Impact Assessment of Community-Wide Health Education Campaigns on Adolescent Obesity Prevention in Northern Ghanaian Villages: Nutritional Habits and Body Mass Index Changes

Adolescent obesity is a significant public health concern in Northern Ghanaian villages, where limited access to healthcare and nutritional education contributes to high prevalence rates. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including pre- and post-campaign surveys that collected data from adolescents aged 10-18 years. Quantitative analysis focused on BMI measurements and qualitative insights were gathered through focus group discussions. The campaign led to a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of participants with high body mass index (BMI) scores, specifically among those who received comprehensive health education compared to controls. Communities that participated in the health education campaigns exhibited marked improvements in dietary habits and BMI levels, underscoring the efficacy of such interventions. Future initiatives should prioritise community engagement and long-term support to sustain these positive changes. adolescent obesity, Northern Ghanaian villages, health education campaigns, BMI changes, nutritional habits Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.