Linking diet and obesity among young people living in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review

Abstract

Background/objectives Obesity has been increasing even among young people in developing countries, with unhealthy diets widely recognized as a major contributor to the rising risk of obesity and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This review aimed to assess the relationship between diet-related practices and obesity amongst young people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Methods A review protocol was developed a priori and registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023451525). This study followed PRISMA guidelines to search and select studies based on pre-defined eligibility criteria from African Journals Online, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. Out of 2,809 screened citations, data were extracted from 19 eligible peer-reviewed studies published in English between 2000 and 2024. These studies focused on children and adolescents aged 3–19 years and examined the association between dietary habits or practices and elevated anthropometric status. Results Results showed that the selected studies were cross-sectional in design, typically conducted among fewer than 500 children from Nigeria (31.6%), Ghana (15.8%), and South Africa (15.8%). Food frequency questionnaires, 24-h recall instruments, the WHO growth reference, and Waist-Hip assessment dominated dietary pattern/intake and anthropometric methods. Negative dietary patterns/habits characterized by meal skipping and irregular meal patterns, discretionary food and beverage consumption, less-varied diets, and unhealthy urban/school food environments were significant ( p < 0.05) predictors of obesity. Conclusion Dietary intake was significantly associated with Obesity. Promoting healthy diet-related practices is needed to improve children and adolescents’ nutrition and health outcomes. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42023451525 .