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Accepted manuscript

Characterising “obesogenic” versus “protective” food consumption, and their value chain among Ghanaian households

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 February 2025

Reginald Adjetey Annan Open the ORCID record for Reginald Adjetey Annan [Opens in a new window] ,
Nana Ama Frimpomaa Agyapong Open the ORCID record for Nana Ama Frimpomaa Agyapong [Opens in a new window] ,
Robert Aidoo ,
Charles Apprey Open the ORCID record for Charles Apprey [Opens in a new window] ,
Linda Nana Esi Aduku  and
Elizabeth C Swart Open the ORCID record for Elizabeth C Swart [Opens in a new window]
Reginald Adjetey Annan*
Affiliation:
Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), PMB University Post Office, Kumasi, Ghana
Nana Ama Frimpomaa Agyapong
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
Robert Aidoo
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness & Extension, Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi Ghana.
Charles Apprey
Affiliation:
Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), PMB University Post Office, Kumasi, Ghana
Linda Nana Esi Aduku
Affiliation:
Office of Grants and Research, College of Science Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), PMB University Post Office, Kumasi, Ghana
Elizabeth C Swart
Affiliation:
Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
*
Corresponding author: Reginald Adjetey Annan, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), PMB University Post Office, Kumasi, Ghana. [email protected]
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Abstract

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Objectives:

This paper explores the characteristics of Ghanaian households’ consumption of obesogenic versus protective foods, including their retail, distribution, and origin.

Design:

A household food consumption survey was conducted using an adapted Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study Food Frequency Questionnaire. Product pathways for selected obesogenic (processed meat, Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, and biscuits) and protective (cooked vegetables, legumes, and fish) foods were traced from retailers through distributors/wholesalers to producers.

Setting:

Rural and urban communities in the Ashanti Region and selected retail/wholesale/producers nationwide.

Participants:

612 households, 209 retailers and 185 wholesalers/distributors.

Results:

About 20% of households consume Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) and confectionery weekly, and just 2% consumed processed meat. Of the protective foods, fish had the highest proportion of households consuming weekly (74.5%), followed by cooked vegetables (53.1%) and legumes (22.8%). Frequent SSB consumption is higher in younger (p<0.001), male (p=0.010), urban (p<0.001), and more educated (p<0.001) food purchaser households. Below 10% of households followed the healthiest dietary pattern (high-protective-and-low-obesogenic) but higher in older and more educated food purchaser households. In contrast, most households (about 80%) consumption patterns did not discriminate between obesogenic and protective foods. Generally, characteristics of purchasers from retail/wholesale outlets agree with those of households, where obesogenic foods were retailed to younger, less educated buyers than older, more educated ones. While the protective foods had a strong local producer presence, the obesogenic foods were predominantly imported.

Conclusion:

Household consumption and retail/distribution of obesogenic foods are associated with socio-demographic characteristics, but obesogenic foods are almost entirely produced outside Ghana. Policies that regulate importation on health grounds can promote a healthier food environment.

Keywords

Nutrition transitionobesogenic food environmentGhana
Type
Research Paper
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Accepted manuscript , pp. 1 - 36
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Authors 2025