Climate change and health risks in Mukuru informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya - knowledge, attitudes and practices among residents.

Background: Residents of informal settlements in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) are vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change. Little is known about the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of inhabitants of informal settlements in SSA regarding climate change and its health impacts. The aim of this study was to investigate how inhabitants of an informal settlement in SSA experience climate change and its health impacts and assess related knowledge, attitudes and practices.

Perspectives of Local Community Leaders, Health Care Workers, Volunteers, Policy Makers and Academia on Climate Change Related Health Risks in Mukuru Informal Settlement in Nairobi, Kenya-A Qualitative Study.

Sub-Saharan Africa has been identified as one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. The objective of this study was to explore knowledge and perspectives on climate change and health-related issues, with a particular focus on non-communicable diseases, in the informal settlement (urban slum) of Mukuru in Nairobi, Kenya. Three focus group discussions and five in-depth interviews were conducted with total of 28 participants representing local community leaders, health care workers, volunteers, policy makers and academia.

Prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity in Kenya.

Overweight and obesity rates continue to rise globally and are associated with increased chronic disease morbidity and mortality. There is evidence of high overweight and obesity prevalence in Kenya, however; a gap exists in the knowledge of national prevalence and predictors of overweight and obesity. This cross-sectional study examined data from the 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) Kenya STEPwise Survey-the first nationally representative survey to objectively measure body mass index (BMI) among Kenyan men and women.

Climate change and health in urban informal settlements in low- and middle-income countries - a scoping review of health impacts and adaptation strategies.

: Climate change affects human health with those with the least resources being most vulnerable. However, little is known about the impact of climate change on human health and effective adaptation methods in informal settlements in low- and middle-income countries.: The objective of this scoping review was to identify, characterize, and summarize research evidence on the impact of climate change on human health in informal settlements and the available adaptation methods and interventions.

Fighting non-communicable diseases in East Africa: assessing progress and identifying the next steps.

Sub-Saharan Africa has seen a rapid increase in non-communicable disease (NCD) burden over the last decades. The East African Community (EAC) comprises Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan and Uganda, with a population of 177 million. In those countries, 40% of deaths in 2015 were attributable to NCDs.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Non-communicable Diseases-A Wake-up Call for Primary Health Care System Strengthening in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Strengthening Primary Health Care Systems is the most effective policy response in low-and middle-income countries to protect against health emergencies, achieve universal health coverage, and promote health and wellbeing. Despite the Astana declaration on primary health care, respective investment is still insufficient in Sub-Sahara Africa. The SARS-CoV-2019 pandemic is a reminder that non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which are increasingly prevalent in Sub-Sahara Africa, are closely interlinked to the burden of communicable diseases, exacerbating morbidity and mortality.

Burden of prehypertension among adults in Kenya: a retrospective analysis of findings from the Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) Programme.

Background: Hypertension is the leading risk factor for mortality globally. African countries, including Kenya, have a high and rising prevalence of hypertension. Prehypertension is associated with an increased risk of progression to overt hypertension and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.

Healthy Heart Africa: a prospective evaluation of programme outcomes on individuals' hypertension awareness, screening, diagnosis and treatment in rural Kenya at 12 months.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of Healthy Heart Africa (HHA), a comprehensive hypertension intervention programme, on hypertension awareness, knowledge, screening and diagnosis among rural communities in Kenya.

Methods: Individuals from rural households near intervention and matched control healthcare facilities were randomly surveyed at baseline and the end point (after 12 months). A difference-in-differences analysis estimated the impact of HHA.

Molecular characterization of measles virus strains circulating in Cameroon during the 2013-2016 epidemics.

The first genotyping data on measles virus (MeV) strains in Cameroon dates from 1994, while other studies were realized in 2001 and 2011 with the establishment of MeV virological surveillance. However, the genetic data of MeV strains circulating in Cameroon remains fragmented and concentrated in certain regions, hence the need for an update. The objective of this study was to have recent data on MeV genotypes circulating in Cameroon.

Healthy Heart Africa-Kenya: A 12-Month Prospective Evaluation of Program Impact on Health Care Providers' Knowledge and Treatment of Hypertension.

Background: Given the rising burden of hypertension in Africa, the Healthy Heart Africa program was developed to improve access to quality hypertension care in the primary care setting. The Healthy Heart Africa program provides a comprehensive, coordinated intervention directed at health care providers (HCPs) and the general public.

Objective: The impact of Healthy Heart Africa on HCPs' knowledge of hypertension and facility-level services in Kenya was evaluated by a 12-month prospective study.

Randomized controlled trial of influenza vaccine in patients with heart failure to reduce adverse vascular events (IVVE): Rationale and design.

Background: Influenza is associated with an increase in the risk of cardiac and other vascular events. Observational data and small randomized trials suggest that influenza vaccination may reduce such adverse vascular events.

Research Design And Methods: In a randomized controlled trial patients with heart failure are randomized to receive either inactivated influenza vaccine or placebo annually for 3 years.

First Africa non-communicable disease research conference 2017: sharing evidence and identifying research priorities.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) prevalence is rising fastest in lower income settings, and with more devastating outcomes compared to High Income Countries (HICs). While evidence is consistent on the growing health and economic consequences of NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), specific efforts aimed at addressing NCD prevention and control remain less than optimum and country level progress of implementing evidence backed cost-effective NCD prevention approaches such as tobacco taxation and restrictions on marketing of unhealthy food and drinks is slow. Similarly, increasing interest to employ multi-sectoral approaches (MSA) in NCD prevention and policy is impeded by scarce knowledge on the mechanisms of MSA application in NCD prevention, their coordination, and potential successes in SSA.

Cardiovascular risk factors among people living with HIV in rural Kenya: a clinic-based study.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and their association with antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-infected adults in a rural sub-county hospital in Kenya.

Methods: This was a descriptive survey of patient charts characterising cardiovascular risk among adult patients (> 18 years) at Ukwala sub-county hospital between June 2013 and January 2015. Post-stratification survey weights were applied to obtain prevalence levels.

Health disparities across the counties of Kenya and implications for policy makers, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.

Background: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 provided comprehensive estimates of health loss globally. Decision makers in Kenya can use GBD subnational data to target health interventions and address county-level variation in the burden of disease.

Methods: We used GBD 2016 estimates of life expectancy at birth, healthy life expectancy, all-cause and cause-specific mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, disability-adjusted life-years, and risk factors to analyse health by age and sex at the national and county levels in Kenya from 1990 to 2016.

Initial Rhythm and Resuscitation Outcomes for Patients Developing Cardiac Arrest in Hospital: Data From Low-Middle Income Country.

Background: Health care resource allocation remains challenging in lower middle income countries such as Kenya with meager resources being allocated to resuscitation and critical care. The causes and outcomes for in-hospital cardiac arrest and resuscitation have not been studied.

Objectives: This study sought to determine the initial rhythm and the survival for patients developing in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Prevalence, clinical characteristics and outcomes of valvular atrial fibrillation in a cohort of African patients with acute heart failure: insights from the THESUS-HF registry.

Introduction: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is the commonest cause of valvular heart disease and a common cause of heart failure in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Atrial fibrillation (AF) complicates RHD, precipitates and worsens heart failure and cause unfavourable outcomes. We set out to describe the prevalence, clinical characteristics and outcomes of valvular atrial fibrillation in a cohort of African patients with acute heart failure (AHF).

Costs and cost-effectiveness of HIV/noncommunicable disease integration in Africa: from theory to practice.

: The current article reviews economic aspects of selected HIV/noncommunicable disease (NCD) service delivery integration programs to assess the efficiency of integration in limited capacity settings. We define economies of scope and scale and their relevance to HIV/NCD integration. We summarize the results of a systematic review of cost and cost-effectiveness studies of integrated care, which identified 12 datasets (nine studies) with a wide range of findings driven by differences in research questions, study methods, and health conditions measured.