Whereas common infectious and parasitic diseases such as malaria and the HIV/AIDS pandemic remain major unresolved health problems in many developing countries, emerging non-communicable diseases relating to diet and lifestyle have been increasing over the last two decades, thus creating a double burden of disease and impacting negatively on already over-stretched health services in these countries. Prevalence rates for type 2 diabetes mellitus and CVD in sub-Saharan Africa have seen a 10-fold increase in the last 20 years. In the Arab Gulf current prevalence rates are between 25 and 35% for the adult population, whilst evidence of the metabolic syndrome is emerging in children and adolescents. The present review focuses on the concept of the epidemiological and nutritional transition. It looks at historical trends in socio-economic status and lifestyle and trends in nutrition-related non-communicable diseases over the last two decades, particularly in developing countries with rising income levels, as well as the other extreme of poverty, chronic hunger and coping strategies and metabolic adaptations in fetal life that predispose to non-communicable disease risk in later life. The role of preventable environmental risk factors for obesity and the metabolic syndrome in developing countries is emphasized and also these challenges are related to meeting the millennium development goals. The possible implications of these changing trends for human and economic development in poorly-resourced healthcare settings and the implications for nutrition training are also discussed.

• There is insufficient implementation of food environment policies in Ghana. • Government action to restrict marketing of breastmilk substitutes is advanced in Ghana. • Legislation to regulate advertising/sale of unhealthy food is an identified priority. • Leadership, monitoring and evaluation are needed to support policy infrastructure. • Funding for nationally relevant research on NCDs is a high infrastructure priority.

Dissemination of research findings through the publication of one’s work or a group of contributors is an important part of the research process, as this allows the passing on of benefits to a much wider community. In whatever evocative form this dissemination may take, the onus lies on the author(s) to ensure adherence to the code of ethics as it pertains to the integrity of the information being put out. We publish because we want our findings to be adapted into practice and application, or in some cases may be relevant to policy makers in decision-making. To a large extent in the field of academia, successful publication improves opportunities for academic funding and promotion whilst enhancing scientific and scholarly achievement and repute. A situation may be compromised where intellectual contributions to a scientific investigation do not adhere to the four key guidelines of scholarship, authorship, approval and agreement as well as the protocols of ensuring good publication ethics. The objective of this review is to lay emphasis on universal standards for manuscript authorship and to fostering good practices. This in our view will bring authorship credit and accountability to the attention of our colleagues and readers at large. To achieve this, a systematic and critical review of the literature was undertaken. Electronic databases, academic journals and books from various sources were accessed. Several key search terms relating to responsible authorship, common authorship malpractices, conflict of interest, universal publication guidelines and other authorship related issues, were used. Only references deemed useful from relevant texts and journal articles were included. In this paper, the authors have sought to highlight the pitfalls researchers sometimes entangle themselves within an act of compromise thereby impinging on the ethical and professional responsibilities for the content of a paper under consideration. This article presents the case that authorship has a strong currency that brings not only personal satisfaction but also career rewards based on publication counting. In all cases described here, a universal standard for manuscript authorship will be critical in fostering good practices. As you write and review manuscripts, keep these good practices in mind, and consider ways to bring authorship credit and accountability to the attention of your colleagues and readers.

Growing urbanisation in Africa is accompanied by rapid changes in food environments, with potential shifts towards unhealthy food/beverage consumption, including in socio-economically disadvantaged populations. This study investigated how unhealthy food and beverages are embedded in everyday life in deprived areas of two African countries, to identify levers for context relevant policy. Deprived neighbourhoods (Ghana: 2 cities, Kenya: 1 city) were investigated (total = 459 female/male, adolescents/adults aged ≥13 y). A qualitative 24hr dietary recall was used to assess the healthiness of food/beverages in relation to eating practices: time of day and frequency of eating episodes (periodicity), length of eating episodes (tempo), and who people eat with and where (synchronisation). Five measures of the healthiness of food/beverages in relation to promoting a nutrient-rich diet were developed: i. nutrients (energy-dense and nutrient-poor -EDNP/energy-dense and nutrient-rich -EDNR); and ii. unhealthy food types (fried foods, sweet foods, sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs). A structured meal pattern of three main meals a day with limited snacking was evident. There was widespread consumption of unhealthy food/beverages. SSBs were consumed at three-quarters of eating episodes in Kenya (78.5%) and over a third in Ghana (36.2%), with those in Kenya coming primarily from sweet tea/coffee. Consumption of sweet foods peaked at breakfast in both countries. When snacking occurred (more common in Kenya), it was in the afternoon and tended to be accompanied by a SSB. In both countries, fried food was an integral part of all mealtimes, particularly common with the evening meal in Kenya. This includes consumption of nutrient-rich traditional foods/dishes (associated with cultural heritage) that were also energy-dense: (>84% consumed EDNR foods in both countries). The lowest socio-economic groups were more likely to consume unhealthy foods/beverages. Most eating episodes were 77% of eating episodes were consumed at home and >46% with family, which tended to be energy dense. Eating alone was also common as >42% of eating episodes were taken alone. In these deprived settings, policy action to encourage nutrient-rich diets has the potential to prevent multiple forms of malnutrition, but action is required across several sectors: enhancing financial and physical access to healthier foods that are convenient (can be eaten quickly/alone) through, for example, subsidies and incentives/training for local food vendors. Actions to limit access to unhealthy foods through, for example, fiscal and advertising policies to dis-incentivise unhealthy food consumption and SSBs, especially in Ghana. Introducing or adapting food-based dietary guidelines to incorporate advice on reducing sugar and fat at mealtimes could be accompanied by cooking skills interventions focussing on reducing frying/oil used when preparing meals, including ‘traditional’ dishes and reducing the sugar content of breakfast.