Abstract
BackgroundHealthy and sustainable dietary practices offer a possible solution to competing tensions between health and environmental sustainability, particularly as global food systems transition. To encourage such dietary practices, it is imperative to understand existing dietary practices and factors influencing these dietary practices. The aim of this study was to identify multi-level factors in lived rural and urban Ugandan food environments that influence existing dietary practices among women of reproductive age (WRA).MethodsA mixed methods study was conducted. Multiple correspondence analysis followed by hierarchical cluster analysis were performed on dietary data collected among a sample (n = 73) of Ugandan WRA in Kampala (urban) and Wakiso (rural) districts to elicit dietary clusters. Dietary clusters, which were labelled as dietary typologies based on environmental impact and nutrition transition considerations, were reflective of dietary practices. Following this, a smaller sample of WRA (n = 18) participated in a Photovoice exercise and in-depth interviews to identify factors in their social, physical, socio-cultural and macro-level environments influencing their enactment of the identified dietary typologies, and therefore dietary practices.ResultsFour dietary typologies emerged: ‘urban, low-impact, early-stage transitioners’, ‘urban, medium-impact, mid-stage transitioners’, ‘rural, low-impact, early-stage transitioners’ and ‘rural, low-impact, traditionalists’. Although experienced somewhat differently, the physical environment (access, availability and cost), social networks (parents, other family members and friends) and socio-cultural environment (dietary norms) were cross-cutting influences among both urban and rural dietary typologies. Seasonality (macro-environment) directly influenced consumption of healthier and lower environmental impact, plant-based foods among the two rural dietary typology participants, while seasonality and transportation intersected to influence consumption of healthier and lower environmental impact, plant-based foods among participants in the two urban dietary typologies.ConclusionParticipants displayed a range of dietary typologies, and therefore dietary practices. Family provides an avenue through which interventions aimed at encouraging healthier and lower environmental impact dietary practices can be targeted. Home gardens, urban farming and improved transportation could address challenges in availability and access to healthier, lower environmental impact plant-based foods among urban WRA.
Highlights
Healthy and sustainable dietary practices offer a possible solution to competing tensions between health and environmental sustainability, as global food systems transition
Participants displayed a range of dietary typologies, and dietary practices
Provides an avenue through which interventions aimed at encouraging healthier and lower environmental impact dietary practices can be targeted
Summary
Healthy and sustainable dietary practices offer a possible solution to competing tensions between health and environmental sustainability, as global food systems transition To encourage such dietary practices, it is imperative to understand existing dietary practices and factors influencing these dietary practices. Food systems transition, concomitantly resulting in changes in food environments to which people are exposed [2] This could result in shifts in dietary patterns and practices from the more ‘traditional’ (mostly plant-based and less processed) towards more ‘westernised’ diets (high in saturated and trans fats, refined carbohydrates, sugars, animal protein and ultraprocessed foods) [2, 3]. Transitions in food systems and food environments, and dietary patterns and practices, have implications for both health and environmental sustainability [4,5,6]
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