Browsing by Author "Kimani, Harun"

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    Assessing the Main Risk Traits Associated With Motorcycle Accidents among the Motorcycle Riders in Kiambu County, Kenya
    (Journal of Medicine, Nursing & Public Health, 2024-07) Maru, Michael; Osero, Justus; Kimani, Harun
    Motorcycles are increasingly popular as a mode of transport, particularly in rural areas of Kenya, due to affordability and accessibility. However, the rise in motorcycle usage has led to numerous fatal accidents, making it a major cause of death and injuries. This study aimed to determine the main risk traits associated with motorcycle accidents among riders in Kiambu County. The conceptual framework examined the relationship between risk traits as independent variables (over speeding, riding under influence, rider fatigue, experience, motorcycle defects, road conditions, regulatory non-compliance) and motorcycle safety as the dependent variable measured by accident occurrence. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design, with motorcycle taxi riders in Kiambu County as the target population. Using simple random sampling, a sample of 140 riders was achieved. Questionnaires were used for primary data collection and analyzed quantitatively using SPSS. The findings indicate majority of accidents occurred in bends (32%), roundabouts/junctions (28%), entrances (13%), bumps (12%) and crossings (11%). The main causes were rider misjudgement/inattention (42%), steering issues around bends/junctions (21%), potholes/uneven surfaces (15%), wet/slippery surfaces (10%), motorcycle faults (9%) and intimidation by other vehicles (3%). Majority had little knowledge in riding skills enhancement (42.9%), first aid (45%), health/safety (43%) and accident avoidance (45.7%). T-tests showed knowledge gaps in riding skills (F=8.320, p=0.005), accident avoidance (F=4.131, p=0.018), bike maintenance (F=4.223, p=0.042) and road craft (F=5.416, p=0.012) were significantly related to accident occurrence. The study concludes the main risk traits are linked to accident-prone locations, rider inattention/misjudgement, and lack of crucial safety knowledge. Recommendations include comprehensive training on navigating risk areas, improving judgment/steering, motorcycle maintenance, first aid, and partnering with authorities to enhance road conditions and implement safety measures through the licensing process.
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    Assisted Partner Services (APS) among Patients Attending HIV Comprehensive Care Clinic in Kenya: Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
    (International Journal of Medical Science and Health Research, 2018) Kimani, Harun; Bukusi, David; Maingi, Peter; Macharia, Peter; Otieno, Felix A.; Muiruri, Peter; Farquhar, Carey
    Introduction: Assisted Partner Services (APS) for HIV involves interviewing HIV infected individuals about their sexual partners and then locating these partners to offer HIV testing and inform them about the exposure. Several studies have shown APS to be effective and acceptable among newly diagnosed individuals, however few have studied APS among individuals with chronic HIV infection. Methods: HIV-infected individuals receiving care at Kenyatta National Hospital Comprehensive Care Center (CCC) were randomized to community versus health facility based notification. Index case in the Health facility arm were offered standard of care which is contract testing where they were encouraged to bring their partners for testing. In the community arm which was the intervention arm, the index cases were offered immediate assisted partner notification where health advisers consented the index cases for their partners to be confidentially contacted and tested for HIV. Smart phone tablet with a Open Data Kit questionnaire was used to collect data. The two approaches were compared using the ODDS Ratio with 95% confidence intervals and the results given below. Results: Index cases randomized to health facility arm were 201 while 218 index cases in the community arm of whom 262 (62.5%) were women and majority aged between 40-49 years 87 (39.9%). The community based assisted partner notification yielded 1 partner per index and among these 113 partners were traced (51.8%) and 101 partners were HIV tested (89.3%). Of those tested, 35 of 101 were HIV-positive. When compared to facility passive referral, there was a 2.6-fold increase in partner testing with 58 (28.9%) of 201 testing for HIV in the health facility arm (Odds ratio [OR] 2.65; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.77, 3.98 p<0.001). Discussion or conclusion: Community based partner tracing has high potential of reaching HIV exposed partners of a HIV infected index case. It is acceptable to both index cases and their partners and enables health workers provide services that enable partners to be enrolled into care.
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    The Impact of Behavioral Training Interventions on Motorcycle Accident Prevalence: A 6-Month Pre-Post Study amongMotorcycle Riders in Kiambu County, Kenya
    (Journal of Medicine, Nursing & Public Health, 2024-07) Maru, Michael; Osero, Justus; Kimani, Harun
    Motorcycle accidents have become a leading cause of fatalities and injuries in Kenya, with a significant impact on families, communities, and the healthcare system. This study aimed to establish the impact of behavioral training interventions on motorcycle accident prevalence among motorcycle riders in Kiambu County over a 6-month period. The study employed the Epidemiological Model for Non-infectiousDiseases as its theoretical framework. A quasi-experimental research design was adopted, with a sample of 140 motorcycle riders randomly selected from Kiambu County. The participants were divided into a control group and an experimental group, with the latter undergoing a 2-week behavioral training intervention conducted by a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (CBT). The Motorcycle Rider Behavior Questionnaire (MRBQ) was used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. The findings revealed that during the post-training period, the experimental group experienced a reduced prevalence of motorcycle accidents at 23% (16 out of 70 observations), compared to the control group's prevalence rate of 48% (34 out of 70 observations). A paired sample t-test showed a significant difference between pre-training and post-training periods (p=0.000), and a Chi-square test indicated a significant association between behavioral training interventions and motorcycle safety (X^2^=22.308, df=15, p<0.010). The study concludes that behavioral training interventions have a statistically significant impact on improving motorcycle safety among riders in Kiambu County. It is recommended that the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) incorporates behavioral training as a standard component of the motorcycle licensing process and that policymakers, road safety organizations, and motorcycle rider training programs prioritize the implementation and expansion of these interventions to promote motorcycle safety in Kenya.
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    Uptake of Cervical Cancer Screening among HIV Positive Women in Comprehensive Care Centres in Nairobi, Kenya
    (Scientific & Academic Publishing, 2017) Lukorito, Judith; Wanyoro, Anthony; Kimani, Harun
    Although cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in low resource settings, uptake of cancer screening services in health facilities is low. Persistent Human Papilloma Virus (Hr-HPV) infection increase risk of invasive cancerous lesion thus screening services have been incorporated into routine care of all HIV positive women. The objective of the study was to determine factors that affect uptake of cervical cancer screening services among HIV positive women in Dagoretti, Nairobi County. A descriptive, cross-sectional facility-based survey of HIV positive women in Dagoretti clinics was conducted. Data was collected using interviewer-administered questionnaire. Out of the interviewed respondents, 19% had screened for cervical cancer. Most of those who had never screened (44%) feared undressing before a health care provider. High proportion of women (72%) had good knowledge levels of cervical cancer screening. Women with higher level of education (p=0.02), those aged above 45 years (p<0.01), those with current circumcised partner (p<0.01) and those currently employed (p<0.01) had better knowledge on screening services compared to other women. Women aged 45 years and above were 2 times more likely to have been screened (OR 2.1; 1.1-3.9; P=0.021) than the younger ones. Findings of this study demonstrated that higher knowledge levels was associated with increased uptake of cervical cancer screening among HIV positive women and thus effort to improve the knowledge on cancer screening can lead to higher uptake of the services.