Morbidity burden and predictors of hospitalization among unaccompanied migrants and persons prone to statelessness in Ghana

Ebenezer Asare Aboagye, Dina Adei and Williams Agyemang-Duah

PLOS Global Public Health, 2026, vol. 6, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: A proportion of global migration involves individuals migrating without parental or legal guardianship and those who face varied barriers to citizenship. Yet empirical evidence on their morbidity burdens and hospitalization particularly in Ghana and similar context remains scarce. This limits capacity for informed policy, planning, and response strategies aligned with global health targets. This study examined the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and predictors of hospitalization among these vulnerable groups. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from March 2024 to May 2024 among 481 purposively selected unaccompanied migrants and persons prone to statelessness in the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and the Awutu Senya East Municipal Area. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, and percentages) and complementary log-log regression in Stata 14.2. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. The analyses revealed a higher prevalence of communicable diseases (23.3%) than NCDs (8.1%). Malaria (90%), flu/cold (30%), typhoid (27%), diabetes (33%) and asthma (21%) emerged as common health conditions with limited and condition-specific subgroup differences. Overall, 8.7% of respondents reported ever being hospitalized. Across models, frequent illness (Model 1: OR = 4.097, 95% CI: 2.056–8.163; Model 2: OR = 3.724, 95% CI: 1.830–7.576; Model 3: OR = 4.224, 95% CI: 2.002–8.913; all p

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pgph00:0006316

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0006316

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