Factors influencing dietary behaviours in urban food environments in Africa: a systematic mapping review
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Date
2020-05-26
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Public Health Nutrition
Abstract
Objective: To identify factors influencing dietary behaviours in urban food environments
in Africa and identify areas for future research.
Design: We systematically reviewed published/grey literature (protocol
CRD4201706893). Findings were compiled into a map using a socio-ecological
model on four environmental levels: individual, social, physical and macro.
Setting: Urban food environments in Africa.
Participants: Studies involving adolescents and adults (11–70 years, male/female).
Results: Thirty-nine studies were included (six adolescent, fifteen adolescent/adult
combined and eighteen adult). Quantitative methods were most common (twentyeight
quantitative, nine qualitative and two mixed methods). Studies were from
fifteen African countries. Seventy-seven factors influencing dietary behaviours
were identified, with two-thirds at the individual level (45/77). Factors in the social
(11/77), physical (12/77) and macro (9/77) environments were investigated less.
Individual-level factors that specifically emerged for adolescents included selfesteem,
body satisfaction, dieting, spoken language, school attendance, gender,
body composition, pubertal development, BMI and fat mass. Studies involving
adolescents investigated social environment-level factorsmore, for example, sharing
food with friends. The physical food environment was more commonly explored in
adults, for example, convenience/availability of food.Macro-level factors associated
with dietary behaviours were food/drink advertising, religion and food prices.
Factors associated with dietary behaviour were broadly similar for men and women.
Conclusions: The dominance of studies exploring individual-level factors suggests
a need for research to explore how social, physical and macro-level environments
drive dietary behaviours of adolescents and adults in urban Africa. More studies are
needed for adolescents and men, and studies widening the geographical scope to
encompass all African countries
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Dietary behaviour, Africa, Urban, Food environment
Citation
Change citation format Osei-Kwasi, H., Mohindra, A., Booth, A., Laar, A., Wanjohi, M., Graham, F., . . . Holdsworth, M. (2020). Factors influencing dietary behaviours in urban food environments in Africa: A systematic mapping review. Public Health Nutrition, 1-18. doi:10.1017/S1368980019005305