ABSTRACT Like most other diseases, oral diseases affect all people irrespective of nationality, race, colour and creed. Despite great achievements in the oral health of populations globally, problems still remain in many communities around the world. Dental conservation methods are those methods that can be utilized to maintain good oral health. They can be instituted at both individual and professional levels. Good oral health is an essential and important component of general health. Some ...
ABSTRACT Health IT is an application of information processing involving both computer hardware and software that deals with the storage, retrieval, sharing, and use of health care information, data, and knowledge for communication and decision-making. The advantages of health information technology (IT) in health care includes facilitating communication between health care providers; improving medication safety, tracking, and reporting; and promoting quality of care through optimized access...
ABSTRACT The HIV and AIDS pandemic is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. Cure continues to elude researchers and infection leads to death. Since the first case of HIV infection was diagnosed, it is estimated that 33.0 million people today are living with the virus globally. Over twenty five (25) million have already died worldwide and more than 2.5 million people became infected with the virus in 2007. Current estimates indicate that 73 thousand Kenyans died ...
ABSTRACT Effective management of today’s health systems depends on critical use of data and information for the effective policy-making, planning, monitoring of services and making decisions. Following the decentralization of health, the district health management information systems (DHMIS) was established to support the districts in utilizing the generated data for the decisions made in health facility. However, data use has been limited and faced with inadequacy hence vital health decis...
ABSTRACT Every year, four million infants die within their first month of life, representing nearly 40 per-cents of all deaths of children under age 5 globally. In Kenya, neonatal mortality is 31 per 1000 live births with neonates contributing 42% of the under-five mortality while in North Eastern province (which hosts Garissa County the area of study) under-five mortality was 33 per 1000 with neonatal mortality contributing to 60% of infant mortality in the region. Delivery by a skilled bir...
ABSTRACT The importance of health workers to the effective functioning of healthcare systems is widely recognized. Shortages of health workers constitute a significant barrier to achieving healthrelated Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and expanding health interventions in developing countries. In Kenya, internal migration of workers, from rural areas to urban areas, is just as serious a problem as international migration. Shortages in the health workforce are aggravated by the unequal d...
ABSTRACT Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (formerly known as non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes mellitus) is a condition that results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin. Management of type 2 diabetes mellitus requires compliance to dietary regimen, lifestyle changes and drugs. The purpose of this study was to determine compliance to dietary recommendations among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending selected hospitals in Nakuru County. Data was collected in 4 hospitals...
ABSTRACT Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training has received global recognition as a tool for improving knowledge and performance of health workers after their basic training, and consequently improving health service delivery. In Kenya, Middle Level Health Training Institutions (MLHTIs) produce the bulk (over 80%) of health workers at CPD training level. However, information on whether monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mechanisms for CPD training activities are available and utiliz...
ABSTRACT It is estimated that in 2008, 358,000 maternal deaths occurred in the world. It is also estimated that in Kenya, 7,700 women die annually due to pregnancy related complications. This translates to approximately 21 women each day or approximately one Kenyan woman every hour. Out of every 10 women, 9 of them receive skilled ante-natal care but only 4 receive skilled birth attendance. The objective of the study was to assess the determinants of birth preparedness among women attending m...
ABSTRACT Preterm birth interventions (PTBI) are basic and specialized care packages designed to improve Preterm birth outcome (PTBO) hence increase the survival rates of babies born preterm. Without PTBI, the survivors of PTB are at risk of facing lifelong disability and poor quality of life affecting the individual and family leading to productivity loss and socio-economic constraints. Globally PTB leads in causing neonatal and child mortality rate (CM R )). Accounts for one million deaths y...
ABSTRACT Levels and trends in contraceptive use in Kenya underscore the need to examine the dynamics of contraceptive use in the country. The contraceptive prevalence rate has been on the increase from 7% in 1978 to 58% in 2014. Similarly, implant contraceptive prevalence rate has increased from 0% in 1993 to 9.9% in 2014. As the CPR increases, current and potential users of family planning are increasingly drawn from women with a past history of contraceptive use. This implies that a further...
ABSTRACT Diabetes mellitus is a persistent metabolic disorder, characterized by high levels of blood glucose due to defects in secretion of insulin, action or both. Globally, due to lifestyle changes, type 2 diabetes is widespread causing a serious health concern and more so in developing countries. The disorder threatens to reach pandemic levels if actions are not taken. The situation is critical in Kenya, since diabetes prevalence (3.3%) is on the rise which threatens the health of general ...
ABSTRACT Post Natal Care (PNC) has been demonstrated to reduce both the maternal and infants‟ morbidities and mortalities; however, the uptake has been low. It is just about 51% of women in Kenya, who receive these services from a skilled health care worker. There has been little investigation of factors associated with the use of these services. The objective of the study was to determine factors that influence utilization of PNC services. Specifically, the study focused on the socio-demog...
ABSTRACT The subject of adolescent sexual and reproductive health has acquired prominence more than ever before in recent years, dominating local and international forums deliberating on adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Most of the discussions, targeted interventions and researches undertaken on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) have looked at the issue from infrastructural and resource capital allocation culminating into school-based reproductive health programs. Pas...
ABSTRACT Under nutrition is the underlying cause of more than half of all deaths in children aged less than five years worldwide. There are 143 million children under five who are underweight in the developing world. In Kenya, severe acute malnutrition is responsible for 82,000 deaths annually with a significant percentage being from urban slums. The purpose of this study was to assess nutritional status children aged 6-59 months in Mathare valley, a low income settlement in Nairobi. A cross-...