Over the last 20 years, metabolic health (blood glucose and fats) of Ugandans, particularly residing in urban areas has increasingly become sub optimal. Women are the most affected. Sub optimal metabolic health increases chances of developing diseases known as non-communicable diseases (NCD); for example, type 2 diabetes and heart diseases. NCD are expensive to treat and Uganda lacks the health system to manage them. Therefore, there is need to prevent NCD. Metabolic health is mainly linked to dietary and physical activity behaviour. Studies show an increase in physical inactivity in urban Uganda, especially among women. Likewise, what urban Ugandans eat deviates from healthy recommendations by World Health Organization. For example, 9 in 10 urban Ugandans do not meet the daily fruit and vegetable health recommendations. Research shows that unhealthy eating and physical inactivity behaviours in urban Uganda are due to socio-cultural conceptions (prestige linked to weight gain and consumption of animal protein) and knowledge/skills gaps. Following the intervention mapping protocol, investigators have therefore designed an intervention to help women living in urban Uganda improve eating and physical activity behaviours to align them to healthy recommendations. Investigators target women because they are the most vulnerable health wise; possibility of passing on NCD risk from the mother to the offspring. Women are as well the most strategic for family behavioural change as they oversee dietary decisions in homes. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a combined food literacy and physical activity intervention in optimizing metabolic health among women of reproductive age living in Urban Uganda. The study is a cluster randomized control trail divided into two phases: a three months intervention and a three months post-intervention follow-up phase. Primary outcome is waist circumference. The target group are women of reproductive age (18 to 45 years), residing in Kampala. Intervention will be delivered through religious women group structures.
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Waist circumference
Timeframe: Measured at baseline, at post intervention (at 3 months) and at post follow-up (at 6 months)