Browsing by Author "Griffiths, P."

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The African urban food environment framework for creating healthy nutrition policy and interventions in urban Africa
(PLOS ONE, 2021) Osei-Kwasi, H.A.; Laar, A.; Zotor, F.; Pradeilles, R.; Aryeetey, R.; Green, M.; Griffiths, P.; Akparibo, R.; Wanjohi, M.N.; Rousham, E.; Barnes, A.; Booth, A.; Mensah, K.; Asiki, G.; Kimani-Murage, E.; Bricas, N.; Holdsworth, M.
This study developed, validated, and evaluated a framework of factors influencing dietary behaviours in urban African food environments, to inform research prioritisation and inter vention development in Africa. A multi-component methodology, drawing on concept map ping, 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 framework developed in a high-income country context. A further 49 factors were identified that were not reported in the selected high-income country framework, underlining the importance of contextualisation. Our conceptual framework offers a useful tool for research to understand dietary transitions in urban African adolescents and adults, as well as identification of factors to intervene when promoting healthy nutritious diets to prevent multiple forms of malnutrition.
Monitoring and moderating extreme indoor temperatures in low-income urban communities
(IOP Publishing, 2021) Wilby, R.L.; Kasei, R.; Gough, K.V.; Amankwaa, E.F.; Abarike, M.; Anderson, N.J.; Codjoe, S.N.A.; Griffiths, P.; Kaba, C.; Abdullah, K.; Kayaga, S.; Matthews, T.; Mensah, P.; Murphy, C.; Yankson, P.W.K.
Climate change presents significant threats to human health, especially for low-income urban communities in the Global South. Despite numerous studies of heat stress, surprisingly little is known about the temperatures actually encountered by people in their homes, or the benefits of affordable adaptations. This paper examines indoor air temperature measurements gathered from 47 living rooms within eight low-income communities of Accra and Tamale, Ghana. Using multiple temperature indices and a tiered analysis, we evaluate indoor temperature variations linked to roof type, ceiling insulation, presence of fans, and tree shade, for different housing types and locations. Our data reveal indoor temperatures in the range 22.4 ◦C to 45.9 ◦C for Accra, and 22.2 ◦C to 43.0 ◦C in Tamale. Using dummy regression analysis, we find that tree shade reduces the number of very hot days (>40 ◦C) and nights (>30 ◦C) by about 12 and 15 d per year, respectively. Building materials also strongly moderate indoor temperatures but in opposing ways: rooms with traditional mud walls and thatch roofs are on average 4.5 ◦C cooler than rooms in concrete block houses with uninsulated metal roofs during the day but are 1.5 ◦C warmer at night; rooms with ceiling insulation are on average 6.9 ◦C cooler in the day but 1.4 ◦C warmer at night. We conclude that sub-daily data are necessary for reporting extreme indoor temperatures, and that trade-offs between minimum and maximum temperatures require interventions to be assessed carefully before attempting to counter extreme heat inside homes.