The Economic Costs of Tobacco Related Illnesses in Kenya.

Objective: To estimate the economic costs of selected tobacco-related illnesses (TRI) in Kenya in 2022.

Research Design And Methods: This study was conducted in 2 phases. Phase 1, conducted between 2021 and 2022, entailed conducting a cross-sectional study conducted in 4 national public referral hospitals in Kenya.

Tobacco smoking-attributable mortality in Kenya, 2012-2021.

Introduction: Tobacco smoking poses a significant risk for various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancers. In Kenya, tobacco-related deaths contribute substantially to non-communicable disease mortality. This study aims to quantify the mortality attributed to tobacco smoking in Kenya from 2012 to 2021.

Factors associated with late diagnosis of cervical cancer at two national referral hospitals, Kenya 2017: A case control study.

Background: Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in Kenya. Two thirds of cervical cancer cases in Kenya are diagnosed in advanced stages. We aimed to identify factors associated with late diagnosis of cervical cancer, to guide policy interventions.

Prevalence, patterns, and factors associated with tobacco use among patients with priority tobacco related illnesses at four Kenyan national referral hospitals, 2022.

Tobacco use is a risk factor for many chronic health conditions. Quantifying burden of tobacco use among people with tobacco-related illnesses (TRI) can strengthen cessation programs. This study estimated prevalence, patterns and correlates of tobacco use among patients with TRI at four national referral hospitals in Kenya.

Integrating digital solutions into national health data systems through public-private collaboration: An early experience of the SPICE platform in Kenya.

Public-private collaborative efforts to address healthcare challenges in low- and middle-income countries have been the focus of digital initiatives to improve both access and quality of health services. We report the early feasibility, experience, and learnings of migrating healthcare data generated from a proprietary, privately owned cloud-based environment into an on-premises National Health Data Center (NHDC) in compliance with Kenya's data management legislation. In 2018, Medtronic LABS entered into a partnership with the Kenya Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to improve access to quality services and data availability for non-communicable diseases (diabetes and hypertension), anchored on the SPICE digital health platform.

Exploring key-stakeholder perceptions on non-communicable disease care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya.

Introduction: over one third of total Disability-Adjusted-Life-Years lost in Kenya are due to non-communicable diseases (NCD). In response, the Government declared significant commitment towards improving NCD care. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the burden on the already overstretched health systems in Kenya.

Piloting a hospital-based road traffic injury surveillance system in Nairobi County, Kenya, 2018-2019.

Background: Kenya's estimated road traffic injury (RTI) death rate is 27.8/100,000 population, which is 1.5 times the global rate.

A Protocol on Using the RE-AIM Framework in the Process Evaluation of the Primary Health Integrated Care Project for Four Chronic Conditions in Kenya.

There has been a rapid increase in morbidity and mortality arising from non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) program has established a chronic disease management program in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Kenya at over 150 health facilities in western Kenya. The primary health integrated care for chronic (PIC4C) disease project seeks to deliver preventive, promotive, and curative care for diabetes, hypertension, cervical and breast cancers at the primary health care level.

Access to Medicines for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDS) during COVID-19 in Kenya: A Descriptive Commentary.

Evidence shows that those with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are at higher risk for serious illness and mortality from COVID-19. In Kenya, about 50% of the COVID-19 patients who have died had an NCD. We sought to describe the challenges faced in accessing NCD medicines in Kenya during the pandemic, through a descriptive narrative informed by key stakeholders engaged in NCD service delivery and decision-making.

Obesity and risk for hypertension and diabetes among Kenyan adults: Results from a national survey.

Despite the anticipated growth in the global burden of obesity especially in low-income countries, limited data exist on the contribution of obesity to cardiometabolic diseases in Africa.We examined population-based samples of Kenyan adults who participated in the 2015 national chronic disease risk factor surveillance survey. Weight and height were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated and used as a measure for general obesity.

Prioritizing Health-Sector Interventions for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries in Low- and Lower-Middle Income Countries: National NCDI Poverty Commissions.

Health sector priorities and interventions to prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases and injuries (NCDIs) in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs) have primarily adopted elements of the World Health Organization Global Action Plan for NCDs 2013-2020. However, there have been limited efforts in LLMICs to prioritize among conditions and health-sector interventions for NCDIs based on local epidemiology and contextually relevant risk factors or that incorporate the equitable distribution of health outcomes. The Commission on Reframing Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries for the Poorest Billion supported national NCDI Poverty Commissions to define local NCDI epidemiology, determine an expanded set of priority NCDI conditions, and recommend cost-effective, equitable health-sector interventions.

Maintaining care delivery for non-communicable diseases in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in western Kenya.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted health systems worldwide, gravely threatening continuity of care for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly in low-resource settings. We describe our efforts to maintain the continuity of care for patients with NCDs in rural western Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a five-component approach: 1) Protect: protect staff and patients; 2) Preserve: ensure medication availability and clinical services; 3) Promote: conduct health education and screenings for NCDs and COVID-19; 4) Process: collect process indicators and implement iterative quality improvement; and 5) Plan: plan for the future and ensure financial risk protection in the face of a potentially overwhelming health and economic catastrophe. As the pandemic continues to evolve, we must continue to pursue new avenues for improvement and expansion.

PASCAR and WHF Cardiovascular Diseases Scorecard project.

Data collected for the World Heart Federation's Scorecard project regarding the current state of cardiovascular disease prevention, control and management, along with related non-communicable diseases in Kenya are presented. Furthermore, the strengths, threats, weaknesses and priorities identified from these data are highlighted in concurrence with related sections in the accompanying infographic. Information was collected using open-source data sets from the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the International Diabetes Federation and relevant government publications.

Socio-economic and demographic determinants of non-communicable diseases in Kenya: a secondary analysis of the Kenya stepwise survey.

Introduction: non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are projected to become the leading cause of death in Africa by 2030. Gender and socio-economic differences influence the prevalence of NCDs and their risk factors.

Methods: we performed a secondary analysis of the STEPS 2015 data to determine prevalence and correlation between diabetes, hypertension, harmful alcohol use, smoking, obesity and injuries across age, gender, residence and socio-economic strata.

Variation in the Proportion of Adults in Need of Blood Pressure-Lowering Medications by Hypertension Care Guideline in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Cross-Sectional Study of 1 037 215 Individuals From 50 Nationally Representative Surveys.

Background: Current hypertension guidelines vary substantially in their definition of who should be offered blood pressure-lowering medications. Understanding the effect of guideline choice on the proportion of adults who require treatment is crucial for planning and scaling up hypertension care in low- and middle-income countries.

Methods: We extracted cross-sectional data on age, sex, blood pressure, hypertension treatment and diagnosis status, smoking, and body mass index for adults 30 to 70 years of age from nationally representative surveys in 50 low- and middle-income countries (N = 1 037 215).

Reframing Non-Communicable Diseases and Injuries for Equity in the Era of Universal Health Coverage: Findings and Recommendations from the Kenya NCDI Poverty Commission.

Background: Kenya has implemented a robust response to non-communicable diseases and injuries (NCDIs); however, key gaps in health services for NCDIs still exist in the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The Kenya Non-Communicable Diseases and Injury (NCDI) Poverty Commission was established to estimate the burden of NCDIs, determine the availability and coverage of health services, prioritize an expanded set of NCDI conditions, and propose cost-effective and equity-promoting interventions to avert the health and economic consequences of NCDIs in Kenya.

Methods: Burden of NCDIs in Kenya was determined using desk review of published literature, estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study, and secondary analysis of local health surveillance data.

Lifetime Prevalence of Cervical Cancer Screening in 55 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Importance: The World Health Organization is developing a global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer, with goals for screening prevalence among women aged 30 through 49 years. However, evidence on prevalence levels of cervical cancer screening in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is sparse.

Objective: To determine lifetime cervical cancer screening prevalence in LMICs and its variation across and within world regions and countries.

Analysis of Attained Height and Diabetes Among 554,122 Adults Across 25 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Objective: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rising rapidly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), but the factors driving this rapid increase are not well understood. Adult height, in particular shorter height, has been suggested to contribute to the pathophysiology and epidemiology of diabetes and may inform how adverse environmental conditions in early life affect diabetes risk. We therefore systematically analyzed the association of adult height and diabetes across LMICs, where such conditions are prominent.

Diabetes Prevalence and Its Relationship With Education, Wealth, and BMI in 29 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Objective: Diabetes is a rapidly growing health problem in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), but empirical data on its prevalence and relationship to socioeconomic status are scarce. We estimated diabetes prevalence and the subset with undiagnosed diabetes in 29 LMICs and evaluated the relationship of education, household wealth, and BMI with diabetes risk.

Research Design And Methods: We pooled individual-level data from 29 nationally representative surveys conducted between 2008 and 2016, totaling 588,574 participants aged ≥25 years.