Utilization of community health volunteers in identification of hypertension cases in Kajiado county, Kenya
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Date
2024-05-08
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International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
Abstract
Background: Hypertension, despite being preventable and manageable contributes greatly to global morbidity and
mortality. Community health volunteers (CHVs) provide various health services, however their utilization in
hypertension identification has neither been explored nor emphasized. We aimed to determine the sociodemographic
characteristics of CHVs and their knowledge level in hypertension identification in Kajiado county, Kenya.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a mixed- methods approach. Using multi-stage sampling, we recruited
226 CHVs who were active in the past 6 months and gave informed consent. Researcher administered questionnaires
and key informant interviews were used for data collection. Data analysis was conducted using the statistical package
of social science version 23 and content thematic analysis for quantitative and qualitative data respectively.
Results: The likelihood of screening was higher among the middle age (41-50 years) (p=0.031). CHVs had poor
knowledge (93.4%) and only 34.1% had attended a hypertension specific training. A strong statistical difference was
found between ever-received hypertension training and knowledge level (p=0.000, 95% CI). The likelihood of screening
was higher among those trained (p=0.005, 95% CI and those with knowledge of signs and symptoms (p<0.001, 95%
CI). The odds of hypertension identification were 3.74 times higher among CHVs who knew hypertension signs and
symptoms.
Conclusions: Overall, CHVs had poor hypertension knowledge. The likelihood of hypertension identification was
higher in CHVs with good knowledge of hypertension. Further studies should be conducted to assess the impact of
CHVs utilization in hypertension on health outcomes
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Citation
Claris, J. W., Oyore, J. P., & Ogweno, G. (2024). Utilization of community health volunteers in identification of hypertension cases in Kajiado county, Kenya.