Utilization and Medicinal Value of Indigenous Leafy Vegetables Consumed in Urban and Peri-Urban Nairobi

Indigenous African leafy vegetables have recently been attracting researchattention not only in terms of their inherent nutrition quality but also the healing power of some of these plants. Diversification of diets through increased utilization and consumption of these vegetables would go along way in alleviating hidden hunger and malnutrition. The main objective of this survey was to determine the consumption patterns and medicinal use of indigenous African leafy vegetables by the residents of urban and peri-urban Nairobi. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted and the survey subjects included populations from all socio-economic strata and income levels. Probability proportional to size stratified sampling was used to select a representative sample of 800 households (600 urban and 200 peri-urban). Data were collected through structured questionnaires, focus group discussions and an observation checklist guide. A picture guide consisting of all foods available on the Nairobi markets was prepared, and used by the researchers to help the respondents to identify the vegetables they consumed. Ethnic origin was found to greatly influence consumption of indigenous African leafy vegetables. There was no significant relationship between household income and education level and choice or use of indigenous leafy vegetables. Some of the reasons for not consuming the vegetables included prohibitive costs and not knowing how to cook them especially those from other tribes. More than 60 percent of the respondents reported that the vegetables had a medicinal value attached to it and some were said to cure more than one disease. About half of those who used them also said the vegetables were healthy. It was concluded that dietary diversity of indigenous African leafy vegetables in addition to providing essential nutrients presumably offers broad benefits to health. The findings support interventions to promote use of indigenous African leafy vegetables as a foodbased initiative towards alleviation of micronutrient deficiencies and poverty through premium value addition incentive strategies.Key words: Indigenous Leafy Vegetables, nutritional, medicinal 

Efficacy of nutrition counselling on energy and micronutrient intake of pregnant women in Migori County, Kenya

A large number of pregnant women in many parts of the world enter pregnancy at sub-optimal weight. More than 60% of Kenyan population suffers from food insecurity. The result is malnutrition which primarily affects pregnant women and children and significantly contributes to their morbidity and mortality. Maternal nutrition is critical for both mother and child as it lays fundamental foundation for the successful outcome of pregnancy. This study sought to assess changes in energy and selected micronutrient intakes after nutrition counselling among pregnant women in Migori County. A Prospective Cohort study design was used and simple random sampling was used to recruit a sample of 150 pregnant women who were enrolled into a nutrition counselling programme. Data was collected by 24 hour recall and food frequency and analyzed by Nutri-Survey computer package and SPSS Analysis Software. Relationships between variables were tested by t-tests. Generally, there was improved dietary intake of all nutrients after counselling although some did not meet the RDA even after counselling. 4.4% and 20.9% of the women had intakes above RDA for energy, at baseline and after counselling respectively, 62.5% and 84.3% had intakes above RDA for protein at baseline and after counselling respectively. Carbohydrate intake had 93.9% within or above RDA at baseline while all met the RDA after counselling. 61.2% and 77.4% were able to meet the RDA for vitamin A at baseline and after counselling respectively. Only 13.5% met the RDA for folic acid and iron each at baseline but after counselling all had intakes below RDA. The finding is important to central and local governments, civil society, intergovernmental agencies, research groups, business enterprises and community under study. The study fills the knowledge gap and therefore contributes to the advancement of knowledge

Determinants of Self-Esteem, Educational Performance and Career Prospects among Secondary School Students in Navakholo Constituency, Kakamega, Kenya

In the quest to identify challenges to students’ educational performance, cross-sectional study was carried out on 350 randomly selected students of St. Kizito and Sivilie secondary schools in Navakholo Constituency. A social survey design using closed and open-ended questionnaires was used to gather data, which was analysed using descriptive statistics. Results showed that students’ self-esteem is mainly negatively influenced by demeaning comments from both class teachers and parents. These negative pronouncements eventually lead to poor schooling outcomes and difficulties in making career choices. In particular, students appeared to avoid pursuing competitive courses and careers like engineering, medicine and law. Further, they indicated having had little information regarding career choices during their school years. This study recommends that evaluation of teachers and parents/guardians by students should be encouraged albeit confidentially so that appropriate counselling could be extended to these inter-related tripartite stakeholders in pursuit of better learning environment, educational outcomes and ultimately career choices. Keywords: Self Esteem, Learning Outcomes, Career choices, Counselling We confirm that there is no conflict of interest. This research was self-sponsored. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-14-06 Publication date:May 31st 201

Utilization and Medicinal Value of Indigenous Leafy Vegetables Consumed

ABSTRACT Indigenous African leafy vegetables have recently been attracting research attention not only in terms of their inherent nutrition quality but also the healing power of some of these plants. Diversification of diets through increased utilization and consumption of these vegetables would go along way in alleviating hidden hunger and malnutrition. The main objective of this survey was to determine the consumption patterns and medicinal use of indigenous African leafy vegetables by the residents of urban and peri-urban Nairobi. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted and the survey subjects included populations from all socio-economic strata and income levels. Probability proportional to size stratified sampling was used to select a representative sample of 800 households (600 urban and 200 peri-urban). Data were collected through structured questionnaires, focus group discussions and an observation checklist guide. A picture guide consisting of all foods available on the Nairobi markets was prepared, and used by the researchers to help the respondents to identify the vegetables they consumed. Ethnic origin was found to greatly influence consumption of indigenous African leafy vegetables. There was no significant relationship between household income and education level and choice or use of indigenous leafy vegetables. Some of the reasons for not consuming the vegetables included prohibitive costs and not knowing how to cook them especially those from other tribes. More than 60 percent of the respondents reported that the vegetables had a medicinal value attached to it and some were said to cure more than one disease. About half of those who used them also said the vegetables were healthy. It was concluded that dietary diversity of indigenous African leafy vegetables in addition to providing essential nutrients presumably offers broad benefits to health. The findings support interventions to promote use of indigenous African leafy vegetables as a foodbased initiative towards alleviation of micronutrient deficiencies and poverty through premium value addition incentive strategies

Obesity and Factors that Contribute to Obesity among Pre- Adolescents Attending Day Private Primary Schools in Nairobi, Kenya

Obesity is a diet-related condition and it refers to an abnormally high proportion of body fat. Various studies carried out in the United States reveal that obesity stems right from childhood. Childhood obesity is the most prevalent and common nutritional condition among the urban population and it is becoming an area of public concern. Cited literature suggests that feeding habits, especially during infancy and childhood predisposes the child to obesity in adulthood.  This was a descriptive study aimed at investigating obesity and factors that contribute to obesity among Pre-adolescents. The respondents were randomly selected from two day private primary schools in Nairobi. Systematic random sampling was used to select pupils from each school making a sample of 120 pupils. School head-teachers were also included in the sample. Data were collected by use of questionnaires, an interview schedule and an observation checklist. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Qualitative data were analyzed by coding raw data into common themes to form patterns.  Quantitative data were analyzed by computer through the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Linear regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis.  Results were reported using frequencies and percentages. The study showed that there was a significant relationship between eating habits of the pre-adolescents and obesity. Eating food three times a day and eating any time were positively correlated with obesity. In the schools studied, 40% of the respondents ate food three times in a day while (50%) consumed food at any time of the day.  The reasons given for these trends of food consumption were: availability of money, peer pressure, boredom and influence by media.  Skipping meals had a very significant relationship with obesity.  The t-statistic of –2.88 was significant at 5% significant level.  This implied that an obese person could reduce their BMI by 2.0 points by skipping meals.  On the other hand, eating between meals was positively correlated with obesity and the result was significant at 10% significant level.  Data collected indicated that 55.8% of the respondents ate between meals. A third of the respondents were found to have a BMI of over 26, which indicates evidence of overweight. Keywords: Obesity, Eating habits, Overweight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Activity Pattern

Does Entrepreneurial Mindset Catalyse Business- turnover by Women Managing Small and Medium Enterprises? Evidence from What Works in Kenya

This paper explores the effect of entrepreneurial mind-set on business turnover of women-owned Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya. The study had three objectives aimed determining the effect of: i) education and business training on business turnover, ii) soft skills training on business turnover, and iii) overall entrepreneurial mindsets on business turnover.  The study used an explanatory mixed methods research design premised on pragmatism paradigm. The study was anchored on Resource Based View (RBV) Theoretical framework propounded by Adegbite (2019) which explains how women can utilize resources to grow their businesses.  Slovenes  formula using 800,000  population of KWFT beneficiaries   was employed to determine a stratified random sample of 400 women entrepreneurs from Kakamega, Kilifi, Machakos and Vihiga Counties in Kenya. Quantitative data from questionnaires coupled with qualitative case studies were used. The study revealed that education and training provided during training varied in intensity of coverage across the study locales with women located in Kakamega, Machakos and Vihiga more prepared compared with their counterparts in Kilifi Counties. Second, there were positive and statistically significant correlations between type of business and business turnover (r =.707**, p =01) and type of business and entrepreneurial mind-set (r =.483**, p = 01). Third, there were positive and no-statistically significant correlations between study locale and all other study variables. Further, positive and statistically significant correlations between business turnover and skills gained (r =.587**, p =001), and business turnover and entrepreneurial mind-set (r =.359**, p =.05) were established. However, further qualitative case study data analysis using interviews and focus group discussion (FGDs) revealed that   entrepreneurial mind-set, which is a combination of business training and soft skills/life skills (e.g. curiosity, creativity, problem solving, communication and collaboration, resilience), were not covered adequately during programme intervention. It is recommended that programme providers should make a policy shift towards providing a comprehensive intervention model that incorporate entrepreneurial mind-set as part of their capacity building through lifelong learning which has been demonstrated to be a critical driver that can spur business turnover among women managed SMEs not only in Kenya but other Sub-Saharan African countries. Keywords:Entrepreneurial mindset, education and training, Nurturing soft skills, Small and Medium Enterprises, Kenya DOI: 10.7176/JESD/14-14-06 Publication date:August 31st 202

Effects of Mega Dose Micronutrient Supplementation On Serum Zinc, Retinol and Immune Status of Adult Males and Females Diagnosed with and Without HIV, Malaria and TB in Western Kenya – An Unpublished Perspective as at The Year 2004

Background: The role of micronutrients in management of HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB remains poorly understood worldwide. Objectives: To assess differences in mega dose nutritional management between HIV-seronegative and seropositive adult males and females diagnosed with HIV at Voluntary Testing and Counseling Centers (VCT) in Western Kenya. Methods: This was a randomized controlled study in which 90 subjects were recruited on the basis of an HIV-seropositive result from a voluntary and counseling center (VCT) using rapid HIV test kits. They were evaluated at baseline and every 4 weeks for 3 months to establish their clinical, biochemical and immunological status. After 12 weeks, 74 clients were still in the study, 9 were lost to follow-up while 7 had died. Of the 74 who completed the study, confirmation of baseline HIV status by ELIZA revealed that 63 were HIV-seropositive while 11 were HIV-seronegative despite losing spouses to HIV/AIDS. Correlations between parameters at baseline, during and after intervention were determined; Spearman’s Rho Coefficients indicating the level of significance. Group means were used to compare continuous data while categorical data was compared using Chi-Square. Results: Significant reductions in the clinical manifestation of disease were noted in the cohort after intervention for 12 weeks. Despite the large and different micronutrient dosages used between the two study arms, the only difference by arm of intervention was in the serum vitamin E level at 4 weeks which was much higher in arm 1 than it was in arm 2 of the study (p = 0.005). This might have been occasioned by the significant repletion of zinc in both arms, probably because use of citric acid in both arms improved zinc up-take from the supplements, food and/or reserves enabling other nutrients to be appropriately restored in both arms, these supporting the decision to pool the study arms and compare differences by HIV-seronegative and seropositive, notwithstanding the small sample sizes recruited but which nonetheless were our study limitation. Independent of the intervention arms, reduction of viral load by more than 0.5 log10 copies/ml correlated with higher baseline optical densities of HIV antibodies (P = 0.016) and higher baseline viral loads (p = 0.0001). A lower optical density of HIV antibodies at baseline correlated with higher serum zinc levels at 12 weeks (p = 0.008) and a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) at baseline (p = 0.029). Independent of the arm of study, a significant increase in CD4 cells counts post intervention correlated with lower baseline viral loads (p = 0.010), lower baseline NK cell counts (p = 0.007

Effectiveness of nutrition education on nutrient intake and pregnancy outcomes in Migori county, western Kenya

Maternal nutrition is critical as it lays fundamental foundation for the successful outcome of pregnancy. Kenya’s high rates of under nutrition among women of reproductive age are due to sub-optimal feeding practices, inadequate nutrient intake and insufficient knowledge on nutritionally adequate diets leading to poor pregnancy outcomes. This study assessed nutrient intakes and pregnancy outcomes among pregnant women of about 22 weeks gestation exposed to a psycho-educational nutrition initiative in Migori County. A prospective cohort study design and simple random sampling was used to obtain a sample of 150 pregnant women who were enrolled into the Intervention Study. Data was collected using 24-hour dietary recall, anthropometric measurements and health records and was analysed by Nutri-Survey and SPSS and tested using t-tests and regression model. The mean of macronutrient intakes at baseline were 1613±439 kcal for energy, protein 62.6±24.6 g, carbohydrates 245±7 g, fat 41±2 g and after the intervention, mean energy intake was 2159±309 Kcal, protein 86±2 g, carbohydrates 312±6 g and fat 61±3 g. There was a significant improvement in the intakes for all the macronutrients after four months exposure to the intervention. The mean micronutrient intakes by the women at baseline were, vitamin A, 1255±2131 µg, folic acid, 197±7 µg, vitamin C 67±4 mg, calcium 300±141 mg, iron 115±3 mg and zinc 12±4 mg. The mean intakes after the intervention were, Vitamin A 1750±3560 µg, folic acid 249±7µg, vitamin C 90±6 mg, calcium 442±2 mg, iron 15±3 mg and zinc 16±4 mg. There was a significant increase in intake of all micronutrients after the intervention. Mean gestation age at recruitment was 21 weeks, gestation age at delivery was 37.7 weeks. The mean birth weight was 3098±5 grams. Babies born before 37 weeks gestation were 32.6 % while 67.4 % were born at ≥37 weeks gestation. Coefficients of determination (R2) from the regression model showed that there were positive significant effects of nutrition knowledge obtained from the psycho-educational initiative on nutrient intake after the intervention and on pregnancy outcomes. The intervention had a significant effect on nutrient intake and pregnancy outcomes and should be strengthened in the healthcare system to improve nutrition knowledge and dietary practices for enhanced nutrient intakes and pregnancy outcomes

Utilization And Medicinal Value Of Indigenous Leafy Vegetables Consumed In Urban And Peri-Urban Nairobi

Indigenous African leafy vegetables have recently been attracting research attention not only in terms of their inherent nutrition quality but also the healing power of some of these plants. Diversification of diets through increased utilization and consumption of these vegetables would go along way in alleviating hidden hunger and malnutrition. The main objective of this survey was to determine the consumption patterns and medicinal use of indigenous African leafy vegetables by the residents of urban and peri-urban Nairobi. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted and the survey subjects included populations from all socio-economic strata and income levels. Probability proportional to size stratified sampling was used to select a representative sample of 800 households (600 urban and 200 peri-urban). Data were collected through structured questionnaires, focus group discussions and an observation checklist guide. A picture guide consisting of all foods available on the Nairobi markets was prepared, and used by the researchers to help the respondents to identify the vegetables they consumed. Ethnic origin was found to greatly influence consumption of indigenous African leafy vegetables. There was no significant relationship between household income and education level and choice or use of indigenous leafy vegetables. Some of the reasons for not consuming the vegetables included prohibitive costs and not knowing how to cook them especially those from other tribes. More than 60 percent of the respondents reported that the vegetables had a medicinal value attached to it and some were said to cure more than one disease. About half of those who used them also said the vegetables were healthy. It was concluded that dietary diversity of indigenous African leafy vegetables in addition to providing essential nutrients presumably offers broad benefits to health. The findings support interventions to promote use of indigenous African leafy vegetables as a foodbased initiative towards alleviation of micronutrient deficiencies and poverty through premium value addition incentive strategies