ABSTRACT Throughout the whole world, the unmet need for family planning data has become a very useful tool in measuring and predicting the contraceptive needs of a population. Access to family planning services and awareness has improved greatly, but the unmet need for family planning continues to remain high. Kenya is one of the fastest growing countries in population worldwide mainly due to low contraceptive use and high unmet need for family planning. In this study, the proportion of unmet...
ABSTRACT Sub-Saharan African countries largely are characterized by high fertility and correspondingly high rates of population growth for the foreseeable future. In most countries, the majority of women want around five children and more than one-third of population growth is attributable to the effect of wanted fertility. Kenya fertility level has declined over the years to the current level of approximately five children per woman, which is still high. According to KAIS study by Kenya gove...
ABSTRACT Optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended way of feeding children. There is a lot that has been done on IYCF but there still remains a dearth of information in areas related to the application of IYCF recommendations in various regions. In the nations all around the globe, national IYCF recommendations and programs are in place. However, various studies reveal low incidences of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF); a major indicator of ...
ABSTRACT Cervical cancer is a disease with tremendous public health significance. It is the leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality among women in Kenya. Although curable through regular screening and treatment of precancerous lesions, its incidence is on the rise in Eastern Africa and many women are presenting with advanced disease leading to low survival rates. In Western Kenya, it is the most common type of cancer affecting women. Patient delay accounts for a large proportion of t...
ABSTRACT Focused Antenatal Care is antenatal care that provides individualized counseling, targeted assessment and provides safe, cost effective, and evidence-based intervention. The noted public health major problem has been maternal mortality in developing countries. Majority of maternal deaths occur due to complication during pregnancy and eventual child delivery. The rate of maternal mortality was estimated at 686/100,000 live births in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya maternal mortality rate...
ABSTRACT Antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat to public health and is driven by various factors including the overuse or misuse of antibiotics in poultry production which could lead to development of resistant bacteria that can be transferred to humans and hence compromise human medicine. The use of antibiotics in poultry production could be for vaccination/prophylaxis, treatment or growth promotion. This study was a cross-sectional study in Bungoma county that sought to establish the...
ABSTRACT Sexual abstinence is an important pillar for HIV prevention amongst adolescents. However, according to 2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) almost one in every four men under age 24 had their sexual intercourse before age 15. Comparing with the 2003 KDHS, there was small increase in age at first sex, with median age at first sex among women and men increasing from 17.8 to 18.2 years and 17.1 to 17.6 years respectively. This precisely indicates that school-going adolescents...
ABSTRACT Drug abuse is a major public health problem among the youth worldwide especially in developing countries. The accessibility, affordability, and consumption of abused drugs by the youths have attracted great concern among public health personnel. The impact of drug abuse in human health and well-being is substantial and its contribution ranges from medical, social, family, legal and economic problems which are created by its uncontrolled use. Thus, drug abuse-related problems among th...
ABSTRACT The major purpose of this study was to analyze the adequacy and utilization of instructional resources for learners with mental retardation in special schools in Nyanza Province. The study also aimed at finding out the type of instructional resources available in the schools and how they were acquired. The study was guided by five research objectives which were to find out the types of instructional resources that are available for learners with mental retardation; to determine teach...
ABSTRACT Fish is a worldwide distributed food commodity regarded a cheap source of protein especially in the developing countries like Kenya. It provides a good balance of protein, vitamins and minerals. However, bacteria occur naturally on the skin, in the gut and in the slime of living fish, even though they do no harm to the, the microorganisms may cause harm to consumers. Also, some of the microorganisms associated with fish may carry genes of antibiotic resistance that can be passed to p...
ABSTRACT Laboratories are potentially dangerous work environment, often containing a wide variety of toxic, flammable, corrosive, and reactive compounds that can cause harm or injury if safety standards are not adhered to. Although several studies show laboratory safety is a growing concern for schools, little national data exist on the current safety of facilities, equipment, and practices. There is an exponential rise in student population in secondary schools in Kenya that leads to safety ...
ABSTRACT The access and utilization of sexual and reproductive health care is a crucial concern surrounding the advancement of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and rights. Making clinical services attractive to the younger generation has remained a challenge. Sexual and reproductive health services remain underutilized by the youth living on the streets. Unfortunately, this group is exposed to a very hostile environment on the streets, has a highly mobile and unprotected lifestyle often ...
ABSTRACT Indigenous knowledge is the local knowledge that is unique to a given culture or society. It is the basis for local-level decision-making in agriculture, health care, food preparation, education, natural resource management, and a host of other activities. This study was to establish the existence of the indigenous knowledge in the community of central division in Isiolo District and its role in the prediction of natural disasters. The research design used in the study was survey. Th...
Abstract Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important pathogen in immunocompromised individuals. In Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) patients, it causes end organ diseases leading to increased morbidity and mortality in the population due to down-regulation of the immune system of the affected individuals. The prevalence of Cytomegalovirus infection is high in the general population. Its prevalence in Kenya has been found to be above 93% (CMV-IgG) in HIV infected children. Despite, a high Cytomega...
ABSTRACT Globally, the rate of maternal mortality is unacceptably on the rise. A considerable number of women are dying from pregnancy or child birth related complications across the world. Many initiatives have been intensified on policy intervention to curb the high cases of maternal mortality. Delivery in unhygienic conditions without the assistance of a skilled birth attendant may lead to adverse health outcomes. Maternal mortality rates in Kenya remain high at 362 per 100,000 live birth...