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Project

The Cost of Eating Healthy in Kenya: Comparative Analysis of Healthy versus Unhealthy Foods
 

Kenya
Project ID
108984
Total Funding
CAD 391,800.00
IDRC Officer
Samuel Oji Oti
Project Status
Completed
End Date
Duration
24 months

Programs and partnerships

Lead institution(s)

Summary

In response to the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Kenya, the Ministry of Health launched the Kenya National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2015-2020. One of the plan’s strategies is to ensure that Kenyans have access to and consume healthy diets.Read more

In response to the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Kenya, the Ministry of Health launched the Kenya National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2015-2020. One of the plan’s strategies is to ensure that Kenyans have access to and consume healthy diets. However, for the Kenyan people to consume healthy diets, they must be able to afford them. Studies in developed countries have shown that healthy diets tend to be more expensive than unhealthy diets. This partly explains why low-income communities in those settings tend to consume more unhealthy food and consequently have high levels of obesity and diet-related NCDs.

The study aims to estimate the relative affordability of eating healthy versus unhealthy foods in a lower-middle-income country, namely Kenya. This will be achieved by applying econometric methods to analyzing national household survey data. The anticipated results from this study will illuminate how socioeconomic inequalities influence healthy versus unhealthy food consumption, providing motivation for the formulation and implementation of policies and strategies that would adjust the relative affordability of a healthy diet in Kenya. The study will be conducted by the African Population and Health Research Center, a leading public health think tank based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Research outputs

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Brief
Language:

English

Summary

This policy brief highlights key findings and policy recommendations from the “Cost of Eating Healthy” study, implemented by the African Population and Health Research Center. A Healthy Diet Index (HDI) was generated to measure healthy-eating based on household consumption. Compared to urban households, rural households met more of the healthy dietary recommendations for dietary fibre, total protein and total carbohydrates. The government could improve access to healthy foods through reducing or removing taxes imposed directly or indirectly on foods like milk, cheese and eggs, fruits, fish and seafood. [See also http://hdl.handle.net/10625/60686]

Author(s)
Mohamed, Shukri
Study
Language:

English

Summary

This study estimated the cost of healthy eating in Kenya, exploring how inequalities in terms of socioeconomic, gender, or residential differences influence food choices, in support of formulation and implementation of better policies, and health strategies. The report provides details of the study methodology, participants, survey instruments, and analysis. A Healthy Diet Index (HDI) was generated as a measure of healthy-eating based on household consumption. Low and middle-income-countries (LMICs) are experiencing an epidemiological transition characterized by an increase in chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). At the same time, dietary behaviours have shifted from traditional diets to those containing increased saturated fats, salt and sugars.

Author(s)
Mohamed, Shukri
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