Ethnic spice use and perceived health benefits among women in a Suburb of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana

Abstract

Background: Spices have a long history of both culinary use and health benefits. Ethnic spices are spices specific to a particular geographic location. In Ghana, there are varying perceptions and uses of ethnic spices which are mostly not documented. Objective: To assess the use and perceived health benefits of ethnic spices among women in Accra, Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 370 women in randomly selected churches in Accra, Ghana. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic data and information on ethnic spice use. Chi-square test was used to determine the association between socio-demographic characteristics of participants and perceived health benefits of ethnic spice usage. Results: The most commonly consumed spices out of the 19 spices explored in this study were onion (98.4%), garlic (97.6%), ginger (96.8%) and chili pepper (84.1%). Majority of the participants perceived ginger (74.6%) and garlic (73.8%) as having health benefits. Age (p=.001) and self-reported health status (p=0.010) were significantly associated with perceived health benefits of the spices. Conclusion: Onion, garlic, ginger and chili pepper were the four most commonly consumed ethnic spices. Age and self-reported health status of participants influenced perceived health benefits of ethnic spice usage. Keywords: Spices; health benefits; perception; flavour.