Assessment of clinical profile among hypertensive patients, Meru, Kenya

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. Globally, more than 1.28 billion adults are hypertensive and in Kenya, 24% of adult population has elevated blood pressure and 56% of these have never been screened for hypertension. Assessment of clinical profile helps guide the management of hypertensive patients towards obtaining normal blood pressure levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical profile of hypertensive patients at the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted and systematic random sampling was used to sample 75 hypertensive patients who participated in the study. The collected data were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Chi square was used to assess the relationship between the participants’ demographic characteristics, clinical profile and hypertension. Statistical significance was set at p?0.05. Results: The average mean age of the participants was 58.53 years and majority were female (52%). Thirty-three (33.3%) were overweight and 24% were obese. The mean body mass index (BMI) for both genders was 26.48±5.24, the mean waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference (WC) was 0.94 and 102.09 respectively with 85.3% of the participants having a substantially increased WHR. Diabetes was the most common comorbidity (70.73%). Of the five clinical profiles assessed (BMI, RBS, WHR, presence of comorbidities and drug used) only the presence of comorbidity was associated with BP levels ?2 (10.01,3), p=0.018. Conclusions: Participants had high blood pressure, BMI, WHR and WC readings as well as several comorbidities.

Vending environment and hygiene practices of street food vendors in an out of campus food environment in Kenya

Background: Street foods (SF) are ready-to-eat foods and the safety and hygiene practices of street food vendors (SFVs) are important in the prevention of food-borne diseases (FBD). This study assessed the food handling practices and vending environments of SFVs operating outside a public university (Chuka University) in Ndagani, Kenya. Methods: The study used an observational cross-sectional design where SFVs were observed during data collection. Census sampling was used to recruit 100 SFVs in Ndagani, Kenya. The collected data were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Chi square and regression analysis were used to assess the association and relationship between the SFVs’ demographic characteristic (sex) and their food handling practices and vending environment. Statistical significance was set at p?0.05. Results: Of the 100 SFVS who participated in the study 87% (n=87) were female. Only 10% (n=10) of the SFVs were vending in a sanitary environment while 88% (n=88) of the SFVs had sub-optimal food handling practices. There was an association between the SFVs sex and vending environment (p=0.003) and their food handling practices (p=0.008). Compared to male SVFs, female SFVs were 10.1 times more likely to vend in an unsanitary environment (OR: 10.1; C.I, 2.41-42.60, p=0.002) and 7.1 times more likely to have sub-optimal food handling practices (OR: 7.1; C.I, 1.84-27.79, p=0.005). Conclusions: The majority of SFVs are working in unsanitary environments and not handling SFs safely and hygienically. SFVs need training on food safety to prevent an outbreak of FBD within the university community.