Intersectoral Action for Addressing NCDs through the Food Environment: An Analysis of NCD Framing in Global Policies and Its Relevance for the African Context

Amy Weimann, Maylene Shung-King, Nicole McCreedy, Lambed Tatah, Clarisse Mapa-Tassou, Trish Muzenda, Ishtar Govia, Vincent Were and Tolu Oni
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Amy Weimann: Research Initiative for Cities Health and Equity (RICHE), Division of Public Health Medicine, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
Maylene Shung-King: School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
Nicole McCreedy: School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
Lambed Tatah: Health of Populations in Transition Research Group (HoPiT), University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé 8046, Cameroon
Clarisse Mapa-Tassou: Health of Populations in Transition Research Group (HoPiT), University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé 8046, Cameroon
Trish Muzenda: Research Initiative for Cities Health and Equity (RICHE), Division of Public Health Medicine, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
Ishtar Govia: Caribbean Institute for Health Research, The University of the West Indies, Mona Kingston 7, Jamaica
Vincent Were: Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P.O. Box 1578, Kisumu 40100, Kenya
Tolu Oni: Research Initiative for Cities Health and Equity (RICHE), Division of Public Health Medicine, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-17

Abstract: Noncommunicable diseases contribute the greatest to global mortality. Unhealthy diet—a prominent risk factor—is intricately linked to urban built and food environments and requires intersectoral efforts to address. Framings of the noncommunicable disease problem and proposed solutions within global and African regional diet-related policy documents can reveal how amenable the policy landscape is for supporting intersectoral action for health in low-income to middle-income countries. This study applied a document analysis approach to undertake policy analysis on global and African regional policies related to noncommunicable disease and diet. A total of 62 global and 29 African regional policy documents were analysed. Three problem frames relating to noncommunicable disease and diet were identified at the global and regional level, namely evidence-based, development, and socioeconomic frames. Health promotion, intersectoral and multisectoral action, and evidence-based monitoring and assessment underpinned proposed interventions to improve education and awareness, support structural changes, and improve disease surveillance and monitoring. African policies insufficiently considered associations between food security and noncommunicable disease. In order to effectively address the noncommunicable disease burden, a paradigm shift from ‘health for development’ to ‘development for health’ is required across non-health sectors. Noncommunicable disease considerations should be included within African food security agendas, using malnutrition as a possible intermediary concept to motivate intersectoral action to improve access to nutritious food in African low-income to middle-income countries.

Keywords: healthy policy; noncommunicable diseases; NCDs; policy analysis; diet; nutrition; intersectoral; Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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