The political economy of sugar-sweetened beverage taxation: an analysis from seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

: Non-communicable diseases are on the rise across sub-Saharan Africa. The region has become a targeted growth market for sugar-sweetened beverages, which are associated with weight gain, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.: To identify politico-economic factors relevant to nutrition-related fiscal policies, and to draw lessons regarding strategies to strengthen sugar-sweetened beverages taxation in the region and globally.

Strengthening prevention of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases through sugar-sweetened beverages tax in Rwanda: a policy landscape analysis.

: Food and beverages high in sugar are recognized to be among the major risk factors for nutrition-related non-communicable diseases. The growing presence of ultra-processed food producers has resulted in shifts to diets that are associated with non-communicable diseases and which include sugar-sweetened beverages. Sugar-sweetened beverage taxation presents an opportunity to prevent non-communicable diseases but it comes with challenges.

The data availability landscape in seven sub-Saharan African countries and its role in strengthening sugar-sweetened beverage taxation.

: Credible data and indicators are necessary for country-specific evidence to support the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation.: A cross-country analysis was undertaken in seven Sub-Saharan African countries to describe the potential role of available data in strengthening SSB taxation. The objectives were to: document currently available data sources; report on public access; discuss strengths and limitations for use in monitoring SSB taxation; describe policy maker's data needs, and propose improvements in data collection.

Study design: policy landscape analysis for sugar-sweetened beverage taxation in seven sub-Saharan African countries.

This paper reports on the design of a study to examine the policy landscape relevant to sugar-sweetened beverage taxation in seven sub-Saharan African countries. The study responds to the need for strong policy to address the rising burden of non-communicable diseases in the region. Sugar-sweetened beverage taxation has been widely recommended as a key component of a comprehensive policy approach to NCD prevention.

Closing the Poor-Rich Gap in Contraceptive Use in Rwanda: Understanding the Underlying Mechanisms.

Context: Evidence suggests that as Rwanda has strengthened its family planning program, disparities in contraceptive use by socioeconomic status have narrowed. However, the changes in these gaps, and the mechanisms that underlie them, are not well understood.

Methods: Data from the 2005, 2010 and 2015 Rwanda Demographic and Health Surveys on 19,028 in-union women aged 15-49 were analyzed to examine trends in socioeconomic disparities in contraceptive use.