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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Contributing Towards Efforts To Abandon Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Kenya: A Situation Analysis, Humphres Evelia, Maryam Sheikh Abdi, Carolyne Njue, Ian Askew
Contributing Towards Efforts To Abandon Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Kenya: A Situation Analysis, Humphres Evelia, Maryam Sheikh Abdi, Carolyne Njue, Ian Askew
Reproductive Health
The Kenyan Ministry of Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services, with support from UNFPA/Kenya, commissioned the Population Council to conduct a situation analysis of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) programs in Kenya, with the overall objective of documenting the current status of and trends in FGM/C programming and to help identify crucial elements that need to be prioritized for support. Results show marked declines in prevalence nationally between generations, suggesting a decline in the practice as well as trends toward “medicalization” in recent years. The practice still continues for different reasons, such as rite of passage, for marriageability, controlling sexuality, religious …
Preparedness Of Kenyan Health Workers To Deliver Hiv/Aids Services, National Aids And Std Control Programme, Ministry Of Health Kenya, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Horizons Program
Preparedness Of Kenyan Health Workers To Deliver Hiv/Aids Services, National Aids And Std Control Programme, Ministry Of Health Kenya, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Horizons Program
HIV and AIDS
Most Kenyan adults do not know their HIV status. Patients who present to a health facility can learn their status as part of a diagnostic assessment, enabling health-care personnel to provide a more accurate clinical evaluation and accelerate access to comprehensive care. This is particularly relevant in Kenya because up to 60 percent of all medical ward hospital beds are occupied by HIV-infected patients. Therefore provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling, which includes diagnostic testing and counseling (DTC), provides an opportunity to interrupt the cycle of HIV transmission to patients’ partners and children. In 2004, the Kenya Ministry of Health launched …
Changes In Stigma Among A Cohort Of People On Antiretroviral Therapy: Findings From Mombasa, Kenya, Susan Kaai, Avina Sarna, Stanley Luchters, Scott Geibel, Paul Munyao, Kishorchandra N. Mandaliya, Khadija Shikely, Marleen Temmerman, Naomi Rutenberg
Changes In Stigma Among A Cohort Of People On Antiretroviral Therapy: Findings From Mombasa, Kenya, Susan Kaai, Avina Sarna, Stanley Luchters, Scott Geibel, Paul Munyao, Kishorchandra N. Mandaliya, Khadija Shikely, Marleen Temmerman, Naomi Rutenberg
HIV and AIDS
Stigma has been a reality in the lives of people living with HIV (PLHIV) since the inception of the AIDS epidemic, and it can have profound implications for health, psychosocial well-being, and utilization of health services. In the industrialized world, the availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and a subsequent change in perception of AIDS as a chronic manageable disease has coincided with a decrease in stigma and discrimination directed toward PLHIV. However, little is known in developing countries about whether perceptions and experiences of stigma among PLHIV have changed following increased access to ART. The Horizons Program and the International …
Sexual Risk Behaviors Of Hiv-Positive Persons Receiving Art In Mombasa, Kenya: Longitudinal Study Findings, Stanley Luchters, Avina Sarna, Scott Geibel, Matthew F. Chersich, Paul Munyao, Susan Kaai, Kishorchandra N. Mandaliya, Naomi Rutenberg, Marleen Temmerman
Sexual Risk Behaviors Of Hiv-Positive Persons Receiving Art In Mombasa, Kenya: Longitudinal Study Findings, Stanley Luchters, Avina Sarna, Scott Geibel, Matthew F. Chersich, Paul Munyao, Susan Kaai, Kishorchandra N. Mandaliya, Naomi Rutenberg, Marleen Temmerman
HIV and AIDS
As a result of the success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in dramatically decreasing morbidity and mortality due to HIV, many HIV-infected individuals are now living longer, healthier, and more sexually active lives. However, unprotected sex by people living with HIV is an area of concern because of the risk of transmission to sero-discordant partners and reinfection with new, drug-resistant viral strains. There is evidence to suggest that some sero-positive individuals continue to engage in unprotected sex that places others at risk for infection and places themselves at risk for contracting secondary infections. To learn more about the impact of ART …
Kenya: Begin Community Dialogue On Fgm/C By Discussing Cultural Justification, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Kenya: Begin Community Dialogue On Fgm/C By Discussing Cultural Justification, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Reproductive Health
Female genital cutting is strongly supported among the Somali ethnic community in Kenya, and the severest form (infibulation) is primarily practiced. This type of cut is associated with increased incidence and seriousness of obstetric and gynecological problems relative to uncut women and those with less severe forms of FGM/C. As stated in this brief, efforts to encourage abandonment should begin with community discussion about the socio-cultural reasons for cutting. Simultaneously, health-care providers need training in how to manage complications of FGM/C. In 2004, FRONTIERS collaborated with UNICEF on a four-month diagnostic study on FGM/C practices among the Somali community in …
Kenya: Mobilize Health Care Providers To Advocate Against Fgm/C, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Kenya: Mobilize Health Care Providers To Advocate Against Fgm/C, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Reproductive Health
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is illegal in Kenya. The practice has declined slightly, yet it is nearly universal among the Abagusii, a relatively affluent ethnic group residing in the Nyanza province in western Kenya. Half of cut women reported that they had been cut by a health worker, however providers express willingness to advocate against the practice. This study, launched in 2004 by the Population Council’s FRONTIERS Program, examined the role of health providers in FGM/C in Kenya’s Abagusii community. As noted in this brief, the objectives were to understand the motivations behind the medicalization of FGM/C and determine the …
Mainstreaming And Scaling Up The Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project, Ian Askew, Humphres Evelia
Mainstreaming And Scaling Up The Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project, Ian Askew, Humphres Evelia
Reproductive Health
From 1999–2003, FRONTIERS implemented a Global Agenda program of operations research (OR) projects to address the reproductive health (RH) needs of adolescents in four countries—Bangladesh, Kenya, Mexico, and Senegal. The project was implemented in two districts of Western Province in Kenya and was known as the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project (KARHP). The project supported a public sector, multisectoral intervention to enhance young people’s knowledge and behavior regarding HIV prevention and RH. Implemented jointly with PATH, this OR project demonstrated that such an intervention could be implemented by the public sector, that it was acceptable to communities, that its influence …
Adolescence In The Kibera Slums Of Nairobi, Kenya, Annabel Erulkar, James K. Matheka
Adolescence In The Kibera Slums Of Nairobi, Kenya, Annabel Erulkar, James K. Matheka
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Rates of urbanization in Kenya are among the highest in the world and young people form a large proportion of those moving from rural to urban areas of the country. For many young people, the first point of entry into urban areas are the slums. Adolescents and young people make up a significant proportion of the slum-dwelling population, yet little is known about their experiences growing up in these poor urban environments. This population-based study of adolescents took place in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2006. The study explores the adolescent experience in one of Africa’s largest slum …
Tuko Pamoja: A Guide For Peer Educators, Program For Appropriate Technology In Health (Path)
Tuko Pamoja: A Guide For Peer Educators, Program For Appropriate Technology In Health (Path)
Reproductive Health
This guide was developed by Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and is part of the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project’s Tuko Pamoja (We Are Together) series. Based on KARHP’s Adolescent Reproductive Health and Life Skills Curriculum, the guide is designed to help facilitate dialogue between adults and young people on issues related to adolescent reproductive health. It can be used to help peer educators share information and lead discussions with their peers on physical and emotional changes during adolescence, staying healthy, planning for the future, making good decisions, and preventing pregnancy and HIV and AIDS. The information can …
Impact Of Antiretroviral Therapy On Household Economics: Findings From Mombasa, Kenya, Rick Homan, Desai Jaikishan, Paul Munyao, Avina Sarna, Scott Geibel
Impact Of Antiretroviral Therapy On Household Economics: Findings From Mombasa, Kenya, Rick Homan, Desai Jaikishan, Paul Munyao, Avina Sarna, Scott Geibel
HIV and AIDS
While the clinical impact of receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) on individuals living with HIV is well documented, less is known about how the receipt of ART affects household economics. This analysis examined the direct and indirect effects of receiving ART on household economics. A direct effect is reduced spending on health services as a result of the improved health status of the household member on ART. The potential indirect effects include increased labor-force participation by the household member on ART, a change in how other household members spend their time (working or in school), and a shift in composition of …
Kenya: Multisectoral Engagement Increases Support For Adolescent Reproductive Health, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Kenya: Multisectoral Engagement Increases Support For Adolescent Reproductive Health, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Reproductive Health
In 1999, FRONTIERS launched the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project (KARHP), testing a multisectoral approach to improving young people’s reproductive health knowledge and behavior at community, school, and health-facility levels in two pilot districts in the Western Province. The intervention involved three key government ministries—Education, Science and Technology, Health, and Gender, Sports, Culture, and Social Services—with input from community leaders, parents, and youth. Positive findings from the study convinced the three ministries and USAID to institutionalize and scale up selected elements from the pilot project. In 2003, FRONTIERS and PATH began providing technical assistance aimed at mainstreaming and expanding cost-effective …
Situation Analysis Of The Sexual And Reproductive Health And Hiv Risks And Prevention Needs Of Older Orphaned And Vulnerable Children In Nyanza Province, Kenya, Milka Juma, Ian Askew, Alan Ferguson
Situation Analysis Of The Sexual And Reproductive Health And Hiv Risks And Prevention Needs Of Older Orphaned And Vulnerable Children In Nyanza Province, Kenya, Milka Juma, Ian Askew, Alan Ferguson
Reproductive Health
The increasing number of children in Kenya who are orphaned or made vulnerable (OVC) from HIV/AIDS and other factors calls for a holistic understanding of their situation so that effective programs to address their needs can be designed. This is especially important for those areas hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, such as Nyanza Province. Little is known about the vulnerabilities of older orphans to risky sexual behavior, and whether they are more vulnerable than nonorphans. The Department of Children’s Services has initiated a cash transfer program to households taking care of OVC. The main objective is to provide a …
Community-Based Approaches To Prevention Of Mother-To-Child Transmission Of Hiv: Findings From A Low-Income Community In Kenya, Susan Kaai, Carolyn Baek, Scott Geibel, Peter Omondi, Benson Ulo, Grace Muthumbi, Carol Nkatha, Naomi Rutenberg
Community-Based Approaches To Prevention Of Mother-To-Child Transmission Of Hiv: Findings From A Low-Income Community In Kenya, Susan Kaai, Carolyn Baek, Scott Geibel, Peter Omondi, Benson Ulo, Grace Muthumbi, Carol Nkatha, Naomi Rutenberg
HIV and AIDS
The Horizons program, in partnership with International Medical Corps and Steadman Research Services International, conducted an intervention study in Kibera, an urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya to determine what effect three different community-based activities had on utilization of key prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services. The interventions included moving services closer to the population via mobile clinics, as well as increasing psychosocial support through the use of traditional birth attendants and peer counselors as PMTCT promoters. Data from the study showed that there were positive trends during the study period in most of the PMTCT indicators, including knowledge of MTCT, …
Beacon Of Hope: Evaluation Of The Kenya Girl Guides Association Hiv/Aids Program For School Children, Karusa Kiragu, George Odingo, Milka Juma, Jane Mbugua, Magdalen Waweru, Wamuyu Mahinda, Beatrice Mwaniki, Charity Muturi, Simon Ochieng, Tobey C. Nelson, Ann P. Mccauley
Beacon Of Hope: Evaluation Of The Kenya Girl Guides Association Hiv/Aids Program For School Children, Karusa Kiragu, George Odingo, Milka Juma, Jane Mbugua, Magdalen Waweru, Wamuyu Mahinda, Beatrice Mwaniki, Charity Muturi, Simon Ochieng, Tobey C. Nelson, Ann P. Mccauley
HIV and AIDS
This Horizons report presents findings from an evaluation of the Kenya Girl Guides Participatory Peer Education Program for HIV and AIDS Prevention. The objective of the program was to train Girl Guide patrol leaders as peer educators, who in turn would communicate key information and concepts about such topics as HIV prevention, relationships, and self-esteem to other Girl Guides, and ultimately to their school peers. The results demonstrate that peer education conducted by Girl Guides is a feasible strategy for imparting HIV and AIDS education to school-going youth; however, such a program would need to be branded, strengthened, and appropriately …
Promoting Adherence Through A Directly Administered Antiretroviral Therapy Strategy In Mombasa, Kenya, Avina Sarna, Stanley Luchters, Scott Geibel, Matthew F. Chersich, Paul Munyao, Rick Homan, Susan Kaai, Kishorchandra N. Mandaliya, Marleen Temmerman, Naomi Rutenberg
Promoting Adherence Through A Directly Administered Antiretroviral Therapy Strategy In Mombasa, Kenya, Avina Sarna, Stanley Luchters, Scott Geibel, Matthew F. Chersich, Paul Munyao, Rick Homan, Susan Kaai, Kishorchandra N. Mandaliya, Marleen Temmerman, Naomi Rutenberg
HIV and AIDS
A principal concern of antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs is the ability of clients to maintain a high level of adherence to medication. Based on formative research conducted with HIV-infected clients and health workers in Mombasa, Kenya, and lessons learned from directly observed therapy strategies to encourage adherence to treatment for tuberculosis, a directly administered antiretroviral therapy (DAART) strategy to promote adherence to ART was developed. This study examines whether the intervention was more effective in fostering adherence to ART than standard follow-up among people living with HIV in Mombasa. Researchers from the Horizons Program and the International Centre for Reproductive …