Exploring food choices within the context of nutritional security in Gaborone, Botswana

Abstract

Food consumption experiences remain largely unexplored in urban Africa, despite mounting concerns regarding both over‐ and undernutrition of city dwellers and the potential impact on overall human health and development. This paper seeks to explore the foodstuffs people consume and the factors that shape consumer choice in Gaborone, Botswana. Empirical data were drawn from food diaries and observations of 40 households and discussions with them, plus key informants interviews in Gaborone. Analysis reveals the range of foodstuff people consume, highlighting the prevalence of diets comprised of energy dense, processed and animal‐sourced foods, which are major nutritional security concerns. However these diets were not summarily western or westernizing as per the nutritional transition thesis, as our analysis suggests subtleties of dietary patterns, including the fact that meat‐based diets are traditionally rooted rather than imported and meals tend to comprise both local and western components. The paper also identifies multiple interacting factors influencing consumer food choices, illustrating how food decisions embody context‐specific personal and social circumstances. Understanding how these factors shape what people eat in Gaborone may enable policy makers to facilitate the conditions within which healthy food choices can be made and to address emerging public health and nutrition challenges in African cities.

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

“…A third of individual-level factors identified for adults were categorised under the lifestyle/ behaviours sub-level. Time limitation was found to be an important factor in five studies encompassing qualitative and quantitative data conducted in Botswana, Cape Verde, Ghana and South Africa (20,21,23,24,49,58) . In the qualitative study conducted in Cape Verde (21) , reduced time availability was associated with the intake of unhealthy street foods.…”

“…Fattening practices Jafri et al (42)QN * Adult women Parity 2Dietary patterns Zeba et al (54)QN * Mixed adult Fruit and vegetable intake Landais (42) /Landais et al (45)QN ‡ Adult women Gender (5) Dietary quality Soualem et al (56) 2Dietary intake Pradeilles (62)MM ‡ Mixed adolescent and adult Fruit and vegetable intake Peltzer & Phaswana-Mafuya (52)QN ‡ Mixed adult Pubertal development (1) Dietary intake Pradeilles (62)MM Mixed adolescent and adult BMI z-score (1) Dietary intake/Snacking Feeley et al (35)QN † Mixed adolescent Fat mass (1) Dietary intake/Snacking Feeley et al (35)QN † Mixed adolescent Health (2) Food intake Waswa (59)QN * Female adult Fruit and vegetable intake Peltzer & Phaswana-Mafuya (52) Aounallah-Skhiri et al (30)QN †, Legwegoh et al (23) /Legwegoh et al (24)QL , Hattingh et al (39) /Hattingh et al (40) /Hattingh et al (41)QN ‡, Mbochi et al (48)QN †, Njelekela et al (50)QN ‡, Pradeilles (62) Fruit and vegetable intake Landais (44) /Landais et al (45) Dietary diversity Kiboi et al (43)QN †, Cisse-Egbuonye et al (32) QN † and Codjoe et al (33)QN * Female adolescent and adult; Female adolescent and adult; Mixed adult and adolescent Fruit and vegetable intake Landais (44) /Landais et al (45) (2) Dietary diversity Becquey et al (31)QN † and Codjoe et al (33) QN ‡…”

“…Food prices were associated with fast-food intake in one South African quantitative study of young adults (58) . Media and advertising were found to be associated with dietary intake of adults in both qualitative and quantitative studies in Botswana (23,24) and South Africa (58) . About 49 % of participants in one study in South Africa stated that they believed media messages influenced their decision to purchase fast food (58) .…”

Value Chains and Diet Quality: A Review of Impact Pathways and Intervention Strategies

“…It is also necessary for individuals and persons responsible for household food purchasing and the preparation of meals to make nutritious food choices. The factors that influence individual decision-making around food are many and varied and have social, environmental, and psychological dimensions [92][93][94][95]. The research literature on value chains and diet quality included a wide range of interventions that aimed to improve the desirability of nutritious food (Table 4).…”

Food Insecurity in Informal Settlements in Lilongwe Malawi

“…31 The floods were accompanied by late arrival of rains in some areas of Malawi, part of the increased frequency and intensity of droughts over the past four decades. 32 GDP growth had been strong in 2013 (6.3%) and 2014 (6.2%) but declined to 2.8% in 2015 "following the challenges of macroeconomic instability, late arrival of rains and the severe floods experienced in January 2015." 33…”