{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T05:18:47Z","timestamp":1787635127787,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787616000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Nutr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The escalating burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases in Ghana has prompted the government to implement a 20% excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages through the Excise Duty (Amendment) Act 1108 of 2023. While fiscal measures have garnered significant advocacy, public health experts emphasize the need for a \u201cdouble-duty\u201d policy bundle, including food marketing restrictions, front-of-pack warning labeling, and public food procurement policies. The problem is that public support for this broader bundle remains understudied in urban Ghana, risking implementation failure.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study evaluated the prevalence and socio-political determinants of public support for a comprehensive suite of food environment policies among adults in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana, and explored underlying motivations.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Convergent mixed-methods design. Cross-sectional survey of 450 adults (18\u201369\u202fyears) using multi-stage cluster sampling. Support measured via validated 5-point Likert scales. Twenty-four in-depth interviews provided qualitative depth.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Support was highest for front-of-pack warning labeling (81.4%), followed by marketing restrictions (76.8%), the sugar-sweetened beverage tax (71.2%), and public procurement (65.6%). Perceived policy effectiveness (adjusted odds ratio\u202f=\u202f3.45) and trust in the Ghana Health Service (adjusted odds ratio\u202f=\u202f1.92) were the strongest predictors. Qualitative findings revealed that support for the tax increases significantly if revenues are ring-fenced for the National Health Insurance Scheme.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Policymakers should immediately prioritize front-of-pack warning labeling and marketing restrictions as highly acceptable \u201cempowerment\u201d policies, while simultaneously legislating transparent earmarking of sugar-sweetened beverage tax revenues for non-communicable disease treatment and prevention. Future research should test these policies post-implementation using longitudinal designs.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2026.1847802","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T04:23:41Z","timestamp":1787631821000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Beyond the sugar tax: public acceptability of a comprehensive food policy bundle in urban Ghana"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Kasim","family":"Abdulai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Translational Nutrition Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Cape Coast","place":["Cape Coast, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emil Kafui","family":"Amenu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Translational Nutrition Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Cape Coast","place":["Cape Coast, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Portia","family":"Bangkuu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Translational Nutrition Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Cape Coast","place":["Cape Coast, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ivan","family":"Addae-Mensah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Translational Nutrition Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Cape Coast","place":["Cape Coast, Ghana"]},{"name":"Department of Population and Health, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Cape Coast","place":["Cape Coast, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Francis","family":"Adane","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Policy, Planning and Management, School of Public Health, University of Ghana","place":["Accra, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abass","family":"Daudi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tamale Teaching Hospital","place":["Tamale, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","volume-title":"Ghana STEPS Report 2023","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0000692","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0000692","article-title":"Community characteristics and the risk of non-communicable diseases in Ghana","volume":"3","author":"Avogo","year":"2023","journal-title":"PLoS Glob Public Health"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.11648\/j.sjbm.20150301.16","article-title":"Consumer perception and prefernce of fast food: a study of tertiary students in Ghana","volume":"3","author":"Emmanuel Nondzor","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sci J Bus 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