New district-level findings released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) have revealed significant differences in excessive alcohol consumption among men across the country, with some districts reporting prevalence rates exceeding 60 per cent.
Presenting the findings to journalists, a Data Scientist at the GSS, Mr Peter Yeltume Mwinlaaru, explained that the estimates were produced using Small Area Estimation techniques. These methods combined data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey and the 2022 Population and Housing Census.
According to him, the approach enables the Service to go beyond national and regional averages to generate more detailed district-level insights, helping to expose hidden areas of high risk that might otherwise go unnoticed.
“We estimated about six key indicators using small area estimation, and one of the indicators we focused on was excessive alcohol consumption,” Mr Mwinlaaru said.
He defined excessive alcohol consumption as men aged 15 to 59 years consuming more than two standard measures of alcohol within a specified period, irrespective of the type of alcoholic beverage.
The data showed that several districts in the North East and Savannah regions recorded especially high levels of excessive alcohol intake, with more than six out of every ten men engaging in such behaviour.
“These figures are deeply concerning. Even when a region appears to perform relatively well on average, breaking the data down to the district level shows that some districts are doing far worse than others,” he noted.
Mr Mwinlaaru cited the Western Region as an example, explaining that while certain districts reported lower levels of excessive drinking, others within the same region recorded significantly higher prevalence rates.
He cautioned against assuming that districts with comparatively lower levels of alcohol consumption are safe, stressing that the public health goal for excessive alcohol intake is zero.
“Alcohol consumption is associated with several non-communicable diseases, including diabetes and hypertension. Cutting down excessive drinking is therefore essential for improving health outcomes and preventing avoidable illnesses,” he said.
Beyond health impacts, he added that high levels of excessive drinking also carry serious social and economic costs, such as reduced productivity, rising healthcare expenditure, and increased strain on households and public health systems.
Mr Mwinlaaru explained that the purpose of the small area estimates is not to determine the causes of alcohol consumption, but rather to identify where the problem is most pronounced to support targeted policy responses.
“Our role is to highlight where the challenges are. Subsequent studies can then investigate the underlying causes and help shape more tailored interventions,” he said.
The GSS noted that the district-level reports are meant to support policymakers, researchers and development partners in designing effective public health and behaviour-change interventions that reflect local realities, instead of relying solely on national averages.
