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Accepted manuscript

The promotion of ultra-processed foods in modern retail food outlets in rural and urban areas in Kenya

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2024

Caroline H. Karugu Open the ORCID record for Caroline H. Karugu [Opens in a new window] ,
Charles Agyemang ,
Milkah N. Wanjohi Open the ORCID record for Milkah N. Wanjohi [Opens in a new window] ,
Veronica Ojiambo ,
Sharon Mugo ,
Richard E. Sanya ,
Michelle Holdworth Open the ORCID record for Michelle Holdworth [Opens in a new window] ,
Amos Laar ,
Stefanie Vandevijvere  and
Asiki Gershim
Caroline H. Karugu*
Affiliation:
Chronic Diseases Management Unit, African Population Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya. Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health, University of Amsterdam Medical Centers, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Charles Agyemang
Affiliation:
Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health, University of Amsterdam Medical Centers, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Milkah N. Wanjohi
Affiliation:
Chronic Diseases Management Unit, African Population Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
Veronica Ojiambo
Affiliation:
Chronic Diseases Management Unit, African Population Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya. Department of Public & Global Health, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Sharon Mugo
Affiliation:
Chronic Diseases Management Unit, African Population Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
Richard E. Sanya
Affiliation:
Chronic Diseases Management Unit, African Population Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
Michelle Holdworth
Affiliation:
NUTRIPASS Unit, IRD-French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, Montpellier, France.
Amos Laar
Affiliation:
Sciensano, Service of Lifestyle and Chronic Diseases, Brussels, Belgium.
Stefanie Vandevijvere
Affiliation:
Sciensano, Service of Lifestyle and Chronic Diseases, Brussels, Belgium. School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Asiki Gershim
Affiliation:
Chronic Diseases Management Unit, African Population Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya. Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
*
*Corresponding author: Caroline Karugu, Chronic Diseases Management Unit, African Population Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya. [email protected].
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

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Objective:

To assess the availability and marketing of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in modern retail food outlets (supermarkets and minimarts) in Kenya and associated factors.

Design:

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kenya from August 2021 to October 2021. Variables included; the geographic location and the socioeconomic status levels (SES), the food items displayed for sale and advertised in the stores, and locations in the stores such as the entrance.

Setting:

Three counties in Kenya (Nairobi - urban, Mombasa - coastal tourist, and Baringo- rural). Each county was stratified into high and low SES using national poverty indices.

Participants:

Food outlets that offered a self-service, had at least one check-out, and had a minimum of two stocked aisles were assessed.

Results:

Of 115 outlets assessed, UPFs occupied 33% of the cumulative shelf space. UPFs were the most advertised foods (60%) and constituted 40% of foods available for sale. The most commonly used promotional characters were cartoon characters (18%). UPFs were significantly more available for sale in Mombasa (urban) compared to Baringo (rural) (Adjusted prevalence rate ratios (APRR): 1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.00-1.26, p=0.005). UPFs advertisements were significantly higher in Mombasa ((APRR): 2.18: 1.26-3.79, p= 0.005) compared to Baringo and Nairobi counties. There was a significantly higher rate of advertisement of UPFs in larger outlets ((APRR): 1.68: 1.06-2.67 p=0.001) compared to smaller outlets.

Conclusions:

The high marketing and availability of UPFs in modern retail outlets in Kenya calls for policies regulating unhealthy food advertisements in different settings in the country.

Keywords

Ultra-processed foodsunhealthy foodsretail food environmentsmarketing
Type
Research Paper
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Accepted manuscript , pp. 1 - 26
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 2024