ArticlePloS one2026
Prevalence and risk factors of cardiometabolic disease among informal sector workers in Cape Coast, Ghana: Insights from the CarMeR study.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidaemia is increasing rapidly, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Informal workers in Ghana, who account for the majority of the national workforce, contribute significantly to the country's socioeconomic growth. Often, their work predisposes them to cardiometabolic diseases. This study examines the cardiometabolic burden, its associated factors, and the diagnostic heterogeneity among this unique population.
methodsThis study used cross-sectional data on 948 informal workers (traders, fisherfolk, artisans, farmers, and drivers) in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. Sociodemographic, lifestyle, anthropometric, and biochemical data were obtained in accordance with standard procedures. Multiple diagnostic criteria were used to characterise diabetes, prediabetes, and obesity. Diagnostic concordance was evaluated using Venn diagrams and UpSet plots, and independent associated factors were identified using multivariate logistic regression.
resultsThe prevalence of obesity, hypertension, prediabetes, and diabetes was 45.46%, 40.19%, 29.54%, and 13.40%, respectively. Women and middle-aged adults (45-59 years) were most impacted. There was significant heterogeneity in classification criteria, with just 9.28% of obese participants and 2.36% of diabetic participants being diagnosed by all diagnostic criteria. While the absence of childhood obesity was associated with lower odds of obesity (aOR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.30-0.61), diabetes (aOR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.42-0.99), and hypertension (aOR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.46-0.88), older age (≥60 years) was strongly associated with obesity (aOR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.51-4.32) and hypertension (aOR = 4.82, 95% CI: 3.06-7.68). Low physical activity was significantly linked to hypertension (aOR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.16-2.62), and elevated triglycerides were associated with diabetes (aOR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.21-3.75) and hypertension (aOR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.13-3.04).
conclusionsThe burden of cardiometabolic diseases among Ghana's informal workers is disproportionately high and diagnostically diverse. The findings emphasise the critical need for sex- and occupation-sensitive health interventions, life-course prevention strategies, and context-specific diagnostic guidelines to reduce cardiometabolic disease risk among informal workers in LMICs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.