A scoping review of the potential for no- and low-alcoholic beverages to mitigate alcohol harm in Kenya

The high burden of disease associated with alcohol consumption in Kenya, exacerbated by heavy episodic and unrecorded drinking, warrants exploration of harm reduction strategies. As the no- and low-alcohol (NoLo) beverage market grows globally, its public health implications in low-and middle-income countries like Kenya are poorly understood. Using a scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology, a systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and African Journals Online supplemented by grey literature was conducted using the following keywords: non-alcoholic, low-alcohol, Kenya, alcohol harm reduction, and public health policy. Four themes emerged from the scoping review. First, the NoLo alcohol market in Kenya is emerging and rapidly growing, and international alcohol manufacturers are strategically targeting it to capture urban and health-conscious consumers. Second, the regulatory gap on NoLo alcohol products with respect to definition and marketing regulation, as well as fiscal regulation, exists. Third, there is a lack of local data on the population level effect of NoLo alcohol use and harmreduction among high-risk groups. Fourth, the use of NoLo products as a corporate social responsibility initiative by manufacturers may compromise other regulatory initiatives with respect to alcohol. However, the benefit of NoLo alcohol beverages for alcohol harm reduction in Kenya depends on the development of a strong, public health-oriented regulatory framework that is not easily manipulated by industry, that clearly defines products, and that guides marketing. Given these findings, it is suggested that without proactive and evidenceinformed policy action, the NoLo alcohol market may be nothing more than a market expansion strategy for the alcohol industry, rather than a public health opportunity to lower alcohol related mortality and morbidity