Determinants of non–home-prepared food consumption in two low-income areas in Nairobi

• Published in: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) Vol. 19; no. 11; pp. 1006 - 1012
• Main Authors: van 't Riet, Hilda, den Hartog, Adel P, Hooftman, Danny A.P, Foeken, Dick W.J, van Staveren, Wija A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.11.2003; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Consumption; determinants; Diet; dietary-intake; Employment; Energy consumption; Energy Intake; Female; Food; food consumption; Households; Human physiology applied to population studies and life conditions. Human ecophysiology; Humans; Kenya; Low income areas; Low income groups; low-income; Male; Medical sciences; non–home-prepared food; Nutrition Surveys; Nutritional survey. Food supply and nutritional requirement; policy; Poverty; Prepared foods; Principal components analysis; Slums; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomics; street foods; Studies; Supermarkets; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tropical medicine; urban; Women; Kenya; Africa; food consumption; determinants; urban; Kenya; non–home-prepared food; low-income; Human; Feeding behavior; Urban environment; Socioeconomic status; Environmental factor; Feeding; Ready to eat meal; Diet; Food intake; non-home-prepared food; Food
• ISSN: 0899-9007; 1873-1244
• DOI: 10.1016/S0899-9007(03)00183-7

Street foods are an important source of nutrients for poor urban residents. This study aimed to identify determinants of the proportion of daily energy provided by non–home-prepared foods. A survey was conducted in a slum and a low- to middle-income area of Nairobi. The survey included 241 men and 254 women. Through a structured questionnaire, data on demographic and socioeconomic factors were collected and food intake was assessed with three standardized 24-hour recalls. A measure of socioeconomic status was constructed with principal component analysis. For women in the slum area, the presence of school-age children and distance to work were determinants of non–home-prepared food consumption, whereas employment status and distance to work were determinants for men in the slum area ( P < 0.05). Having their own income and, for those employed, employment status were determinants for women in the low- to middle-income area, whereas socioeconomic status was the determinant for the men ( P < 0.05). In the slum area, most non–home-prepared foods were derived from street foods, whereas in the low- to middle-income area, both kiosks and street foods were important sources of non–home-prepared foods. In the determinants of non–home-prepared energy consumption, we discerned a pattern from rather basic determinants to determinants of a more complicated nature with increasing socioeconomic level of the groups. Furthemore, a shift from street foods to kiosks as the main source of non–home-prepared foods consumed appeared with increasing socioeconomic levels.