Overweight or obesity among children under 5 is increasingly becoming the global health concern. Predictions estimate that by 2035 almost 400 million children will be overweight or obese, imposing huge cost increasingly. The impacts include healthcare costs, loss or reduced productivity and premature death. The contributing factors of overweight include high-fatty products, high-sugar, and micro nutrient-poor diet, which are imported due to trade policies and agreements in place such as trade liberalization and trade openness. These imports, in one way or another lead to adverse health outcomes among children under 5. The trade plays a critical role in affecting the health of the population in a positive and negative way. This research aims to study the effects of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) imports on prevalence of children under 4 years of age in 11 East African countries (Kenya, Burundi, Ethiopia, Comoros, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe). To study the impacts of trade on prevalence of overweight among the children under 5 in EAC, we will use data from World Development Indicators (WDI) of the World Bank (WB), spanning from 2000-2022. As an empirical estimation method, we will employ the system of Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) regression model. We expect that results will provide information for formulating healthy trade policies with the aim of protecting the health of the population. This research also seeks to contribute in literature on trade and health, which is not currently growing, with a focus on East African countries.
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