ABSTRACT
Background: Contamination of cooked foods with heavy metals is an emerging global concern, particularly due to the associated health outcomes and economic considerations. These chemicals are introduced into cooked foods mainly through poor food handling practices and sometimes from their natural milieu such as soil, water, or air. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study analysed 151 food samples collected from 151 hawkers of cooked foods in Chuka town. The samples were analysed for lead, cadmium, and copper using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) assisted by closed microwave digestion. Results: The concentration of lead in the food samples ranged from ?0.001 to 0.7 mg/kg with a mean of 0.207±0.16, cadmium ranged from ?0.001 to 0.933 with a mean of 0.105±0.195, while copper ranged from ?0.001 to 2 mg/kg with a mean of 0.461±0.456. The recorded levels of copper were below the maximum allowable limits in all the food samples. However, 57 (37.7%) and 44 (29.1%) food samples were contaminated with lead and cadmium, respectively. Overall, more than half 86 (57%) of the hawked-cooked foods were contaminated with either lead, cadmium, or both lead and cadmium. Conclusions: Cooked foods hawked at Chuka town are contaminated with either lead, cadmium, or both lead and cadmium. The County government of Tharaka Nithi to champion interventions on preventing the sale of contaminated cooked foods.
ABSTRACT
Background: Globally, between 2000 and 2017, maternal mortality ratio declined by 38%, with global lifetime risk of maternal death falling from 1 in 73 to 1 in 180, respectively. In West Pokot County, Kenya, over half of deliveries are managed by traditional birth attendants. The study investigated the effect of TBAs-led intervention on utilization of skilled birth care in this County. Methods: The study employed a prospective experimental design. In the intervention arm, TBAs were recruited and trained on SBC. They were assigned expectant mothers and followed until they delivered their babies. Chi-square test was used to determine the relationship between variables. Binary logistic regression was used to compare utilization of SBC between the intervention and control sites. Results: Majority of mothers (95%) in the intervention arm of the study went for TBAs’ services , and 79.5% of those in the control did the same. Most mothers in the intervention (81.4%) delivered in health care facility compared to 58.2% in the control (?2=21.256, p<0.001). There was a significant difference in the odds of mothers utilizing SBC between intervention and control groups. Those in the intervention group were almost 3 times more likely to utilize SBC than those in the control group (UOR; 95% CI: 3.137; 1.909-5.155). Conclusions: TBAs-led intervention increased utilization of SBC among mothers in the intervention compared to those in the control arm who utilized available ministry of health’s standard care.
ABSTRACT
Background: Diabetes is a fast-growing public health emergency, projected to affect 643 million people by 2045. While primary caregiver social support can influence the self-management practices of Type 2 diabetes (T2D) clients, there's often limited capacity to provide it. The study determined the effectiveness of enhanced caregivers' social support capacity on self-management practices of T2D clients in Machakos. Methods: A six-month quasi-experimental study design that adopted quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis approaches. Primary caregivers at the Matungulu intervention site were trained on T2D self-management and types of social support, with no intervention conducted at the Masinga control site. Results: Over 90% of the 227 primary caregivers were female, with a mean age of 43.28, supporting approximately three T2D clients each. Post-intervention, a 27.2% change in capacity to identify all T2D self-management practices was noted compared to a 7.6% change in the control group. The greatest contribution was in the primary caregivers' ability to provide tangible, followed by emotional and informational social support, resulting in a statistically significant improvement in the self-management practices in the intervention site, B=0.140 (95% CI: 0.072, 0.208), t=4.046, p<0.001. Consequently, the difference in blood glucose levels was statistically significant, crude OR=3.213 [95% CI: 2.039, 5.063], p<0.001. Conclusions: Enhanced capacity to provide social support positively correlates with the T2D clients' self-management practices. Further investigation of factors that hinder the full realization of primary caregiver social support capacity benefits in improving self-management capacities among T2D clients is recommended.