Objective: To (i) systematically review the literature to determine the factors influencing diet and dietary behaviour in women living in urban Africa; (ii) present these in a visual map; and (iii) utilize this to identify potentially important areas for future research. Design: Systematic mapping review. The review protocol was registered at PROSPERO (http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/; registration number CRD42015017749). Six databases were systematically searched, followed by reference and citation searching. Eligibility criteria included women aged 18-70 years living in urban Africa, any design/methodology, exploring any driver, using any measure of dietary behaviour. Quality appraisal occurred parallel with data extraction. Twelve predominantly cross-sectional quantitative studies were included; reported in seventeen publications. Determinants were synthesized narratively and compiled into a map adapted from an existing ecological model based on research in high-income countries. Setting: Urban Africa. Subjects: African women aged 18-70 years. Results: Determinants significantly associated with unhealthy dietary behaviour ranged from the individual to macro level, comprising negative body image perception, perceptions of insufficient food quantity and poorer quality, poorer food knowledge, skipping meals, snacking less, higher alcohol consumption, unhealthy overall lifestyle, older age, higher socio-economic status, having an education, lower household food expenditure, frequent eating outside the home and media influence. Marital status and strong cultural and religious beliefs were also identified as possible determinants. Conclusions: Few studies have investigated drivers of dietary behaviours in urban African settings. Predominantly individual-level factors were reported. Gaps in the literature identified a need for research into the neglected areas: social, physical and macro-level drivers of food choice.

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to characterise the local foods and beverages sold and advertised in three deprived urban African neighbourhoods.DesignCross-sectional observational study. We undertook an audit of all food outlets (outlet type and food sold) and food advertisements. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise exposures. Latent class analysis was used to explore the interactions between food advertisements, food outlet types and food type availability.SettingThree deprived neighbourhoods in African cities: Jamestown in Accra, Ho Dome in Ho (both Ghana) and Makadara in Nairobi (Kenya).Main outcome measureTypes of foods and beverages sold and/or advertised.ResultsJamestown (80.5%) and Makadara (70.9%) were dominated by informal vendors. There was a wide diversity of foods, with high availability of healthy (eg, staples, vegetables) and unhealthy foods (eg, processed/fried foods, sugar-sweetened beverages). Almost half of all advertisements were for sugar-sweetened beverages (48.3%), with higher exposure to alcohol adverts compared with other items as well (28.5%). We identified five latent classes which demonstrated the clustering of healthier foods in informal outlets, and unhealthy foods in formal outlets.ConclusionOur study presents one of the most detailed geospatial exploration of the urban food environment in Africa. The high exposure of sugar-sweetened beverages and alcohol both available and advertised represent changing urban food environments. The concentration of unhealthy foods and beverages in formal outlets and advertisements of unhealthy products may offer important policy opportunities for regulation and action.

AbstractObjective:To synthesise evidence of urban dietary behaviours (macronutrients, types of foods, dietary diversity and dietary practices) in two African countries in relation to postulated changes in the context of nutrition transition.Design:Systematic review and meta-analyses, including six online databases and grey literature, 1971–2018 (Protocol CRD42017067718).Setting:Urban Ghana and Kenya.Participants:Population-based studies of healthy adolescents and adults.Results:The forty-seven included studies encompassed 20 726 individuals plus 6526 households. Macronutrients were within WHO-recommended ranges: mean energy intake was 1867 kcal/d (95 % CI 1764, 1969) and the proportions of macronutrients were carbohydrate 61·2 % (58·4, 64·0), fat 25·3 % (22·8, 28·0) and protein 13·7 % (12·3, 15·1). The proportion of population consuming fruit and vegetables was 51·6 %; unhealthy foods, 29·4 %; and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), 39·9 %. Two-thirds (68·8 %) consumed animal-source proteins. Dietary diversity scores were within the mid-range. Meal patterns were structured (typically three meals per day), with evidence lacking on snacking or eating out.Conclusions:Population-level diets fell within WHO macronutrient recommendations, were relatively diverse with structured meal patterns, but some indications of nutrition transition were apparent. The proportion of population consuming fruit and vegetables was low compared to healthy-eating recommendations, and consumption of SSBs was widespread. A paucity of evidence from 1971 to 2010 precluded a longitudinal analysis of nutrition transition. Evidence from these two countries indicates which aspects of dietary behaviours may be contributing to increasing overweight/obesity, namely a low proportion of population consuming fruit and vegetables and widespread consumption of SSBs. These are potential targets for promoting healthier diets.

ObjectiveTo investigate the associations of household and neighbourhood socio-economic position (SEP) with indicators of both under- and overnutrition in adolescents and to explore sex differences.DesignAnalysis of anthropometric, household and neighbourhood SEP data from the Birth to Twenty Plus cohort born in 1990. Anthropometric outcomes were BMI (thinness, overweight and obesity) and percentage body fat (%BF; low, high). Associations between these and the household wealth index, caregiver education and neighbourhood SEP tertile measures were examined using binary logistic regression.SettingJohannesburg–Soweto, South Africa.SubjectsAdolescents aged 17–19 years (n 2019; 48·2 % men).ResultsWomen had a significantly higher combined prevalence of overweight/obesity (26·2 %) than men (8·2 %) whereas men had a significantly higher prevalence of thinness than women (22·2 % v. 10·6 %, respectively). Having a low neighbourhood social support index was associated with higher odds of high %BF in women (OR=1·59; 95 % CI 1·03, 2·44). A low household wealth index was associated with lower odds of both overweight (OR=0·31; 95 % CI 0·12, 0·76) and high %BF in men (OR=0·28; 95 % CI 0·10, 0·78). A low or middle household wealth index was associated with higher odds of being thin in men (OR=1·90; 95 % CI 1·09, 3·31 and OR=1·80; 95 % CI 1·03, 3·15, respectively). For women, a low household wealth index was associated with lower odds of being thin (OR=0·49; 95 % CI 0·25, 0·96).ConclusionsThe study highlights that even within a relatively small urban area the nutrition transition manifests itself differently in men and women and across SEP indicators. Understanding the challenges for different sexes at different ages is vital in helping to plan public health services.