What question did this study set out to answer?

To synthesize evidence on the implementation and monitoring of food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) in South Africa's healthcare settings and their impact on dietary behaviors.

June 20, 2026Open Access

A narrative review of the implementation and monitoring of the food-based dietary guidelines within the healthcare sector in South Africa

RDRaisibe P. DimoUniversity of Pretoria JMJane W. MuchiriMount Kenya University JSJoyce ShirindeUniversity of Pretoria

Key Points

To synthesize evidence on the implementation and monitoring of food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) in South Africa's healthcare settings and their impact on dietary behaviors.
Conducted a narrative review based on comprehensive searches in multiple databases including Africa-Wide Information, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, and ScienceDirect.
Focused on literature relevant to food-based dietary guidelines in South Africa, screening 54 articles after duplicates were removed.
Selected six articles and six reports for data extraction and narrative comparison with respect to the objectives.
Few studies were identified that focus on the effective implementation and monitoring of FBDGs in South Africa.
Despite efforts, gaps remain due to inadequate monitoring since the national adaptation of FBDGs 25 years ago.
The review highlights a lack of standardized monitoring tools and the necessity for a context-specific framework.

Abstract

Background Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are a public health nutrition intervention that plays a crucial role in promoting healthy eating habits and preventing nutrition-related diseases in the population. Objectives To synthesise evidence on the implementation and monitoring of FBDGs with respect to nutrition education in healthcare settings and the influence on dietary patterns and behaviour in South Africa (SA). Design and settings A narrative review was conducted. A comprehensive search strategy was used to identify relevant literature tailored to Africa-Wide Information, CINAHL, MEDLINE via EBSCOHOST, PubMed and ScienceDirect. The selection criteria were based on the Population, Intervention, Control, Outcome and Time (PICOT) framework. The search was focused on SA (97 literature). After removing 43 duplicates, a total of 54 research articles were screened. In the data extraction phase, six articles and six reports were selected. The results of these studies were compared and narratively described in relation to the objectives. Results and discussion The review revealed a few studies focusing on the implementation and monitoring of FBDGs in SA. Despite improved dissemination of FBDGs, gaps posed by the lack of monitoring persist. After nearly 25 years of SA adopting FBDGs, and more than 10 years of adopting a revised version of FBDGs, the implementation and impact of FBDGs remain uneven and under-evaluated. There is a notable lack of a standardised FBDGs monitoring tool and reporting. Conclusion and implications Given the identified gaps in both implementation and monitoring, there is a need for a structured and context-specific monitoring framework that integrates clear indicators, standardised data collection systems, and accountability mechanisms within the South African health sector.

KI fragen

Bookmark

View Full Paper