Researching the Commercial Determinants of Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Generating Evidence for Advocacy and Policy, and Action
1
Community Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Techology, Kumasi, Ghana
2
School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
3
APHRC Campus, African Population and Health Research Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
4
Global Public Health Unit, Social Policy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3190
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The commercial determinants of health (CDoH) - the systems, practices, and pathways through which commercial actors influence health, equity, and policy are major drivers of non-communicable diseases and health inequalities1. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), rapid market expansion, weak regulatory environments, and growing corporate influence have intensified exposure to health-harming products2. Yet empirical research on CDoH in SSA remains fragmented and underutilised in policymaking and advocacy. This workshop draws on work in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa in the ACORDS (Addressing CDoH in SSA) project to explore research priorities for strengthening understanding of CDoH and supporting regulatory and advocacy action.
METHODS:
This workshop begins with three interactive presentations (3x10 minutes) on methodological approaches within ACORDS research. In the second half, small group discussions will reflect on these approaches, discuss applications to their own work, and identify research and advocacy priorities in a call to action.
RESULTS:
Participants gain practical skills in researching CDoH in SSA. Scoping review activities guide participants in identifying evidence gaps and developing policy-relevant research questions. Survey findings from stakeholder engagements with policymakers and advocates illustrate practical approaches to understanding priorities for tackling CDoH. Participants will engage with maps of interlocking directorates examining links across health-harming industries, political elites, and health and development agencies to explore corporate policy relationships, power dynamics, and conflicts of interest. Network mapping enables the identification of relationships among corporate policies and power dynamics. Survey exercises develop skills in measuring exposure to commercial practices, while scoping reviews highlight evidence gaps and inform policy questions.
CONCLUSIONS:
Participants learn to translate surveys, scoping reviews, and interlocking directorates into actionable, policy-relevant insights to support regulation, advocacy, and evidence-informed public health action
The commercial determinants of health (CDoH) - the systems, practices, and pathways through which commercial actors influence health, equity, and policy are major drivers of non-communicable diseases and health inequalities1. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), rapid market expansion, weak regulatory environments, and growing corporate influence have intensified exposure to health-harming products2. Yet empirical research on CDoH in SSA remains fragmented and underutilised in policymaking and advocacy. This workshop draws on work in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa in the ACORDS (Addressing CDoH in SSA) project to explore research priorities for strengthening understanding of CDoH and supporting regulatory and advocacy action.
METHODS:
This workshop begins with three interactive presentations (3x10 minutes) on methodological approaches within ACORDS research. In the second half, small group discussions will reflect on these approaches, discuss applications to their own work, and identify research and advocacy priorities in a call to action.
RESULTS:
Participants gain practical skills in researching CDoH in SSA. Scoping review activities guide participants in identifying evidence gaps and developing policy-relevant research questions. Survey findings from stakeholder engagements with policymakers and advocates illustrate practical approaches to understanding priorities for tackling CDoH. Participants will engage with maps of interlocking directorates examining links across health-harming industries, political elites, and health and development agencies to explore corporate policy relationships, power dynamics, and conflicts of interest. Network mapping enables the identification of relationships among corporate policies and power dynamics. Survey exercises develop skills in measuring exposure to commercial practices, while scoping reviews highlight evidence gaps and inform policy questions.
CONCLUSIONS:
Participants learn to translate surveys, scoping reviews, and interlocking directorates into actionable, policy-relevant insights to support regulation, advocacy, and evidence-informed public health action
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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