Nutrition Knowledge, Attitude, And Practices In Management Of Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease By Adult Patients At Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya

ABSTRACT

Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is the fifth stage of the quiet stages of Chronic Kidney Disease. Optimal nutrition, medical treatment and management are inevitable in improving the quality of life, reducing morbidity and thus mortality of the patients. While there is no clear data on prevalence and incidence rates in Kenya and most developing countries, Kidney Disease is one of the most serious and currently emerging non-communicable diseases and continues to undermine the health of all age groups in Kenya and globally. There is evidence that nutrition intervention greatly alleviates adverse effects of the disease. Paucity of adequate documentation on nutrition knowledge, attitude and management practices justified the need for this study. The purpose of this study was to carry out an assessment of nutrition knowledge, attitude, and practices by adult patients in management of Stage 5 chronic kidney disease. The study was carried out in the renal unit of Kenyatta National Hospital. The study employed cross-sectional analytical design at facility where simple random sampling technique and random number generator were used to get 103 respondents. The researcher administered questionnaire was used to collect information from the respondents. Key Informant Interview (KII) guide was used to get information from health care workers on patients’ nutrition knowledge, attitude and practices in management of their condition. The qualitative and quantitative information obtained from the questionnaire was triangulated with literature review. Descriptive and inferential statistics was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences version 22. Chi-Square was used to find out the association between socio-demographic factors and nutrition knowledge of the patients. Correlation analysis test using Pearson correlation coefficient at 95% confidence with a probability value of p< 0.05 was used as a criterion for establishing statistical significance. The test was used to analyze relationships between nutrition knowledge, attitude and practices among the participants. The findings depicted participants with moderate nutrition knowledge levels regarding dietary intake. Their attitude to nutrition information and management practices was positive. Their ability to put nutritional management prescriptions into practice was poor as determined by duration on dialysis. There is need to improve nutrition knowledge levels of the patients, further enhance their attitudes by engaging participants to take up dietary practices for sustainable impact. This will alleviate complications arising from renal failure thus prolonging and improving the patients’ quality of live. The study generated information that may be useful to the ministry of health in policy formulation and review of operational standards in nutritional management of the condition Other organizations dealing with provision of nutrition care and support services for Stage 5 CKD patients may use results from this study to frequently update their health workers on dynamic nutrition management of their patients. A longitudinal research of similar study is recommended. The study results will be communicated back to the facility to improve and enhance nutrition management practices of patients by health care workers in the facility.