Drivers of dietary behaviours in women living in urban Africa: a systematic mapping review

ObjectiveTo (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.DesignSystematic 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.SettingUrban Africa.SubjectsAfrican women aged 18–70 years.ResultsDeterminants 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.ConclusionsFew 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.</div

Factors influencing dietary behaviours in urban food environments in Africa: a systematic mapping review

Objective: To identify factors influencing dietary behaviours in urban food environments in Africa and identify areas for future research.Design: We systematically reviewed published/grey literature (Protocol CRD4201706893). Findings were compiled into a map using a socio-ecological model on four environmental levels: individual, social, physical and macro.Setting: Urban food environments in Africa.Participants: Studies involving adolescents and adults (11-70 years, male/female).Results: Thirty-nine studies were included (6 adolescent; 15 adolescent/adult combined; 18 adult). Quantitative methods were most common (28 quantitative; 9 qualitative; 2 mixed methods). Studies were from 15 African countries. Seventy-seven factors influencing dietary behaviours were identified, with two-thirds at the individual level (45/77). Factors in the social (11/77), physical (12/77) and macro (9/77) environments were investigated less. Individual level factors that specifically emerged for adolescents included self-esteem, body satisfaction, dieting, spoken language, school attendance, gender, body composition, pubertal development, BMI and fat mass. Studies involving adolescents investigated social environment level factors more, e.g. sharing food with friends. The physical food environment was more commonly explored in adults e.g. convenience/availability of food. Macro-level factors associated with dietary behaviours were: food/drink advertising, religion and food prices. Factors associated with dietary behaviour were broadly similar for men and women.Conclusions: The dominance of studies exploring individual-level factors suggests a need for research to explore how social, physical and macro-level environments drive dietary behaviours of adolescents and adults in urban Africa. More studies are needed for adolescents and men, and studies widening the geographical scope to encompass all African countries.</div

Additional file 1: Table S1. of The relevance of the side-view in body image scales for public health: an example from two African populations

Summary table of the models testing the relationship between bio-anthropometrics and front-views of men’s body shapes. Table provide the Pillai’s trace statistic and associated F-tests from multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) performed on the first eight principal components of the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on Fourier coefficients (see main text for details). Analyses were performed using the function Manova from the R package car. (XLSX 11 kb

Development and Validation of the Body Size Scale for Assessing Body Weight Perception in African Populations

<div><p>Background</p><p>The social valorisation of overweight in African populations could promote high-risk eating behaviours and therefore become a risk factor of obesity. However, existing scales to assess body image are usually not accurate enough to allow comparative studies of body weight perception in different African populations. This study aimed to develop and validate the Body Size Scale (BSS) to estimate African body weight perception.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Anthropometric measures of 80 Cameroonians and 81 Senegalese were used to evaluate three criteria of adiposity: body mass index (BMI), overall percentage of fat, and endomorphy (fat component of the somatotype). To develop the BSS, the participants were photographed in full face and profile positions. Models were selected for their representativeness of the wide variability in adiposity with a progressive increase along the scale. Then, for the validation protocol, participants self-administered the BSS to assess self-perceived current body size (CBS), desired body size (DBS) and provide a “body self-satisfaction index.” This protocol included construct validity, test-retest reliability and convergent validity and was carried out with three independent samples of respectively 201, 103 and 1115 Cameroonians.</p><p>Results</p><p>The BSS comprises two sex-specific scales of photos of 9 models each, and ordered by increasing adiposity. Most participants were able to correctly order the BSS by increasing adiposity, using three different words to define body size. Test-retest reliability was consistent in estimating CBS, DBS and the “body self-satisfaction index.” The CBS was highly correlated to the objective BMI, and two different indexes assessed with the BSS were consistent with declarations obtained in interviews.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>The BSS is the first scale with photos of real African models taken in both full face and profile and representing a wide and representative variability in adiposity. The validation protocol proved its reliability for estimating body weight perception in Africans.</p></div

Asiakaskokemuksen muodostuminen : Case Asiakastyytyväisyys Tiilinummen Siwassa

Tämän opinnäytetyön aiheena oli tutkia asiakastyytyväisyyttä Tiilinummen Siwassa. Asiakastyytyväisyystutkimuksella haluttiin saada selville asiakkaiden mielipiteitä ja kokemuksia myymälän henkilökunnan asiakaspalveluosaamisesta ja henkilökunnan ystävällisyydestä. Palvelukokemusta kartoitettiin myös kysymällä asiakkaiden mielipiteitä myymälän siisteydestä ja puhtaudesta. Tavoitteena oli lisäksi tutkia, mitä mieltä asiakkaat ovat tuoretuotteiden valikoimista ja saatavuudesta sekä myymälän hintatasosta. Opinnäytetyön teoriaosa sisältää teoriaa asiakaskokemuksen muodostumisesta, myymäläympäristön merkityksestä, markkinoinnin kilpailukeinoista ja henkilökunnan asiakaspalveluosaamisen tärkeydestä. Lisäksi teoriaosuudessa käsitellään vähittäiskaupan ketjumaista toimintaa sekä Suomen Lähikauppaa ja Siwa-myymälöitä. Asiakastyytyväisyyskysely toteutettiin maaliskuussa 2013 viiden päivän aikana antamalla asiakkaille kyselylomake täytettäväksi asioinnin yhteydessä. Kyselylomaketta tarjottiin kaikille yli 18-vuotiaille asiakkaille. Vastauksia saatiin 142 kappaletta. Analysoidut vastaukset esitetään taulukoita ja graafisia kuvioita apuna käyttäen. Kyselyn avulla todettiin, että vastaajat olivat pääosin tyytyväisiä asiakaspalveluun sekä myymälän tuotteisiin ja niiden hintatasoon. He olivat varsin tyytyväisiä myös valikoimiin sekä tuotteiden saatavuuteen. Tyytyväisimpiä kyselyn perusteella oltiin asiakaspalveluun. Kyselyn avulla myymälässä kehitettiin valikoimia.The purpose of this thesis was to exam the customer satisfaction in Siwa Tiilinummi. With this survey it was wanted to find out the customer´s opinions and experiences about personnel`s customer service skills and their friendliness. Service experience was charted also by asking customers opinions about tidiness and cleanliness of the store. The purpose was also to exam customers opinions about the range and availa-bility of the perishable goods and the price level of the store. The theoretical part of the thesis deals with theories about containing of the customer experience, the meaning of store environment, competitive means of marketing and the importance of the personnel`s customer service skills. In addition the theoretical part deals with chain trade of the retail chain and Suomen Lähikauppa and Siwa-stores. The customer satisfaction research was conducted in March 2013. Questionnaires were given to customers during five days to answer. Questionnaires were offered to everyone over 18-years customer. The questionnaires were answered by 142 custom-ers. The analysed answers are presented using tables and graphic figures. The results of this survey indicated that the customers were mainly satisfied with the customer service and the product of the store, as well as the prices and the range of products and product availability

Additional file 4: Table S4. of The relevance of the side-view in body image scales for public health: an example from two African populations

Summary table of the models testing the relationship between bio-anthropometrics and side-views of women body shapes. See Table 1 in main text. (XLSX 6 kb

Supplementary Information Files for Body size preferences for women and adolescent girls living in Africa: a mixed-methods systematic review

Supplementary Information Files for Body size preferences for women and adolescent girls living in Africa: a mixed-methods systematic reviewObjective: To synthesise evidence on body size preferences for females living in Africa and the factors influencing these. Design: Mixed-methods systematic review including searches on Medline, CINHAL, ASSIA, Web of Science and PsycINFO (PROSPERO CRD42015020509). A sequential-explanatory approach was used to integrate quantitative and qualitative findings. Setting: Urban and rural Africa. Participants: Studies of both sexes providing data on body size preferences for adolescent girls and women aged ≥10 years. Results: 73 articles from 21 countries were included: 50 quantitative, 15 qualitative and eight mixed methods. Most studies reported a preference for normal or overweight body sizes. Some studies of adolescent girls/young women indicated a preference for underweight. Factors influencing preferences for large(r) body sizes included: socio-demographic (e.g. education, rural residency), health-related (e.g. current Body Mass Index, pubertal status), psycho-social (e.g. avoiding HIV stigma) and socio-cultural factors (e.g. spouse's preference, social standing, cultural norms). Factors influencing preferences for slim(mer) body sizes included: socio-demographic (e.g. higher socioeconomic status, urban residency, younger age), health-related (e.g. health knowledge, being nulliparous), psycho-social (e.g. appearance, body size perception as overweight/obese), and socio-cultural factors (e.g. peer pressure, media). Conclusions: A preference for overweight (not obese) body sizes among some African females means that interventions need to account for the array of factors that maintain these preferences. The widespread preference for normal weight is positive in public health terms, but the valorisation of underweight in adolescent girls/young women may lead to an increase in body dissatisfaction. Emphasis needs to be placed on education to prevent all forms of malnutrition.<br

Male Body Size Scale.

<p>The scale shows 9 Black male models from front and left side-views, and ordered by increasing adiposity. The table gives the levels of endomorphy component, body fat percentage and body mass index corresponding to each model.</p

κ and weighted κ corresponding to the construct validity of the Body Size Scale, according to sex and living area of the participants.

<p>κ and weighted κ corresponding to the construct validity of the Body Size Scale, according to sex and living area of the participants.</p

Somatotype profiles of female candidates as models for the BSS.

<p>In somatocharts, mesomorphy is represented by the vertical axis pointing upward; endomorphy by the horizontal axis pointing to the left; and ectomorphy by the horizontal axis pointing to the right. The red diamonds represent Cameroonian females and the purple ones Senegalese females. The red circle indicates the mean profile of Cameroonians and the purple one the mean profile of Senegalese.</p