5 It is reported that the proportion of adults BI 2536 supplier with elevated blood pressure (46%) is greater in Africa than any other region. Also, almost 30% of people in SSA do not achieve sufficient physical activity. Overweight prevalence has been reported to be rising rather rapidly in SSA.7 Among preschool children, Africa had the highest incidence of overweight between 1990

and 2010.8 Developing countries such as Ghana are currently recording diet-related diseases at a rather fast pace.9,10 In 2008, one-third of Ghanaian women were overweight or obese.11 Another survey in urban Accra reported 35% obesity plus 28% overweight among adult women.12 High rates of hypertension ranging between 20% and 50% has been documented.9 In 2002, an estimated 8% of diabetes prevalence among men in Accra suggests a rapid increase over 0.2% observed among men in Ho in the sixties.13 These reports highlight the need for competent dietitians to provide preventive and therapeutic dietetic services as part of a national NCD strategy. However, little is known about dietitians, dietetics practice, and capacity of dietitians to manage dietetic challenges in Ghana. The overall goal of the current article, therefore, is to describe the evolution of the dietetics profession, from

its colonial beginnings to the current state of SRT1720 practice and discusses the gaps in dietetic practice in Ghana as a basis for guiding future development of dietetics practice in Ghana. Methods The current study was carried out in Ghana, a country on the West Coast of Africa, which shares borders with La Cote D’Ivoire, Togo and Burkina Faso. With a population of 24 million people, Ghana’s largely agrarian population which used to live in rural communities is rapidly moving to live in cities. Currently, an estimated 60% of Ghanaians are living in urban communities. Increased exposure to the global market is significantly modifying the traditional food system. As Astemizole a result, supermarkets are becoming a common

shopping option for household food needs. Processed food products have also become more accessible to Ghanaians living in both urban and rural settings. In the major cities of Ghana, shopping malls offering a variety of processed convenience foods are becoming common place. However, both physical and financial access to health services, including dietetics services still remain a challenge. A cross-sectional design employing mixed methods was used in the data collection. Thirteen dietitians and 6 dietetic interns who participated in a dietetic internship preceptors’ workshop in Accra in February 2012 completed a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire which was adapted from previous studies,14,15 collected data on dietitians’ perceptions of dietetics practice in Ghana regarding opportunities for further training, adequacy of job aids, remuneration, and opportunities for career progression.