MST-Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences

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Browsing MST-Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences by Author "Kinara, Shem Nyarunda"

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    Arthritis Risk Factors among Adults in Tombe Location, Nyamira County, Kenya; a Community-Based Study
    (Kenyatta University, 2025-05) Kinara, Shem Nyarunda
    Arthritis is a significant global health problem, with osteoarthritis being the most common type worldwide. The increasing prevalence of arthritis leads to substantial societal and personal costs. In Nyamira County, Arthritis is the second of morbidity as per the county integrated development plan 2018-2022. This study therefore, aimed assess arthritis risk factors among adults in Tombe Location, Nyamira County, Kenya. The specific objectives included: to establish the prevalence of arthritis among adults in Tombe location, Nyamira County, Kenya, to assess the risk factors associated with arthritis among adults in Tombe location, Nyamira County, Kenya, and to determine the association between level of knowledge and arthritis among adults in Tombe location, Nyamira County, Kenya. A cross-sectional research technique with multistage random sampling was used to select the study area through random balloting. Simple random sampling was used to select participants above 40 years from the selected households in the two sub-locations in Tombe location. Inclusion criteria was for those above 40 years who were willing to be part of the study. Those mental ill were excluded from the study. Data was collected used a structured interviewer based questionnaire. A self-reported doctor diagnosis and symptom-based screening criterion were used to identify participants with arthritis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the data analysis. The level of significance for this study was set at 95% confidence level with variables having a p value of ≤ 0.05 being considered significant. Ethical clearance and other approvals were obtained from relevant authorities. A total of 307 participants from 258 households were included in this study. The prevalence of arthritis was 44.6%. Knee arthritis was the most common type (76.0%). Among the participants with arthritis, 88.3% experienced activity limitation. Joint injury/infection [AOR=2.74; 95% CI=1.59-4.77; p<0.01)], being unemployed [AOR=2.77; 95% CI=1.50-5.21; p = 0.00], staying in a town center [AOR=2.02; 95% CI=1.08-3.83; p=0.03), age 51+ years, and hypertension [AOR=1.90; 95% CI=1.03-3.53; p=0.04] were associated with an increased risk of developing arthritis. Conversely, being male [AOR=0.42; 95% CI 0.23-0.75; p=0.01], standing for > 2 hours [AOR=0.48; 95% CI 0.29-0.81; p=0.01)], and constant shifting from sit to stand positions [AOR=0.45; 95% CI=0.26-0.76; p<0.01)] were correlated with a lower risk of arthritis. The level of knowledge of arthritis was 71.8%. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the estimated median age for having arthritis in this population was about 67 years, with females having a shorter median age of 63 years compared to 75 years in males. In conclusion, residents in this study area experienced a high rate of arthritis. Modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors were found to be statistically significant thus the need to address them to avoid further disability at the community level. This is despite there being a high level of knowledge. Further study is need to address differences in arthritis and its impact, with adequate control of confounders, and assess multiple arthritis risk factors.