TY - JOUR
T1 - The African urban food environment framework for creating healthy nutrition policy and interventions in urban Africa
AU - Osei-Kwasi, Hibbah Araba
AU - Laar, Amos
AU - Zotor, Francis
AU - Pradeilles, Rebecca
AU - Aryeetey, Richmond
AU - Green, Mark
AU - Griffiths, Paula
AU - Akparibo, Robert
AU - Wanjohi, Milkah Njeri
AU - Rousham, Emily
AU - Barnes, Amy
AU - Booth, Andrew
AU - Mensah, Kobby
AU - Asiki, Gershim
AU - Kimani-Murage, Elizabeth
AU - Bricas, Nicolas
AU - Holdsworth, Michelle
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Osei-Kwasi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - This study developed, validated, and evaluated a framework of factors influencing dietary behaviours in urban African food environments, to inform research prioritisation and intervention development in Africa. A multi-component methodology, drawing on concept mapping, was employed to construct a framework of factors influencing dietary behaviours in urban Africa. The framework adapted a widely used socio-ecological model (developed in a high-income country context) and was developed using a mixed-methods research approach that comprised: i. Evidence synthesis consisting of a systematic review of 39 papers covering 14 African countries; ii. Qualitative interview data collected for adolescents and adults (n = 144) using photovoice in urban Ghana and Kenya; and iii. Consultation with interdisciplinary African experts (n = 71) from 27 countries, who contributed to at least one step of the framework (creation, validation/evaluation, finalisation). The final framework included 103 factors influencing dietary behaviours. Experts identified the factors influencing dietary behaviours across all the four levels of the food environment i.e. the individual, social, physical and macro levels. Nearly half (n = 48) were individual-level factors and just under a quarter (n = 26) were at the macro environmental level. Fewer factors associated with social (n = 15) and physical (14) environments were identified. At the macro level, the factors ranked as most important were food prices, cultural beliefs and seasonality. Factors ranked as important at the social level were household composition, family food habits and dietary practices. The type of food available in the neighbourhood and convenience were seen as important at the physical level, while individual food habits, food preferences and socioeconomic status were ranked highly at the individual level. About half of the factors (n = 54) overlap with those reported in an existing socio-ecological food environment funded by a Global Challenges Research Fund Foundation Award (project code: MR/P025153/1) led by the MRC, and supported by AHRC, BBSRC, ESRC and NERC, with the aim of improving the health and prosperity of low and middle-income countries. Awards received by MH (PI). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to the public, or preparation of the manuscript.
AB - This study developed, validated, and evaluated a framework of factors influencing dietary behaviours in urban African food environments, to inform research prioritisation and intervention development in Africa. A multi-component methodology, drawing on concept mapping, was employed to construct a framework of factors influencing dietary behaviours in urban Africa. The framework adapted a widely used socio-ecological model (developed in a high-income country context) and was developed using a mixed-methods research approach that comprised: i. Evidence synthesis consisting of a systematic review of 39 papers covering 14 African countries; ii. Qualitative interview data collected for adolescents and adults (n = 144) using photovoice in urban Ghana and Kenya; and iii. Consultation with interdisciplinary African experts (n = 71) from 27 countries, who contributed to at least one step of the framework (creation, validation/evaluation, finalisation). The final framework included 103 factors influencing dietary behaviours. Experts identified the factors influencing dietary behaviours across all the four levels of the food environment i.e. the individual, social, physical and macro levels. Nearly half (n = 48) were individual-level factors and just under a quarter (n = 26) were at the macro environmental level. Fewer factors associated with social (n = 15) and physical (14) environments were identified. At the macro level, the factors ranked as most important were food prices, cultural beliefs and seasonality. Factors ranked as important at the social level were household composition, family food habits and dietary practices. The type of food available in the neighbourhood and convenience were seen as important at the physical level, while individual food habits, food preferences and socioeconomic status were ranked highly at the individual level. About half of the factors (n = 54) overlap with those reported in an existing socio-ecological food environment funded by a Global Challenges Research Fund Foundation Award (project code: MR/P025153/1) led by the MRC, and supported by AHRC, BBSRC, ESRC and NERC, with the aim of improving the health and prosperity of low and middle-income countries. Awards received by MH (PI). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to the public, or preparation of the manuscript.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104725195&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0249621
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0249621
M3 - Article
C2 - 33886599
AN - SCOPUS:85104725195
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 16
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
IS - 4 April 2021
M1 - e0249621
ER -