Caregivers’ Knowledge on Routine Growth Monitoring of Children Aged 9 Months in Nyamira County, Kenya

DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/72-05 Publication date:March 31st 2020 1. Introduction Growth monitoring is one of the services offered in Maternal Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) Clinics in health facilities encompassing routine check-ups by health workers to examine whether a child is growing as expected. Other services provided in these clinics are not limited to; vitamin A supplementation, immunization, health education and counselling, minor ailment treatment, screening for nutritional and medical conditions for management and defaulter tracing and follow-ups (Debuo et al. 2017). Measuring the weight and length of children monthly reflects their growth pattern which is compared against WHO’s growth standards to ascertain whether a child is growing consistently, showing a growth concern or trending towards a growth problem that need to be addressed. A study conducted in Southern Ethiopia found out that 53 % of the caregivers had poor knowledge on growth monitoring (Daniel et al. 2017). Majority of them said they did not know what a growth chart entailed nor did they know how to interpret growth curves (Daniel et al. 2017). A study conducted in Ghana revealed that more than 40% of the caregivers lacked good knowledge on routine growth monitoring. This study found out that more than 30% of the caregivers did not understand the meaning of routine growth monitoring and only 18.7% of them were able to interpret the normal, static, upward and decline growth curves (Debuo et al. 2017). A study in Zambia established that majority (92%) of the caregivers of children aged between 0-59 months had knowledge on the importance of growth monitoring (Banda, 2012). Caregivers of children aged between 12-23 months in Zambia and Ethiopia were reported to have poor knowledge on feeding practices (Bilal et al. 2014, Banda, 2012). Daniel et al. (2014), Elana et al. (2009) and Roberfroid et al. (2005) found out that more than half of the caregivers were unable to understand and interpret the growth charts. Low comprehension on growth charts implies that healthcare providers do not educate caregivers using the growth chart (Gyampoh, 2012)

Health Implications of Sexual Violence Among Survivors in Selected Health Facilities in Kenya: Are There Gender Disparities?

Sexual based violence (SBV) is a serious public health problem with profound impact on physical, social and mental health, both immediately and many years after the assault. The global statistics on sexual assault against women indicates that, at least one in every three (34%) has been beaten and/or coerced into sex. A World Health Organisation (WHO) multi-country study reports that between 16% and 59% women from Africa had ever experienced sexual violence. In Kenya, about 24% of women have been raped at least once. Nairobi women Hospital alone receives an average of 230 survivors per month, with approximately 45% being children, 49% women and 6% men respectively. The main aim of this study was to investigate the gender disparities in health implications of SBV among survivors in three health facilities in Kenya. This was a cross-sectional study involving 236(84.3%) female and 44(15.7%) male survivors were enrolled in the study. The study established that sexual based violence resulted into health consequences (76.8%) including psychological trauma 143(51%), physical injuries 75(27%), STIs 38(14%), gynaecological disorders 35(12%), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) 32(11%), gastrointestinal disorders 21(7%) and unwanted pregnancies 17(6%). The results showed that females and males who developed health complications were not significantly different (χ2=0.223; df=1; p= 0.637). Males were more likely to suffer from psychological trauma, physical injuries and gastrointestinal injuries compared to females (OR= 1.2, CI= 0.6- 2.2; OR= 0.2, CI= 0.1- 5.0; and OR= 0.7, CI= 0.4- 1.5). On the hand, the study established that females were more likely to suffer from Sexually Transmitted Infection (STIs) (OR= 1.4, CI= 0.3- 6.0), gynaecological disorders (OR= 1.5, CI=0.5- 4.5), HIV (OR= 1.9, CI= 0.6- 6.6), and unwanted pregnancies (OR= 2.3, CI= 0.7- 8.1) compared to males. There is an urgent need to deal with the problems of SBV by preventing and stopping it. There should be a collaborative approach between all the stakeholders including the community, ministries of Medical Services and Public Health & Sanitation, private and non-governmental organization in dealing with sexual based violence and health implications resulting from it. Keywords: Sexual based violence, health implications, survivors, males DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/66-03 Publication date:September 30th 201