Exploring influences on adolescent diet and physical activity in rural Gambia, West Africa: food insecurity, culture and the natural environment

Exploring influences on adolescent diet and physical activity in rural Gambia, West Africa: food insecurity, culture and the natural environment

To explore, from the perspectives of adolescents and caregivers, and using qualitative methods, influences on adolescent diet and physical activity in rural Gambia. Six focus group discussions (FGD) with adolescents and caregivers were conducted. Thematic analysis was employed across the data set. R...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public health nutrition Vol. 24; no. 16; pp. 5277 - 5287
Main Authors: Janha, Ramatoulie E, Hardy-Johnson, Polly, Kehoe, Sarah H, Mendy, Michael B, Camara, Isatou, Jarjou, Landing, Ward, Kathryn, Moore, Sophie E, Fall, Caroline, Barker, Mary, Weller, Susie
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England 01-11-2021
Subjects:
Adolescent
Diet
Exercise
Female
Food Insecurity
Gambia
Humans
Internet
Male
Gambia
Caregivers
The Gambia
Diet
Physical activity
Adolescents
Low-and-middle-income
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Summary:To explore, from the perspectives of adolescents and caregivers, and using qualitative methods, influences on adolescent diet and physical activity in rural Gambia. Six focus group discussions (FGD) with adolescents and caregivers were conducted. Thematic analysis was employed across the data set. Rural region of The Gambia, West Africa. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Four FGD, conducted with forty adolescents, comprised: girls aged 10-12 years; boys aged 10-12 years; girls aged 15-17 years, boys aged 15-17 years. Twenty caregivers also participated in two FGD (mothers and fathers). All participants expressed an understanding of the association between salt and hypertension, sugary foods and diabetes, and dental health. Adolescents and caregivers suggested that adolescent nutrition and health were shaped by economic, social and cultural factors and the local environment. Adolescent diet was thought to be influenced by: affordability, seasonality and the receipt of remittances; gender norms, including differences in opportunities afforded to girls, and mother-led decision-making; cultural ceremonies and school holidays. Adolescent physical activity included walking or cycling to school, playing football and farming. Participants felt adolescent engagement in physical activity was influenced by gender, seasonality, cultural ceremonies and, to some extent, the availability of digital media. These novel insights into local understanding should be considered when formulating future interventions. Interventions need to address these interrelated factors, including misconceptions regarding diet and physical activity that may be harmful to health.
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The TALENT collaboration comprises
Laurence Adonis-Koffy, Yopougon University Hospital Faculty of Medical Sciences - UFHB de Cocody Abidjan Ivory Coast; Ulka Banavalli, BKL Walawalkar Hospital and Rural Medical College, Dervan, India; Edna Bosire, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Harsha Chopra, Centre for the Study of Social Change, Mumbai, India; Meera Gandhi, Centre for the Study of Social Change, Mumbai, India; Abraham Haileamlak, College of Public Health and Medical Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia; Julie Jesson, Inserm U1027, University of Toulouse, Paul Sabatier, France; Shama Joseph, Epidemiology Research Unit, CSI Holdsworth Memorial Hospital, Mysore, India; Kejal Joshi Reddy, Unit, KEM Hospital, Pune, India; Elizabeth Kimani-Murage, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Nairobi, Kenya; Egnon Kouakou, PAC-CI, Abidjan, Ivory Coast; GV Krishnaveni, Epidemiology Research Unit, CSI Holdsworth Memorial Hospital, Mysore, India; Kalyanaraman Kumaran, MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton and Head, UK and Epidemiology Research Unit, CSI Holdsworth Memorial Hospital, Mysore, India; Valeriane Leroy, Inserm U1027, University of Toulouse, Paul Sabatier, France; Mubarek Abera Mengistie, Jimma University, Ethiopia; Shane Norris, Developmental Pathways Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Suvarna Patil, BKL Walawalkar Hospital and Rural Medical College, Dervan, India; Sirazul Ameen Sahariah, Centre for the Study of Social Change, Mumbai, India; Stephanie Wrottesley, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Chittaranjan Yajnik, Diabetes Research Unit, KEM Hospital, Pune, India; Pallavi Yajnik, Diabetes Research Unit, KEM Hospital, Pune, India.
ISSN:1368-9800
1475-2727
DOI:10.1017/S1368980020002669