Browsing by Author "Gitonga, Eliphas"

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    Determinants of Focused Antenatal Care Uptake among Women in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya
    (Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2017) Gitonga, Eliphas
    Background. The health status of women is an important indicator of the overall economic health and well-being of a country. Maternal health is closely linked with the survival of newborns. For every woman who dies, about thirty others suffer lifelong injuries. Focused antenatal care is one of the interventions to reducematernalmorbidity andmortality. It recommends four targeted visits during pregnancy within which essential services are offered. The aim of the study was to assess the determinants of uptake of focused antenatal care among women inTharaka Nithi County, Kenya. Methods. This was a descriptive cross-sectional survey. Stratified sampling was used to select the health facilities while systematic sampling was used to select the respondents. Chi square, Fisher’s exact test, and logistic regression were used to analyse the data. Results. The level of uptake of focused antenatal care was slightly more than half (52%). The determinants of uptake of focused antenatal care are level of education, type of employment, household income, parity, and marital status of the pregnant women. Conclusion. Despite high attendance of at least one antenatal visit in Kenya, the uptake of focused antenatal care is proportionally low.
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    Determinants of health facility delivery among women in Tharaka Nithi county, Kenya
    (African Field Epidemiology Network, 2016) Gitonga, Eliphas; Muiruri, Felarmine
    Introduction: Kenya records a high maternal mortality ratio 362 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births. Tharaka Sub County has poor transport infrastructure, low levels of socio-economic status and long distances to health facilities. Secondary to these factors, delivering in a health facility is a challenge. Delivering in a health facility is one of the strategies to avert maternal death through skilled birth attendance. The aim of the study was to evaluate the determinants of health facility delivery among women in Tharaka Nithi County. Methods: the study design was descriptive cross sectional survey. Semi structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Stratified sampling was used to select the facilities. Systematic sampling was used to select the respondents. The sample size was 345. Descriptive statistics, chi square, Fishers exact and logistic regression were used in analysis. Results: majority (79%) of the respondents delivered in health facilities. Health facility deliveries were highest (80%) among women aged 20-34 years and among those who attended level 4 facilities for ante natal care (88.3%). Health facility deliveries were lowest among women with five or more births. Health facility deliveries were higher among those who attended at least 4 ante natal visits (87.2%) and having individual birth plans (90%). The likelihood of health facility deliveries was increased by increase in level of education (1.6 times), household income (2.4 times), attending a higher level facility ante natally (1.4 times), birth preparedness (3 times), attending at least 4 ante natal visits (2.9 times) but was decreased by an increase in parity (0.5 times). Conclusion: the determinants of place of delivery are maternal age, level of education, household income, parity, attendance of ante natal care four or more times and birth preparedness.
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    Skilled Birth Attendance among Women in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya
    (Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2017) Gitonga, Eliphas
    Background.Theburden of maternal mortality is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa with an estimation of 500 000 deaths annually. In 2012, about forty million births occurred without a skilled attendant in developing countries. Skilled birth attendance improves maternal and newborn survival. The aim of this study therefore was to establish the level of skilled birth attendance and the associated factors. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was carried out using structured questionnaires as tools of data collection. Systematic sampling was used to select the respondents from the facilities that were stratified. The dependent variable was skilled birth attendance. Descriptive statistics were used to generate proportions and percentages while chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to draw inferences. Association was significant if 𝑃 < 0.05. Results. The level of utilisation of skilled birth attendance was 77%. Skilled birth attendance was noted to be associated with age, level of education, average family income, parity, distance to the health facility, timing of initiation of antenatal care, level of facility attended during pregnancy, and birth preparedness status. Conclusion. The level of skilled birth attendance among women in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya, despite being higher than in some counties, requires improvemen
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    Utilization of HIVTesting and Counseling Services by Teenage Pregnant Girls in Selected Health Facilities in Kilifi, Kenya
    (EdinBurg Peer Reviewed Journals and BooksPublishers, 2025-03) Mramba, Caroline Lillo; Kimani, Harun Mbugua; Gitonga, Eliphas
    Despite worldwide advancements in health, many countries still face challenges regarding population health, chiefly due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. AIDS-related illnesses are a leading cause of death among females aged 15-49, with younger individuals at a higher risk globally. HIV Testing Services (HTS) are crucial for managing AIDS, yet few youths are aware of their HIV status. A study in Kilifi found that out of 1,912 teenagers tested for HIV, 1,041 were enrolled in ART. This study aimed to determine the utilization of HIV testing and counseling services by pregnant teenage girls from selected health facilities in Kilifi County.An analytical cross-sectional study design was employed to assess HTS utilization among pregnant girlsaged 13-19. Data were collected using a standard questionnaire from 250 participants, with categorical variables reported as counts and percentages. Chi-square wasused to determine practicesassociatedwith utilization of HIV testing and counselingserviceswas conducted usinglogistic regression models. Timely utilization of HTS within the recommended 12 weeks of pregnancy was reported by 81 (32.4%). Factors affecting timely HTS utilization included living more than 5 km from the facility (chi-square=16.5, P<0.001), source of income as casual or salaried employment (chi-square=11.4, P=0.02), and awareness that one should be tested while pregnant, which was linked to lower odds of timely HTS use (COR 0.36 (95% CI 0.14–0.90), P=0.03). The study concludes that teenage pregnant girls did not utilize the HTS within the recommended period of 1sttrimester (32.4%) as per the MOH guidelines in Kenya. There were missed opportunities for testing for HIV bringing a gap in achieving 100% testing at the ANC level. This conclusion could be attributed to factors such as income and distance to the facilities as being a contributor tothe low utilization of HTS.