ABSTRACT Self-medication encompasses the use of the medicines by the users for self perceived health problems or the continuing use of medications formally prescribed earlier. The scope of the definition includes treatment of family members especially to minors and elderly. Self-medication with antibiotics is a global problem, the prevalence rates are high all over the world, up to 68% in European countries while much higher in the developing countries with rates going as high as 92% in the a...
TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .......................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ..............................................................................................v LIST OF ...
ABSTRACT Survival of children with AIDS has increased considerably with the use of effective antiretroviral drugs, but the benefits of this therapy are limited by the difficulty of adherence to the treatment. This cross-sectional study was aimed at estimating the prevalence of adherence to antiretrovirals and identifying the associated caregiver factors affecting adherence among children resident in Thika town. Two hundred child caregivers were interviewed. The 24 Hour Recall Interview techni...
ABSTRACT Malaria, a preventable disease, caused by a protozoan parasite, accounts for about 300-500million clinical cases and two million deaths world-wide annually. Ninety per cent of this occurs in countries south of the Sahara. It is responsible for about 25% of all childhood mortality. It is estimated that at least 50% of the population will have at least one attack of malaria in a year. It is one of largest contributor to disease burden in Nigeria. There were two million cases of malaria...
ABSTRACT Slaughterhouses and meat processing plants are known to potentially pose significant threats to worker’s safety and health due to the hazardous conditions involving animals, tools and dangerous machines used in the meat industry.The main objective of this study was to investigate the safety of workers in slaughterhouses and meat processing plants in Nairobi City County. The specific objectives were to determine the level of compliance of various categories of slaughterhouses and p...
ABSTRACT Health Information Management System is a system that entails collecting, processing, reporting and using health information and knowledge to influence decision making.AMREF facility provides services in urban informal settlements where Health Information Management System is used.The objective of the study was to determine factors that influence utilization of the HIMS in the AMREF- Kibera facility.It further sought to establish the current status of the HIMS in place in the Kibera...
ABSTRACT Overweight and obesity are reported to be increasing worldwide and currently constituting a public health problem. The consequences of these include hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyper-lipidemia, coronary artery diseases and some cancers. The reports from several regions of the world concerning overweight/obesity among children and adolescents are not consistent. In Nigeria there is no current national figure on overweight/obesity in the adult or children. The main objective of t...
ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to ascertain the relationship between age parity, breastfeeding practices, mode of delivery, occupation of mother and postpartum obesity. This study was carried out in three (3) Primary Health Centers, a Federal Medical centre (FMC), and Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) all in Yenagoa, Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. A total of 400 postpartum mothers of 18-49years were randomly selected and questionnaires were administered. I...
ABSTRACT Pre-conception care (PCC) is the provision of biomedical, behavioural and social health interventions to women and couples before conception occurs. Despite the advances in maternal and neonatal care, Kenya still records a high maternal mortality rate with the leading maternal causes being haemorrhage and anaemia both of which can be prevented or adverse effects reduced through preconception care interventions. Kenya still reports a high number of unplanned pregnancies which poses a...
ABSTRACT Antenatal care contributes to good pregnancy outcomes and often times benefits of antenatal care are dependent on the timing and quality of the care provided. Antenatal care is necessary to establish confidence between the woman and her health care provider, to individualize health promotion messages, and to identify and manage any maternal complications or risk factors. In low and middle income countries, complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death in w...
ABSTRACT Stillbirth is a baby born without any signs of life weighing at least 1000grams or with at least 28 weeks gestation. There is no burden affecting families is big and yet invisible in society and global arena as stillbirth. Stillbirth is a traumatizing experience for most women and a risk factor to development of psychological morbidity. The kind of care women receive during this critical period influences exhibition of psychological morbidity such as depression, anxiety and post tra...
ABSTRACT A culturally competent health workforce is recognized as a priority reform area in health management as well as in improving maternal healthcare indicators in vulnerable and marginalized settings. Yet modalities of integrating and reorienting healthcare services to meet the cultural needs of patients are rare. This study aimed at investigating the effect of training health workers in cultural competence towards satisfaction with maternity services among women of Elgeyo-Marakwet Coun...
ABSTRACT Pre-conception nutrition is a key determinant of the pregnancy outcome and the health of a newborn. Since women are likely to conceive at some point in their lives, there is need to attain appropriate nutrition status in order to prepare them to meet the future needs of pregnancy for both the mother and the unborn child. Several factors including demographic and economic characteristics, nutrition knowledge and attitude are known to influence dietary practices. Several researches ha...
ABSTRACT Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of children is a growing field of research and has emerged as an important health outcome in clinical trials, clinical practice improvement strategies, and health care services and evaluation especially in the developed countries. HRQoL focuses on individual’s subjective evaluation of their physical, emotional and social well being which is linked to World Health Organization’s definition of health. Parasitic diseases affect the quality of ...
ABSTRACT Determinants of self directed referral of patients at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya Author: Mahinda Faith Wambui Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) is found at the apex of the referral system of health care. Ideally, patients seen at KNH are supposed to have sought care from lower levels of health care in the referral system first before seeking health services at KNH. Referral can assume two forms: Self and Non-self. Self referral refers to the scenario where a patient by...