Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Kenya

Despite progress in reducing child stunting over the past 15 years, Kenya is now facing new nutrition challenges, including overweight and obesity. The double burden of malnutrition (DBM), which is the coexistence of under- and overnutrition within individuals, households, and populations [1], manif...

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Autores principales: Margolies, Amy, Amunga, Dorcas, Pather, Kamara, Craig, Hope, Olney, Deanna K.
Formato: Informe técnico
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173368
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author Margolies, Amy
Amunga, Dorcas
Pather, Kamara
Craig, Hope
Olney, Deanna K.
author_browse Amunga, Dorcas
Craig, Hope
Margolies, Amy
Olney, Deanna K.
Pather, Kamara
author_facet Margolies, Amy
Amunga, Dorcas
Pather, Kamara
Craig, Hope
Olney, Deanna K.
author_sort Margolies, Amy
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Despite progress in reducing child stunting over the past 15 years, Kenya is now facing new nutrition challenges, including overweight and obesity. The double burden of malnutrition (DBM), which is the coexistence of under- and overnutrition within individuals, households, and populations [1], manifests as child stunting and adult overweight (mostly in women) at the population and household levels. Dietary diversity is low and affects different population groups (particularly young children, adolescents, and women), predisposing them to micronutrient deficiencies. However, recent data on micronutrient intake and status are lacking. Households living in urban areas are vulnerable to being overweight, a consequence of increasingly unhealthy dietary patterns. In Kenya’s informal urban settlements, limited dietary diversity, reliance on cereals, and widespread consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) contribute to high rates of child stunting, underweight, and the DBM, with affordability and accessibility driving food choices. Compounding factors include food safety concerns, clustering of unhealthy food vendors, and external shocks. Urban nutrition interventions have had mixed results, with some programs improving child health and maternal knowledge, but others showing no significant impact. Kenya aims to eliminate malnutrition by 2027, but national policies focus mostly on rural areas, leaving urban nutrition challenges insufficiently addressed. Programs such as Afya Jiji and the Nairobi City County Food System Strategy target urban health, but gaps in urban-specific strategies, poor coordination, and limited funding hinder progress. The national school meals program serves only a small portion of schools, and urban food policies are still underdeveloped.
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spelling CGSpace1733682025-11-06T06:34:21Z Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Kenya Margolies, Amy Amunga, Dorcas Pather, Kamara Craig, Hope Olney, Deanna K. dietary diversity micronutrient deficiencies obesity stunting Despite progress in reducing child stunting over the past 15 years, Kenya is now facing new nutrition challenges, including overweight and obesity. The double burden of malnutrition (DBM), which is the coexistence of under- and overnutrition within individuals, households, and populations [1], manifests as child stunting and adult overweight (mostly in women) at the population and household levels. Dietary diversity is low and affects different population groups (particularly young children, adolescents, and women), predisposing them to micronutrient deficiencies. However, recent data on micronutrient intake and status are lacking. Households living in urban areas are vulnerable to being overweight, a consequence of increasingly unhealthy dietary patterns. In Kenya’s informal urban settlements, limited dietary diversity, reliance on cereals, and widespread consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) contribute to high rates of child stunting, underweight, and the DBM, with affordability and accessibility driving food choices. Compounding factors include food safety concerns, clustering of unhealthy food vendors, and external shocks. Urban nutrition interventions have had mixed results, with some programs improving child health and maternal knowledge, but others showing no significant impact. Kenya aims to eliminate malnutrition by 2027, but national policies focus mostly on rural areas, leaving urban nutrition challenges insufficiently addressed. Programs such as Afya Jiji and the Nairobi City County Food System Strategy target urban health, but gaps in urban-specific strategies, poor coordination, and limited funding hinder progress. The national school meals program serves only a small portion of schools, and urban food policies are still underdeveloped. 2025-02-24 2025-02-24T19:30:02Z 2025-02-24T19:30:02Z Report https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173368 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/138886 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/159793 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/159790 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/159789 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/159838 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/159794 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Margolies, Amy; Amunga, Dorcas; Pather, Kamara; Craig, Hope; and Olney, Deanna K. 2025. Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Kenya. Resilient Cities Country Profile. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173368
spellingShingle dietary diversity
micronutrient deficiencies
obesity
stunting
Margolies, Amy
Amunga, Dorcas
Pather, Kamara
Craig, Hope
Olney, Deanna K.
Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Kenya
title Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Kenya
title_full Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Kenya
title_fullStr Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Kenya
title_full_unstemmed Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Kenya
title_short Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Kenya
title_sort resilient cities urban nutrition profile kenya
topic dietary diversity
micronutrient deficiencies
obesity
stunting
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173368
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AT amungadorcas resilientcitiesurbannutritionprofilekenya
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AT olneydeannak resilientcitiesurbannutritionprofilekenya