Browsing by Author "Mukala, Joseph"

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    Knowledge, attitude and practices on intermittent preventive treatment in pregnant women with malaria: a mixed method facility-based study in Western Kenya.
    (MedRXiv, 2023-10-21) Waweru, Harrison; Kobia, Francis; Akinyi , Violet; Kanoi, Bernard N; Kirira, Peter; Mogere, Dominic; Mukala, Joseph; Gitaka, Jesse
    Intermittent preventive treatment remains a core strategy for malaria prevention in pregnancy. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is recommended for all pregnant women in malaria prone zones. It is scheduled monthly at each antenatal care visit up to 36 weeks. Here, we sought to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices on intermittent preventive treatment in pregnant women with malaria in Webuye hospital. Prior to the enrollment, ethical approval and permissions were sought from relevant institutions, as well as consents obtained from 140 participants aged between 18-49 years with gestation about 16 weeks. Malaria test was conducted via either microscopy or rapid test and participants were split into malaria positive and negative cohorts. Closed and open-ended questionnaire were administered to the participants and two focus group discussions were organized to collect their views. The results were expressed in percentage and Chi-square of association at a p-value equal or less than 0.05 (95%). Qualitative data were analyzed by the means of MAXQDA software. Our analysis revealed that there was a significant difference between the proportion of negative and positive groups among mothers’ knowledgeable on the side effects (p-value = 0.001), different doses (p-value = 0.012). Those who were informed about intermittent preventive treatment before administration (p-value = 0.003). The proportion of mothers knowledgeable about side effects and different doses were higher among the malaria positive group as compare to the negative with 52.9% versus 25.7% and 20.0% versus 5.7% respectively. Moreover, 76.3% of respondents reported that intermittent preventive treatment prevents malaria, 30.9% had the opinion that it causes abortion. Expectant women who were aware of the benefits of this strategy had this to say; “This medicine helps to reduce the effects of malaria and prevents mother to contract malaria”. However, those unaware had this to say; “I have never been told about something like that but it prevents diseases”. Those who knew about the schedule and side effects said “It is given three doses during each antenatal visit”. Therefore, good knowledge, attitude and practices of intermittent preventive treatment are key for control and prevention of malaria in endemic prone areas.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Knowledge, attitude and practices on intermittent preventive treatment in pregnant women with malaria: a mixed method facility-based study in Western Kenya
    (Pan African Medical Journal, 2024-05-28) Mukala, Joseph; Mogere, Dominic; Kirira, Peter; Kanoi, Bernard; Akisa, Violet; Kobia, Francis; Waweru, Harrison; Gitaka, Jesse
    Introduction: intermittent preventive treatment remains a core strategy for malaria prevention in pregnancy. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is recommended for all pregnant women in malaria-prone zones. It is scheduled monthly at each antenatal care visit for up to 36 weeks. Here, we sought to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of intermittent preventive treatment among pregnant women with malaria in Webuye Hospital. Methods: a total of 140 participants aged between 18 and 49 years and at approximately 16 weeks of gestation were enrolled in this study, which utilized a mixed qualitative-quantitative method. Before enrollment, malaria testing was conducted using microscopy, and participants were divided into two cohorts: malaria-positive and malaria-negative. Close-ended and open-ended questionnaires were used. Qualitative-quantitative data analyses were performed. Results: our analysis revealed a significant difference between the proportion of mothers in the negative and positive groups in terms of their knowledge about side effects (p ≤ 0.001) and different doses (p ≤ 0.012) of intermittent preventive treatment. The proportion of mothers who knew side effects and different doses was higher among the malaria-positive group as compared to malaria-negative group with 37(52.9%, n=70) versus 18(25.7%, n=70) and 14(20.0%, n=70) versus 4(5.7%, n=70) respectively. Additionally, there was also a significant difference in knowledge about intermittent preventive treatment before administration (p ≤ 0.003) between the two groups. Conclusion: good knowledge, attitude and practices on intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) benefits, side effects, safety, doses and other prior information should be leveraged to empower pregnant women in malaria-endemic zones.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Predictors of birth weight in pregnant women with malaria: a prospective cohort facility-based study in Webuye-Kenya
    (BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2024-03-08) Mukala, Joseph; Mogere, Dominic; Kirira, Peter; Kanoi, Bernard N.; Akisa, Violet; Kobia, Francis; Gitaka, Jesse; Waweru, Harrison
    In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria, which remains a major public health burden, has a prevalence of 9 to 28% and malaria in pregnancy is associated with severe adverse outcomes for the mother and her baby. Here, we sought to determine the predictors of birth weight in a cohort of 140 women with malaria in pregnancy, who were recruited at the Webuye County hospital in Western Kenya. All study participants underwent malaria diagnosis through microscopic examination of blood smear samples and were grouped into the malaria-positive and malaria- negative groups. Both groups were followed up beginning at the first antenatal visit (March 2022) until delivery (December 2022) and various data, including demographic, parity, gravidity, socioeconomic, maternal and fetal outcomes were collected. Data analyses were done using SPSS version 27. Chi-square and Fisher’s Exact tests were used for bivariate and relative risk analyses at a p-value of ≤0.05 (95%) confidence level. Most of the participants were aged 18–25 years, were primigravidas and married, had secondary school-level education, earned 20–30 thousand Kenya shillings, resided in rural areas, and were in the second trimester. There were 6 (4.6%) cases of low birth weight, 3 (4.5%) in the malaria-negative group and 3 (4.7%) in the malaria-positive group. During pregnancy, 41 (31.5%) were anaemic, 5 (3.8%) were HIV-positive, 5 (3.8%) had preeclampsia, and 2 (1.5%) had gestational diabetes. Our analyses show that confounding factors like anaemia, HIV, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes did not influence birth- weight (p ≥ 0.923). The malaria-positive and malaria-negative groups did not differ significantly with regard to the low birth weight (relative risk: 0.999, 95% confidence interval: 0.926–1.077). Marital status, gestational age, and area of resi- dence were associated with malaria p ≤ 0.001, ≤ 0.001 and 0.028 respectively. In both groups, 124 of the 140 deliver- ies had normal birth weights and of these 63 (95.4%, n = 70) were in the malaria-negative group, whereas 61 (95.3%, n = 70) belonged to the malaria-positive group
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Predictors of birth weight in pregnant women with malaria: a prospective cohort facility-based study in Webuye-Kenya
    (BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2024-03-08) Mukala, Joseph; Mogere, Dominic; Kirira, Peter; Kanoi, Bernard N.; Akisa, Violet; Kobia, Francis; Waweru, Harrison; Gitaka, Jesse
    In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria, which remains a major public health burden, has a prevalence of 9 to 28% and malaria in pregnancy is associated with severe adverse outcomes for the mother and her baby. Here, we sought to determine the predictors of birth weight in a cohort of 140 women with malaria in pregnancy, who were recruited at the Webuye County hospital in Western Kenya. All study participants underwent malaria diagnosis through microscopic examination of blood smear samples and were grouped into the malaria-positive and malaria-negative groups. Both groups were followed up beginning at the first antenatal visit (March 2022) until delivery (December 2022) and various data, including demographic, parity, gravidity, socioeconomic, maternal and fetal outcomes were collected. Data analyses were done using SPSS version 27. Chi-square and Fisher’s Exact tests were used for bivariate and relative risk analyses at a p-value of ≤0.05 (95%) confidence level. Most of the participants were aged 18–25 years, were primigravidas and married, had secondary school-level education, earned 20–30 thousand Kenya shillings, resided in rural areas, and were in the second trimester. There were 6 (4.6%) cases of low birth weight, 3 (4.5%) in the malaria-negative group and 3 (4.7%) in the malaria-positive group. During pregnancy, 41 (31.5%) were anaemic, 5 (3.8%) were HIV-positive, 5 (3.8%) had preeclampsia, and 2 (1.5%) had gestational diabetes. Our analyses show that confounding factors like anaemia, HIV, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes did not influence birthweight (p ≥ 0.923). The malaria-positive and malaria-negative groups did not differ significantly with regard to the low birth weight (relative risk: 0.999, 95% confidence interval: 0.926–1.077). Marital status, gestational age, and area of residence were associated with malaria p ≤ 0.001, ≤ 0.001 and 0.028 respectively. In both groups, 124 of the 140 deliveries had normal birth weights and of these 63 (95.4%, n = 70) were in the malaria-negative group, whereas 61 (95.3%, n = 70) belonged to the malaria-positive group.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Predictors of low birth weight in pregnant women with malaria: a prospective cohort facility-based 1 study in Webuye-Kenya
    (MEDRxiv, 2023-10-09) Gitaka, Jesse; Mukala, Joseph; Mogere, Dominic; Kirira, Peter; Kanoi, Bernard N; Akinyi, Violet; Kobia, Francis M.; Waweru, Harrison
    Malaria is caused by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium and remains a major public health burden in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its prevalence varies between 9 to 18% with harmful consequences to both the mother and her baby, including adverse pregnancy outcomes such low birth weight, high morbidity, and mortality. However, effective antenatal strategies for improving maternal and child health outcomes through the prevention, early detection, and treatment of malaria in pregnancy, are still lacking in resource-constrained settings. Here, we sought to determine the predictors of low birth weight in pregnant women with malaria in a cohort study in Webuye hospital. Prior to the enrollment of 140 participants, permission was sought from relevant institutions and consent from the participants. Malaria test was conducted either with microscopy or rapid test, and then the cohort splits into malaria positive and negative followed up from the first antenatal visit (March 2022) and delivery (December 2022). Before data collection, training, pre-testing and quality control were duly observed. Data were fed into SPSS 27 version, Chi-square and Fischer’s Exact were used for bi-variate analysis at a p-value less or equal 0.05 (95%). Our results revealed that birth cohort with malaria did not result in significant low birth weight with a relative risk of 0.999, confidence level of 0.926-1.077. The prevalence of low birth weight was 4.6% with 6 cases of which 3 (4.5%) in the negative cohort and 3 (4.7%) in the positive cohort. Anemic pregnant women were 41 (31.5%), HIV were 5 (3,8%), pre-eclampsia was 5 (3.8%), gestational diabetes was 2 (1.5%). Confounding factors, such as anemia, HIV, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes did not influence low birthweight (p-value >0.923). Otherwise, most of the participants were aged 18–25 years, were primigravida, were married, had secondary school level education, earned between 20-30 thousand shillings, were resident in rural areas, and were in their second trimester. Marital status, gestational age and area of residence were associated with malaria with a p-value less than 0.001 and 0.028 respectively.
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    Predictors of low birth weight in pregnant women with malaria: a prospective cohort facility-based study in Webuye-Kenya
    (medRxiv, 2023-10-09) Mukala, Joseph; Mogere, Dominic; Kirira, Peter; Kanoi, Bernard; Akinyi, Violet; Kobia, Francis; Waweru, Harrison; Gitaka, Jesse
    Malaria is caused by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium and remains a major public health burden in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its prevalence varies between 9 to 18% with harmful consequences to both the mother and her baby, including adverse pregnancy outcomes such low birth weight, high morbidity, and mortality. However, effective antenatal strategies for improving maternal and child health outcomes through the prevention, early detection, and treatment of malaria in pregnancy, are still lacking in resource-constrained settings. Here, we sought to determine the predictors of low birth weight in pregnant women with malaria in a cohort study in Webuye hospital. Prior to the enrollment of 140 participants, permission was sought from relevant institutions and consent from the participants. Malaria test was conducted either with microscopy or rapid test, and then the cohort splits into malaria positive and negative followed up from the first antenatal visit (March 2022) and delivery (December 2022). Before data collection, training, pre-testing and quality control were duly observed. Data were fed into SPSS 27 version, Chi-square and Fischer’s Exact were used for bi-variate analysis at a p-value less or equal 0.05 (95%). Our results revealed that birth cohort with malaria did not result in significant low birth weight with a relative risk of 0.999, confidence level of 0.926-1.077. The prevalence of low birth weight was 4.6% with 6 cases of which 3 (4.5%) in the negative cohort and 3 (4.7%) in the positive cohort. Anemic pregnant women were 41 (31.5%), HIV were 5 (3,8%), pre-eclampsia was 5 (3.8%), gestational diabetes was 2 (1.5%). Confounding factors, such as anemia, HIV, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes did not influence low birthweight (p-value >0.923). Otherwise, most of the participants were aged 18–25 years, were primigravida, were married, had secondary school level education, earned between 20-30 thousand shillings, were resident in rural areas, and were in their second trimester. Marital status, gestational age and area of residence were associated with malaria with a p-value less than 0.001 and 0.028 respectively.