of this data is that according to the 2014 Ghana Health Demographic Survey shows that less than 5% of the adult Ghanaian population include adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables as part of their meal routines”.
Meatless Monday is a global movement that encourages people to reduce meat in their diet for their health and the health of the planet. The campaign was started in 2003 by Sid Lerner, the Founder of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.
Communication Initiatives for Change (CIC) is a Ghanaian non-profit and non-governmental organisation established and registered in 2010. Its establishment was motivated by over two decades of work with reputable global organisations and experts in the field of health and development communication, community mobilization and advocacy; and the need to raise the standard of response to development and communication needs of Ghanaian institutions, groups and individuals.
