4 research outputs found
Assessment of the biomass related indoor air pollution in Kwale district in Kenya using short term monitoring
Background: Indoor air pollution remains an important health problem in
some countries. Although research data on this issue is available,
routine monitoring in affected areas is limited. The aims of this study
were to quantify exposure to biomass- related indoor air pollution;
assess the respiratory health of subjects; and explore the feasibility
of routine monitoring in Kwale district, Kenya. Methods:We sampled 125
rural houses using short-term monitoring for levels of CO, CO2 and TSP.
Additional exposure information was obtained using a checklist.
Respiratory health was also assessed using a questionnaire, and
electronic spirometer in 172 inhabitants. Results: The overall median
levels of CO in the sampled houses on all study sites ranged from 5.9
(IQR 3-14.5) to 10 (5.5- 21.2) mg/m3, levels of CO2 ranged from 774
(IQR 724-846) to 839 (IQR 749-961) mg/m3) and the levels of TSP ranged
from 295 (IQR 79-853 to 1384 (IQR 557-3110) \u3bcg/m3 which indicates
that safe levels recommended by WHO and USEPA could be exceeded.
Relatively high incidences of respiratory illness or symptoms were
reported and the spirometry readings suggested impaired lung function
in over 80% of respondents. Conclusion: Our results quantify that the
use of biomass fuel can give rise to high levels of indoor air
pollution. Given that poor lung function contributes to public health
problems in rural regions of East Africa, such as Kwale in Kenya, our
findings create grounds for more detailed investigations of the problem
and may provide motivation for community based interventions
Patterns and Drivers of Household Sanitation Access and Sustainability in Kwale County, Kenya.
Many sanitation interventions suffer from poor sustainability. Failure to maintain or replace toilet facilities risks exposing communities to environmental pathogens, yet little is known about the factors that drive sustained access beyond project life spans. Using data from a cohort of 1666 households in Kwale County, Kenya, we investigated the factors associated with changes in sanitation access between 2015 and 2017. Sanitation access is defined as access to an improved or unimproved facility within the household compound that is functional and in use. A range of contextual, psychosocial, and technological covariates were included in logistic regression models to estimate their associations with (1) the odds of sustaining sanitation access and (2) the odds of gaining sanitation access. Over two years, 28.3% households sustained sanitation access, 4.7% lost access, 17.7% gained access, and 49.2% remained without access. Factors associated with increased odds of households sustaining sanitation access included not sharing the facility and presence of a solid washable slab. Factors associated with increased odds of households gaining sanitation access included a head with at least secondary school education, level of coarse soil fragments, and higher local sanitation coverage. Results from this study can be used by sanitation programs to improve the rates of initial and sustained adoption of sanitation
Community-level epidemiology of soil-transmitted helminths in the context of school-based deworming: Baseline results of a cluster randomised trial on the coast of Kenya.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02397772
Household and Parasitology Survey, Kwale County, Kenya, 2015
A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted as the baseline for a cluster-randomised, controlled trial - the TUMIKIA Trial - comparing annual or biannual community-wide treatment targeting all ages with annual school-based treatment targeting 2–14 year olds. Household demographics, socioeconomic status, and water and sanitation conditions were collected through a structured questionnaire. Structured observations were made of household sanitation facilities. Individuals aged two years and above were randomly selected during households surveys and requested to provide stool samples, which were assessed for presence and intensity of STH infection using the Kato-Katz thick smear method. Information on recent deworming, sanitation and hygiene behaviours, and shoe-wearing was also collected from individuals who provided stool samples. Data are provided as a comma-separated value file with accompanying data dictionary