Household Consumption Patterns and NCDs in Kisumu, Kenya by researchers Paul Otieno Opiyo and Stephen Gaya Agong, is the second in a series of Nourishing Spaces working papers edited by Jane Battersby.
The Nourishing Spaces project seeks to develop community-led understanding of the nature and drivers of the local food system and its health impacts, and to contribute to city-scale policy interventions. The project focuses on ‘urban-scale research’ for addressing diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in six urban sites in South Africa (Cape Town and Kimberley), Kenya (Nairobi and Kisumu), and Namibia (Windhoek and Oshakati).
This paper presents the findings of research in Kisumu, which generated data on the relationship between consumption practices, NCDs, and the local food system. The work is qualitative, focusing on individual household interviews, health profiles and food life histories. This paper examines how consumption patterns have responded to changing food and urban environments, and seeks to explain consumption patterns in the Bandani neighbourhood of Kisumu, demonstrating the linkages between consumption patterns and economic, social and environmental factors. It discusses the nature of Kisumu’s food and urban systems and how these shape diet, and presents findings on participants’ perceptions of health, NCDs and diets, before identifying potential policy implications.