Wanjohi, M.N. orcid.org/0000-0003-4289-4762, Pradeilles, R. orcid.org/0000-0003-0334-3714, Asiki, G. et al. (19 more authors) (2023) Community perceptions on the factors in the social food environment that influence dietary behaviour in cities of Kenya and Ghana: a Photovoice study. Public Health Nutrition, 26 (3). pp. 661-673. ISSN 1368-9800
Abstract
Objective: To explore communities’ perspectives on the factors in the social food environment that influence dietary behaviours in African cities.
Design: A qualitative study using participatory photography (Photovoice). Participants took and discussed photographs representing factors in the social food environment that influence their dietary behaviours. Follow-up in-depth interviews allowed participants to tell the ‘stories’ of their photographs. Thematic analysis was conducted, using data-driven and theory-driven (based on the socio-ecological model) approaches.
Setting: Three low-income areas of Nairobi (n 48) in Kenya and Accra (n 62) and Ho (n 32) in Ghana.
Participants: Adolescents and adults, male and female aged ≥13 years.
Results: The ‘people’ who were most commonly reported as influencers of dietary behaviours within the social food environment included family members, friends, health workers and food vendors. They mainly influenced food purchase, preparation and consumption, through (1) considerations for family members’ food preferences, (2) considerations for family members’ health and nutrition needs, (3) social support by family and friends, (4) provision of nutritional advice and modelling food behaviour by parents and health professionals, (5) food vendors’ services and social qualities.
Conclusions: The family presents an opportunity for promoting healthy dietary behaviours among family members. Peer groups could be harnessed to promote healthy dietary behaviours among adolescents and youth. Empowering food vendors to provide healthier and safer food options could enhance healthier food sourcing, purchasing and consumption in African low-income urban communities.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s), 2022. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Africa; Dietary behaviour; Food environment; Photovoice; Social factors; Urban |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Health and Related Research (Sheffield) > ScHARR - Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL MR/P025153/1 BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION OPP1110043 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 09 Jun 2023 13:13 |
Last Modified: | 09 Jun 2023 13:13 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1017/s1368980022002270 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:199640 |