The role of street foods in the dietary pattern of two low-income groups in Nairobi

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the frequency of street food consumption of people living in low-income settlements in Nairobi and the role of street foods in their daily diet and to reveal why people consume street foods rather than home-prepared foods. Setting, subjects and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was done with 1011 households and in-depth interviews with a subsample of 73 households in two selected areas in Nairobi: Korogocho, a low-income slum area and Dandora, a low ± middle-income area. Results: The frequency of street food consumption was higher in Korogocho than in Dandora (3.6 vs 2.0 days per week; P`0.001). Street food consumption did not differ between different types of households, with the exception of household size. Employment status of the household head and street food consumption were related (P`0.001): consumption frequency of 3.7 days per week when irregularly or unemployed, 2.9 daysaweek when self-employed and 2.1 daysaweek when regularly employed. Furthermore, where an adult woman with primarily a domestic role was present, street food consumption was less (2.55 days per week when present vs 2.95 when not present; P`0.05). Conclusions: Street foods play an important role in the diet of poor households in Nairobi, in particular for breakfast and snacks, because they are cheap and convenient. The frequency of street food consumption is determined by a combination of at least four factors: level of household income; regularity of income; household size; and time available to prepare meals. Sponsorship: The project is ®nanced by the Netherlands Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical Research (WOTRO), ®lenumber WV 96-153.

Characterization of street food consumption in palermo: possible effects on health

“…The few published studies on SF have exclusively considered only the description of food, chemical or microbiological contaminants [13-18], its limited nutritional value [19,20,29] or have been described anecdotally [21,22]. In general, street food consumption is perceived as an unhealthy behaviour [23] which exerts a strong appeal [24] and may be advisable to limit its consumption.…”

Nutritional contribution of street foods to the diet of people in developing countries: a systematic review

“…In Mali, for example, street foods were consumed on a daily basis (15)(16)(17) . Similarly, a study in Nigeria indicated that street foods provided more than 60 % of daily food intake (19) , while in urban Kenya the intake appeared to be less with 53-78 % of households consuming street foods at least once weekly (21,22) ; however, street food consumption was high in rural areas of Kenya, with schoolchildren eating street foods about twice daily (25) . A national study in South Africa reported that Africans were the most common consumers of street foods with 19 % consuming them at least twice weekly (27,28) .…”

“…The majority of studies demonstrated that street foods contributed significantly to the diet of children and adults in developing countries, both in terms of energy, protein and micronutrient intakes and in terms of food groups consumed (Table 1) (3,4,6,(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29) .…”

Colonisation, the New World Order, and the eradication of traditional food habits in East Africa: historical perspective on the nutrition transition

“…This has generally led to the increased consumption of easy-to-prepare foods and snacks among the urban poor, resulting in dietary deficiencies 127,129,153 . Several studies have revealed higher consumption of street foods among urban dwellers of lower socio-economic status in East Africa 129,145 . Nutrition-related propaganda (i.e.…”

“…Street foods and foods from kiosks are the major sources of non-home-prepared foods in the poor urban areas in East Africa [127][128][129] . The fact that street foods are inexpensive, time-saving and convenient are the main purchasing incentives among poorer, urban East Africans 129,145,146 . Often street foods are prepared using the least expensive ingredients, including refined flour, maize and hydrogenated oils.…”