Developing a package of effective regulatory interventions for healthier food environments in Kenya, RECAP

The rate of overweight and obesity has increased among children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) over the past decade. This increase is largely driven by unhealthy diets resulting from unhealthy food environments. Available evidence shows that fiscal policies and regulatory measures to restrict unhealthy food environments yield substantial and cost-effective health gains in LMICs. However, there are significant challenges associated with the adoption and implementation of such policies. We aim to identify concrete context-relevant priority actions that promote a healthy food environment as a strategy to enhance healthy dietary patterns/practices and to facilitate knowledge translation pathways to prevent nutrition-related non-communicable diseases (NR-NCDs) in Kenya. This three-year project has four objectives that will be delivered through four interlinked work packages (WPs): i. to assess gaps, barriers and facilitators to developing and implementing public food policies and government actions (WP1); ii. To assess the frequency and nature of unhealthy food and beverage marketing to children, the power of promotions on television, in stores, and in and around schools (WP2); iii. To estimate the cost of inaction for selected NR-NCD policies (WP3); and iv. To assess the legal and administrative feasibility of adopting and implementing context-specific NR-NCD interventions (WP4). The findings of this project will provide concrete context-relevant priority actions that promote healthy food consumption patterns and practices and facilitate knowledge translation pathways to prevent NR-NCDs in Kenya.