Conference Abstract | Volume 9, Abstract 049 (ConfProc7) | Published: 30 Jun 2026
Fatoumata Jabbie1,&, George Kuma Khumalo2, Jarra Marega 3, Mary Bobb 4, Binta Bah¹, Yasir Adeyemi Kareem1, Felecia Saah Toe1, Magdaline Odikoro1
¹Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, University of Ghana School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana, ²Ghana Health Service Bono Region Health Directorate, Accra, Ghana, 3Mental Health Program, Ministry of Health, The Gambia, 4Epidemiology and Disease Control Programme, Ministry of Health, The Gambia
&Corresponding author: Fatoumata Jabbie, Ghana FELTP, UGSPH, Accra, Ghana, Email: jabbiefatoumata95@gmail.com
Received: 29 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 30 Jun 2026
Domain: Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Anxiety Disorders, Public Health Surveillance, Ghana, Health Information Systems, Epidemiology
©Fatoumata Jabbie et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Fatoumata Jabbie et al. Evaluation of generalised anxiety disorder surveillance in Ho Municipality, Ghana, 2020– 2024. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):049. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0049
Anxiety disorders affect over 300 million people globally, causing disability, lost productivity, and poor quality of life. In Ghana, little is known about how well existing surveillance systems capture these cases. Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is reported through the District Health Information Management System (DHIMS2), yet the surveillance system in Ho Municipality has never been evaluated. We aimed to evaluate the system to determine whether it meets its objectives and key attributes.
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using the updated CDC guidelines for surveillance system evaluation. A purposive sample of 21 mental health workers involved in the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) surveillance system was selected in 8 facilities visited. An interview guide was used to collect information, and a checklist was used to assess key attributes. GAD cases were defined per Diagnostic-Statistical-Manual (DSM-5) criteria reported in DHIMS2. The system was evaluated to determine whether its objectives were met. Data were summarised as frequencies and proportions.
Of the 8 health facilities visited, 75% (6/8) recorded and reported GAD cases to the next level. Only 14% (3/21) of staff routinely analysed data, and 25% (2/8) of facilities had a case definition available. The system was simple because staff found reporting straightforward, flexible due to the use of both paper-based tools and DHIMS2, and acceptable as staff valued participation. However, stability was affected by incomplete entries (40%) and DHIMS2 interruptions, which led to reporting delays. Females accounted for 53% of reported cases, mostly aged 15–70 years.
The GAD surveillance system in Ho Municipality is functional and useful, but limited by poor data analysis, incomplete reporting, and absent case definitions in most facilities. Ensuring case definitions and strengthening routine data review will improve data quality and enhance the system’s capacity to guide mental health interventions.
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