Pneumonia in pre-school children : Terveysnetti

Pneumonia is an illness, usually caused by bacterial, viral or more rarely fungal organisms. Common symptoms in children and infants include difficult breathing, cough, and wheezing. Diagnosis involves confirmatory chest radiography and laboratory tests. Antibiotics are the preferred choice for treatment and management. Risks factors include low paternal education, low birth weight, lack of breastfeeding. Key strategies for the prevention of childhood pneumonia are community –based case management, adequate nutrition and zinc intake. Main aim is produce guidelines for these families by producing web pages to be published in Terveysnetti so that they can be able to understand and recognize the disease well. The purpose of my bachelor thesis is to provide information to families with pre-school children about pneumonia. Literature review was used in analysis of research articles which were obtained from electronic sources in our school library. Main search engine used to retrieve the articles was CINAHL. Searches were limited and compared against each other thus the relevant information was retrieved by selecting meaningful articles and abstracts. Results concluded that pneumonia kills more children than any other illness- more than AIDS, malaria and measles combined resulting to over two million deaths each year. In conclusion, increased understanding about etiology and pathophysiology of the disease should guide new approaches to tackle the immense global problem of child deaths from pneumonia, the most effective intervention to reduce pneumonia related deaths would be to improve access to early care where simple, appropriate interventions are provided, including referral where necessary

Utilization of Guidelines for Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Children Aged 6-59 Months in Busia County Referral Hospital

Background: Malnutrition is responsible for 35% of deaths among children under five years of age globally. The prevalence of severe acute malnutrition in Kenya is estimated to be 6%. In Busia County Referral Hospital case fatality rate for children with severe acute malnutrition in 2014 was 26%. World Health Organization (WHO) has developed guidelines for the management of severe acute malnutrition in children. The use of these guidelines in treatment of children with malnutrition reduces mortality related to malnutrition. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the utilization of guidelines for management of severe acute malnutrition in children aged 6-59 months in Busia County Referral Hospital. Methods: This was cross-sectional, descriptive study. Purposive sampling was used to select the study sample. A checklist was used to verify documentation of guidelines for management of malnutrition in children from the in-patient files. An overall guidelines utilization scoring tool was developed and used to rate the overall utilization of the guidelines. Data on the supply of essential nutritional commodities was obtained through key informant interviews. Descriptive data was analysed using mean, mode and median. Findings were presented in form of frequency tables and bar charts. Results: A total of ninety-six (96) participants were recruited for the study. The mean age of the participants was 21.85 months. There was significantly higher proportion of children with MUAC less than 11.5cm among 6 to 12 months 20(69.0%) [OR=9.26; 95%CI=2.82-30.39; P<0.001] and 13 to 24 months 16(44.4%) [OR=3.33; 95%CI=1.10-10.09; P=0.033] compared to those aged 25 to 59 months 6(19.4%). Mean weight had increased from 7.97Kg at admission to 8.45Kg at 7 days and this difference was significant (p<0.0001) after paired samples t test was computed. The average utilization of the guidelines was 86.4%. Conclusion and recommendations: Guidelines for management of severe acute malnutrition were adequately utilized in Busia County Referral Hospital. Periodic training of all health workers involved in the care of children with severe acute malnutrition was recommended to ensure optimum utilization of the guidelines for management of severe acute malnutrition. Keywords: Utilization, Guidelines, Severe acute malnutrition, management, under five years. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/86-03 Publication date: February 28th 202

ICT Personnel Maturity towards Green ICT in Kenya

Though ICT is contributing to the economy associated with innovations, inventions and rapid development in almost all aspects of human life, is responsible for climatic degradation. The rapid increase of ICT usage means more costs of doing business, energy consumption, and more environmental challenges. The rapid changing technology reaching Kenya and lack of their understanding has put a lot of pressure on both management and ICT personnel to implement them on a trial and error manner. This has limited the gains meant to be obtained from green ICT despite its technologies availability.  The lack of ICT personnel capacity readiness challenges the reaping of green ICT benefits. The study was informed by the G-readiness model and the enhanced G-readiness model. This study purposed to determine the personnel capacities readiness towards green ICT in Kenya. The study was undertaken using the interpretive, inductive multi-case survey study on a population of four data centres and 116 ICT managerial, technical and user personnel that were purposively sampled. Interview, observation, questionnaire and document analysis methods were used to gather data that was triangulated to increase the reliability and validity. The study established the ICT personnel’s G-readiness was very low on both training and professional development perspectives in Kenya. The study’s findings are useful towards the strategic planning for green ICT implementation, cutting down running costs, improving environmental performance of organisations and contribution to the world of knowledge. The findings provide data for informed ICT personnel and workplace readiness alignment, decision making and ICT curriculum development. The study recommends application of green ICT based on established ICT personnel capacity, inclusion of green ICT training in the curriculum, creation of green ICT responsibilities, provision for a green ICT budget and investment into the development of green ICT personnel. Keywords: G-ICT personnel maturity, green ICT, Keny

Co-culture fermentation of african native sorghum and millets whole grains - technological and biochemical potential of probiotic and indigenous strain combination

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Novel synbiotic fermented finger millet-based yoghurt-like beverage : Nutritional, physicochemical, and sensory characterization

This study presents the nutritional, physicochemical, and sensory characterization of a functional fermented African finger millet-based beverage, using a co-culture containing an exopolysaccharide-producer strain and a probiotic strain. First, the fermentation factors affecting the beverage were studied to ascertain required starter culture and cereal matrix which would support its production. Co-culturing Weissella confusa 2LABPT05 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v in finger millet showed the best fermentative performance. The fermented yoghurt-like beverage contained both strains above 108 CFU/mL and showed improved nutritional and physi-cochemical profiles, compared to the unfermented control: higher content in threonine, arginine, GABA and glutamine, increased protein digestibility, 25 % vs 64 %, a significant production of dextran, 0 % vs 16 %, and increased apparent viscosity, 12 mPa.s vs 35 mPa.s. The developed functional prototype is innovative, organo-leptically acceptable, with high nutritional quality, and promising potential for targeting international markets and different population groups from children to the elderly.Peer reviewe

A culture-sensitive semi-quantitative FFQ for use among the adult population in Nairobi, Kenya: development, validity and reproducibility

Objective: To develop a semi-quantitative FFQ and to evaluate its validity and reproducibility for the assessment of total dietary intake of Kenyan urban adult population, given its non-existence in Kenya. Design: The current study adopted a cross-sectional design. A culture-sensitive semi-quantitative FFQ was developed and its validity was tested relative to thre non-consecutive 24-h recalls (24hR). Reproducibility was tested by the test–retest method, with a 3-week interval. Spearman’s correlation coefficients and intra-class correlation coefficients were calculated for several macro- and micronutrients. Cross-classification into quartiles and Bland and Altman plots were analysed. Setting: Nairobi county (Dagoreti South and Starehe constituencies). Participants: A convenient sample was recruited in three different clusters in Nairobi. Results: A culture-sensitive 123-food-item semi-quantitative FFQ showed higher nutrient intakes compared with the 24hR (total energy median 12543·632 v. 8501·888 kJ, P < 0·001). Energy-adjusted and deattenuated Spearman’s correlations for macronutrients ranged between 0·21 (total fat) and 0·47 (protein). The agreement in the same quartile varied from 28 % (protein) to 41 % (carbohydrates). Including adjacent quartiles, the range increased: 76 % (protein and fat) to 81 % (carbohydrates). The extreme disagreement was low. The first FFQ application resulted in higher mean values for all nutrients compared with the second FFQ (total energy median 12459·952 v. 10485·104 kJ, P < 0·001). Energy-adjusted correlations for macronutrients ranged from 0·28 (carbohydrates) to 0·61 (protein). Intra-class correlation coefficients for macronutrients were moderate, between 0·6 and 0·7. Conclusions: The developed semi-quantitative FFQ was shown to be a valid and reproducible tool for ranking urban adult Kenyans according to their dietary intake.N/

Nutritional intake and food sources in an adult urban Kenyan population

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Nutrition Bulletin published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Nutrition Foundation.Urbanisation is hastening the transition from traditional food habits to less healthy diets, which are becoming more common among Kenyans. No up-to-date studies on usual dietary intake and the main food sources of adult Kenyans are available. The aim of the present study was to identify the main food sources of nutrients in the diet of urban adult Kenyans and explore potential associations with demographic variables including age, sex, level of education, occupation and body mass index. The study adopted a cross-sectional design. The dietary intake of 486 adult Kenyans from Nairobi was assessed using a validated, culture-sensitive, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Binary logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations between food sources and demographic variables. Macronutrient intakes as a proportion of total energy intake (TEI) were within international dietary guidelines. Cereals and grain products (34.0%), sugar, syrups, sweets and snacks (9.8%), fruits (9.7%) and meat and eggs (8.8%) were the major contributors to TEI. Cereals and grain products contributed 42.5% to carbohydrates, followed by fruits (12.4%) and sugar, syrups, sweets and snacks (10.6%). The most important sources of protein and total fat were cereals and grain products (23.3% and 19.7%, respectively) and meat and eggs (22.0% and 18.7%, respectively). Sex, age and level of education were associated with the choice of food groups. Although macronutrient intakes were within guidelines, the Kenyan diet was revealed to be high in sugars, salt and fibre, with differences in food sources according to demographic variables. These results can act as an incentive to national authorities to implement nutritional strategies aiming to raise awareness of healthier dietary patterns among Kenyans.Peer reviewe

Living-Related Kidney Graft Donors Sociodemographic Characteristics and Recipients Clinical Characteristics in Kenya: A Single Centre Experience Kenyatta National Hospital 2010-2015 Audit

This article provides summary of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the kidney transplant donors and recipients from 2010-2015 from Kenyatta national hospital, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa. Only living-related organ donation is practiced in Kenya. Accelerated kidney transplantation activities picked up in Kenyatta national hospital from the 2010. The duration from 2010-2015 has seen more kidney transplantations undertaken in the hospital than the ones done in the same hospital from 1984 when first transplantation was performed in Kenya to 2009. The data were extracted from manual medical records. There were about 120 kidney transplantations performed during this period but only 113 complete records were traceable. There were 113 medical records for both kidney graft donors and recipients from 2010-2015. Demographic characteristics for donors and recipients captured included age, sex, and donor-recipient relationships. The mean donor age was 32.9

The Association of Physical Activity and Diet with Metabolic Syndrome among University Students in Kenya

The occurrence of these lifestyle related practices and dietary habits at early age has been shown to increase the predisposition towards metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome refers to disorders occurring together resulting in an increase in the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Prevalence rate was established at 1.9% indicative of occurrence of predisposing risks of metabolic syndrome in university students. A cross-sectional, quantitative research design was used. 323 participants were sampled from a population of 40,000 students with stratification according to the various school sizes. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. 61.3% of the respondents did not exercise regularly, 72.3% snacked frequently, 60.6% of the subjects that were not diagnosed with metabolic syndrome were fit, 37.2% needed to work on their fitness while only 2.2% were out of shape. The relationship between sedentary lifestyle as a risk factor and metabolic syndrome was statistically significant, as was the relationship between dietary habits and metabolic syndrome. The study established that 85.4% of the subjects were not sure of the amount of calories they consumed in a day and 13.9% of the subjects reported they had weight issues that affected their academics. Modifications in lifestyle habits, physical activity and dietary composition can result in a positive impact on metabolic syndrome and its progression. A mandatory extra co-curricular program requiring students to participate in exercise and sports activities should be enforced to positively engage university students. Vulnerable groups such as the pre-hypertensive and obese should also be closely monitored

EMPLOYMENT AS MECHANISM OF RE-INTEGRATION OF CLUBHOUSE MEMBERS INTO THE COMMUNITY : Case Study Helsinki Clubhouse

ABSTRACT. Mburu Samuel Mbugua and Oyere Germaine Ojong. Employment as a mechanism of re-integration of Helsinki clubhouse members into the community. 49 Pages 2 appendices. Language English. Spring 2017. Diaconia University of Applied Sciences. Degree programme in social services: Bachelors of social services The main aim of our study is to assess the importance of employment on building clubhouse member self-identity .The research investigates how is the effect of employment program of the clubhouse model in finding employment to its members. Also, how the process is helping them to reintegrate into the community. The study also gives suggestion to improve the clubhouse model. The study was a qualitative research with open ended interview questions. The target group were Helsinki clubhouse members that has benefited from the clubhouse model for the past two years. The primary data was collected through semi structured interviews. These interviews were recorded and later transcribed. The unstructured data were interpreted based on thematic analysis. Our study reveals that employment programme in the clubhouse model has been viewed by members as a positive factor in their recovery process. A total number of 71% of our participant indicated greater opportunities of getting occupation, meeting new opportunities and improved social life. We also noticed that 100% of respondents mentioned that through this integration process, their self-confidence and personal development has improved. This has in a way given them a sense of self identity because they felt a sense of belonging in to the community, they can fully participate and interact with others members of the community or society freely