PLAY ACTIVITIES USED BY TEACHERS IN ECDE CENTRES IN KERICHO SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Play enhances all areas of a child's development socially, emotionally, physically, cognitive, language and literacy skills. In Kericho County, statistics at Kericho District Centre for Early Childhood Education show that 90% of ECDE teachers do not fully utilize play in teaching and learning in ECDE centres. The objective of the study was to assess play activities used by teachers in play in ECDE centres. The study adopted the Piaget’s theory (1896-1980) of intellectual development. The study adopted mixed methods approach both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study was carried out in Kericho Sub-County since minimal research has been done on the utilization of play in early childhood education curriculum in the County. The target population was 161 head teachers and 347 pre-school teachers from which a sample size of 48 head teachers and 104 pre-school teachers were selected using simple random and stratified sampling techniques from every educational zone in the sub-county. Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews and observation and analysed using descriptive statistics. The results were presented using frequency distribution tables, pie charts, and bar graphs. Qualitative data from interviews and observation was analysed in themes and categories identifying similarities and differences that emerged. The study may inform the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to produce relevant instructional materials on play for Early Childhood Education in Kenya. The study concluded that there were different types of play activities available in ECDE centres although not all were utilized. The study recommends that all stake holders need to cooperate to help equip preschools within their locality with enough play materials necessary to promote participation of outdoor activities.  Article visualizations

Cross-Sectional Association of Food Source with Food Insecurity, Dietary Diversity and Body Mass Index in Western Kenya

The triple burden of malnutrition in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is partly a result of changing food environments and a shift from traditional diets to high-calorie Western-style diets. Exploring the relationship between food sources and food- and nutrition-related outcomes is important to understanding how changes in food environments may affect nutrition in LMICs. This study examined associations of household food source with household food insecurity, individual dietary diversity and individual body mass index in Western Kenya. Interview-administered questionnaire and anthropometric data from 493 adults living in 376 randomly-selected households were collected in 2019. Adjusted regression analyses were used to assess the association of food source with measures of food insecurity, dietary diversity and body mass index. Notably, participants that reported rearing domesticated animals for consumption (‘own livestock’) had lower odds of moderate or severe household food insecurity (odds ratio (OR) = 0.29 (95% CI: 0.09, 0.96)) and those that reported buying food from supermarkets had lower odds of moderate or severe household food insecurity (borderline significant, OR = 0.37 (95% CI: 0.14, 1.00)), increased dietary diversity scores (Poisson coefficient = 0.17 (95% CI: 0.10, 0.24)) and higher odds of achieving minimum dietary diversity (OR = 2.84 (95% CI: 1.79, 4.49)). Our findings provide insight into the relationship between food environments, dietary patterns and nutrition in Kenya, and suggest that interventions that influence household food source may impact the malnutrition burden in this context.</jats:p

Mediators for sustainable livelihoods : Promoting sustainable livelihoods in vocational and adult education through university curricula and programs

This preliminary study was accomplished during November 2021-March 2022, as part of “global innovation networks in teaching and learning”-initiative of the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, carried out by a team of senior and junior researchers from Finland, China, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. The ambition of the study was to clarify conceptual and methodological framework for future co-creative collaboration between key university and non-university actors, towards development and implementation strategies and practices of research-based curricula and programs, to shape expertise for sustainable livelihoods in vocational and adult education. Sustainable development has become a universal aim in national and supranational economic, social, and educational agencies and belongs to the repertoire of industries, businesses and civil society organisations. The study assumes that social metabolism - the material and energy flows by social organisations of different scales - is potentially the foremost concept for sustainable development. The combat against unsustainable social metabolism happens in local and planetary organisation of work, industries, social and political life. For humans, sustainable social metabolism means livelihood in collectives or assemblies of humans and nonhumans. Although directly targeting this, vocational and adult education have remained marginal in policies and discourse of sustainable development. While universities are prime institutions shaping agendas and expertise for political, economic and social development, we ask why they are ignoring vocational and adult education, despite their critical function for sustainable livelihoods. We hypothesise the impact of the established, taken-for-granted principles and practices in curriculum and program development and implementation, which overlook interaction and collaboration with non-university actors. From our experiences, we find this critical for analysing, understanding and shaping research-based expertise for sustainable livelihoods in vocational and adult education

The global diet and activity research (GDAR) network: a global public health partnership to address upstream NCD risk factors in urban low and middle-income contexts.

BACKGROUND: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death globally. While upstream approaches to tackle NCD risk factors of poor quality diets and physical inactivity have been trialled in high income countries (HICs), there is little evidence from low and middle-income countries (LMICs) that bear a disproportionate NCD burden. Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean are therefore the focus regions for a novel global health partnership to address upstream determinants of NCDs. PARTNERSHIP: The Global Diet and Activity research Network (GDAR Network) was formed in July 2017 with funding from the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Global Health Research Units and Groups Programme. We describe the GDAR Network as a case example and a potential model for research generation and capacity strengthening for others committed to addressing the upstream determinants of NCDs in LMICs. We highlight the dual equity targets of research generation and capacity strengthening in the description of the four work packages. The work packages focus on learning from the past through identifying evidence and policy gaps and priorities, understanding the present through adolescent lived experiences of healthy eating and physical activity, and co-designing future interventions with non-academic stakeholders. CONCLUSION: We present five lessons learned to date from the GDAR Network activities that can benefit other global health research partnerships. We close with a summary of the GDAR Network contribution to cultivating sustainable capacity strengthening and cutting-edge policy-relevant research as a beacon to exemplify the need for such collaborative groups

Implications of COVID-19 control measures for diet and physical activity, and lessons for addressing other pandemics facing rapidly urbanising countries.

At the time of writing, it is unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic will play out in rapidly urbanising regions of the world. In these regions, the realities of large overcrowded informal settlements, a high burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases, as well as malnutrition and precarity of livelihoods, have raised added concerns about the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in these contexts. COVID-19 infection control measures have been shown to have some effects in slowing down the progress of the pandemic, effectively buying time to prepare the healthcare system. However, there has been less of a focus on the indirect impacts of these measures on health behaviours and the consequent health risks, particularly in the most vulnerable. In this current debate piece, focusing on two of the four risk factors that contribute to >80% of the NCD burden, we consider the possible ways that the restrictions put in place to control the pandemic, have the potential to impact on dietary and physical activity behaviours and their determinants. By considering mitigation responses implemented by governments in several LMIC cities, we identify key lessons that highlight the potential of economic, political, food and built environment sectors, mobilised during the pandemic, to retain health as a priority beyond the context of pandemic response. Such whole-of society approaches are feasible and necessary to support equitable healthy eating and active living required to address other epidemics and to lower the baseline need for healthcare in the long term

The global diet and activity research (GDAR) network: a global public health partnership to address upstream NCD risk factors in urban low and middle-income contexts

Abstract: Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death globally. While upstream approaches to tackle NCD risk factors of poor quality diets and physical inactivity have been trialled in high income countries (HICs), there is little evidence from low and middle-income countries (LMICs) that bear a disproportionate NCD burden. Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean are therefore the focus regions for a novel global health partnership to address upstream determinants of NCDs. Partnership: The Global Diet and Activity research Network (GDAR Network) was formed in July 2017 with funding from the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Global Health Research Units and Groups Programme. We describe the GDAR Network as a case example and a potential model for research generation and capacity strengthening for others committed to addressing the upstream determinants of NCDs in LMICs. We highlight the dual equity targets of research generation and capacity strengthening in the description of the four work packages. The work packages focus on learning from the past through identifying evidence and policy gaps and priorities, understanding the present through adolescent lived experiences of healthy eating and physical activity, and co-designing future interventions with non-academic stakeholders. Conclusion: We present five lessons learned to date from the GDAR Network activities that can benefit other global health research partnerships. We close with a summary of the GDAR Network contribution to cultivating sustainable capacity strengthening and cutting-edge policy-relevant research as a beacon to exemplify the need for such collaborative groups

African indigenous care-giving practices: Stimulating early childhood development and education in Kenya

The indigenous communities in Africa, specifically Kenya, which is the focus of this article, had their own well-developed motivational systems that positively enhanced teaching and learning programmes in the community. These motivational systems were manifested in behaviours that were presented as sequential cultural tasks that demanded active engagement from children at every stage of development. The philosophical tenets of African indigenous education underscored education as preparation for life. This was a culturally based education that addressed the physical, emotional, mental and social aspects of a child’s successful development. It offered the child an opportunity to participate in practical, productive and responsible livelihood activities. This article suggests that a concert of research into these indigenous motivational care-giving practices and community participation in the activities of early childhood education may offer important insights into transitioning children from life in the home environment to that of the school and its accompanying academic tasks. When these motivational care-giving practices are incorporated in the process of transitioning children to formal schooling, then their chances of success in these new educational programmes could be enhanced

Swedish study circles encounter Kenyan chamas : A case study on the global interaction of traditions in non-formal adult education

This article reports an empirical case study of a community self-help group (chama) in Western Kenya, utilising the study circle model promoted by a Swedish non-governmental organisation. Methodologically, it is a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and participant observation for data collection. The results show that the study circle idea was transferred and translated through a locally pre-existing social infrastructure for learning, i.e. a farming collective organised and based on the widespread Kenyan tradition of chama. When the chama embraced the study circle and made local sense of it, they did so by mainly sticking to the same form of meetings and activities they previously had. The added value of referring to the activity as a study circle was that it expanded the group’s networks and increased its chances to invite specialists for consultation. Also, some increase in status for the group compared to other (non – study circle) chamas was noted.Funding: Swedish Research Council [2016-05720]; Kenyan National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation [NACOSTI/P/18/36485//22891]Interaction between knowledge traditions in non-formal adult education: Scandinavian influences, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and colonial legacies in Eastern Afric

Comparison of household socioeconomic status classification methods and effects on risk estimation: lessons from a natural experimental study, Kisumu, Western Kenya.

INTRODUCTION: Low household socioeconomic status is associated with unhealthy behaviours including poor diet and adverse health outcomes. Different methods leading to variations in SES classification has the potential to generate spurious research findings or misinform policy. In low and middle-income countries, there are additional complexities in defining household SES, a need for fieldwork to be conducted efficiently, and a dearth of information on how classification could impact estimation of disease risk. METHODS: Using cross-sectional data from 200 households in Kisumu County, Western Kenya, we compared three approaches of classifying households into low, middle, or high SES: fieldworkers (FWs), Community Health Volunteers (CHVs), and a Multiple Correspondence Analysis econometric model (MCA). We estimated the sensitivity, specificity, inter-rater reliability and misclassification of the three methods using MCA as a comparator. We applied an unadjusted generalized linear model to determine prevalence ratios to assess the association of household SES status with a self-reported diagnosis of diabetes or hypertension for one household member. RESULTS: Compared with MCA, FWs successfully classified 21.7% (95%CI = 14.4%-31.4%) of low SES households, 32.8% (95%CI = 23.2-44.3) of middle SES households, and no high SES households. CHVs successfully classified 22.5% (95%CI = 14.5%-33.1%) of low SES households, 32.8% (95%CI = 23.2%-44.3%) of middle SES households, and no high SES households. The level of agreement in SES classification was similar between FWs and CHVs but poor compared to MCA, particularly for high SES. None of the three methods differed in estimating the risk of hypertension or diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: FW and CHV assessments are community-driven methods for SES classification. Compared to MCA, these approaches appeared biased towards low or middle SES households and not sensitive to high household SES. The three methods did not differ in risk estimation for diabetes and hypertension. A mix of approaches and further evaluation to refine SES classification methodology is recommended

Navigating the local foodscape: qualitative investigation of food retail and dietary preferences in Kisumu and Homa Bay Counties, western Kenya.

INTRODUCTION: Non-communicable diseases have risen markedly over the last decade. A phenomenon that was mainly endemic in high-income countries has now visibly encroached on low and middle-income settings. A major contributor to this is a shift towards unhealthy dietary behavior. This study aimed to examine the complex interplay between people's characteristics and the environment to understand how these influenced food choices and practices in Western Kenya. METHODS: This study used semi-structured guides to conduct in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with both male and female members of the community, across various socioeconomic groups, from Kisumu and Homa Bay Counties to further understand their perspectives on the influences of dietary behavior. Voice data was captured using digital voice recorders, transcribed verbatim, and translated to English. Data analysis adopted an exploratory and inductive analysis approach. Coded responses were analyzed using NVIVO 12 PRO software. RESULTS: Intrapersonal levels of influence included: Age, the nutritional value of food, occupation, perceived satiety of some foods as opposed to others, religion, and medical reasons. The majority of the participants mentioned location as the main source of influence at the community level reflected by the regional staple foodscape. Others include seasonality of produce, social pressure, and availability of food in the market. Pricing of food and distance to food markets was mentioned as the major macro-level influence. This was followed by an increase in population and road infrastructure. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that understanding dietary preferences are complex. Future interventions should not only consider intrapersonal and interpersonal influences when aiming to promote healthy eating among communities but also need to target the community and macro environments. This means that nutrition promotion strategies should focus on multiple levels of influence that broaden options for interventions. However, government interventions in addressing food access, affordability, and marketing remain essential to any significant change