Browsing by Subject "Kenya"
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Item A Global Health Reciprocal Innovation grant programme: 5-year review with lessons learnt(BMJ Publishing, 2023) Ruhl, Laura J.; Kiplagat, Jepchirchir; O'Brien, Rishika; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara; Scanlon, Michael; Plater, David; Thomas, Melissa R.; Pastakia, Sonak; Gopal-Srivastava, Rashmi; Morales-Soto, Nydia; Nyandiko, Winstone; Vreeman, Rachel C.; Litzelman, Debra K.; Laktabai, Jeremiah; Medicine, School of MedicineUnilateral approaches to global health innovations can be transformed into cocreative, uniquely collaborative relationships between low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HIC), constituted as 'reciprocal innovation' (RI). Since 2018, the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) and Indiana University (IU) Center for Global Health Equity have led a grants programme sculpted from the core elements of RI, a concept informed by a 30-year partnership started between IU (Indiana) and Moi University (Kenya), which leverages knowledge sharing, transformational learning and translational innovations to address shared health challenges. In this paper, we describe the evolution and implementation of an RI grants programme, as well as the challenges faced. We aim to share the successes of our RI engagement and encourage further funding opportunities to promote innovations grounded in the RI core elements. From the complex series of challenges encountered, three major lessons have been learnt: dedicating extensive time and resources to bring different settings together; establishing local linkages across investigators; and addressing longstanding inequities in global health research. We describe our efforts to address these challenges through educational materials and an online library of resources for RI projects. Using perspectives from RI investigators funded by this programme, we offer future directions resulting from our 5-year experience in applying this RI-focused approach. As the understanding and implementation of RI grow, global health investigators can share resources, knowledge and innovations that have the potential to significantly change the face of collaborative international research and address long-standing health inequities across diverse settings.Item A Pilot Study of a Mobile Intervention to Support Mental Health and Adherence Among Adolescents Living with HIV in Western Kenya(Springer, 2022) Chory, Ashley; Callen, Grant; Nyandiko, Winstone; Njoroge, Tabitha; Ashimosi, Celestine; Aluoch, Josephine; Scanlon, Michael; McAteer, Carole; Apondi, Edith; Vreeman, Rachel; Graduate Medical Education, School of MedicineMobile technologies represent potentially novel and scalable intervention delivery platforms for adolescents living with HIV (ALWH) in low- and middle-income countries. We conducted a prospective, mixed methods pilot study to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of the WhatsApp® platform to deliver individual counseling services and facilitate peer support for ALWH in western Kenya. Thirty ALWH (17 female, mean age 15.4) on ART, engaged in HIV care and aware of their status, were enrolled. After 6 months, participants described their experiences with the intervention. Treatment adherence, stigma, and mental and behavioral health were assessed prospectively. Participants reported overall positive experiences and indicated that the platform encouraged peer network development. They endorsed potential benefits for treatment adherence, stigma reduction, and mental and behavioral health. All participants supported intervention expansion. In western Kenya, WhatsApp® was an acceptable and feasible platform for mobile counseling and peer support for ALWH.Item A Psychometric Evaluation of the NIH Toolbox Fluid Cognition Tests Adapted for Swahili and Dholuo Languages in Kenyan Children and Adolescents(Cambridge University Press, 2023) McHenry, Megan S.; Roose, Anna; Abuonji, Emily; Nyalumbe, Mark; Ayuku, David; Ayodo, George; Tran, Tuan M.; Kaat, Aaron J.; Pediatrics, School of MedicineObjective: Our objective was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the culturally adapted NIH Toolbox African Languages® when used in Swahili and Dholuo-speaking children in western Kenya. Method: Swahili-speaking participants were recruited from Eldoret and Dholuo-speaking participants from Ajigo; all were <14 years of age and enrolled in primary school. Participants completed a demographics questionnaire and five fluid cognition tests of the NIH Toolbox® African Languages program, including Flanker, Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS), Picture Sequence Memory, Pattern Comparison, and List Sorting tests. Statistical analyses examined aspects of reliability, including internal consistency (in both languages) and test-retest reliability (in Dholuo only). Results: Participants included 479 children (n = 239, Swahili-speaking; n = 240, Dholuo-speaking). Generally, the tests had acceptable psychometric properties for research use within Swahili- and Dholuo-speaking populations (mean age = 10.5; SD = 2.3). Issues related to shape identification and accuracy over speed limited the utility of DCCS for many participants, with approximately 25% of children unable to match based on shape. These cultural differences affected outcomes of reliability testing among the Dholuo-speaking cohort, where accuracy improved across all five tests, including speed. Conclusions: There is preliminary evidence that the NIH Toolbox ® African Languages potentially offers a valid assessment of development and performance using tests of fluid cognition in Swahili and Dholuo among research settings. With piloting underway across other diverse settings, future research should gather additional evidence on the clinical utility and acceptability of these tests, specifically through the establishment of norming data among Kenyan regions and evaluating these psychometric properties.Item The Academic Model Providing Access To Healthcare (AMPATH) in Kenya(Global Livestock CRSP, UC Davis, 2008-11) Nyandiko, Winstone; Siika, Abraham; Ernst, Judith A.; Ettyang, Grace; Neumann, Charlotte; Yiannoutsos, ConstantinIn sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 28 million people are living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In 2001, Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya joined with Kenya’s second national referral hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) and Indiana University (IU) to establish the Academic Model Providing Access To Healthcare (AMPATH). AMPATH’s missions were to (1) provide high-quality patient care; (2) educate patients and health care providers; and (3) establish a laboratory for clinical research in HIV/AIDS (http://medicine.iupui.edu/kenya/hiv.aids.html). Leveraging the power of an academic medical partnership, AMPATH has quickly become one of the largest and most comprehensive HIV/AIDS control systems in sub-Saharan Africa, providing a comprehensive system of care that has been described as a model of sustainable development (Tobias, 2006). Delivery of services occurs in the public sector through hospitals and health centers run by Kenya’s Ministry of Health. AMPATH currently implements prevention activities that touch the lives of millions of persons in a wide geographic area. The research arm of AMPATH, created to facilitate and manage the international research agenda being generated by Kenyan and US faculty, includes the Global Livestock CRSP’s HIV Nutrition Project (HNP), “Increasing Animal Source Foods in Diets of HIV-infected Kenyan Women and Their Children,” which is a collaborative initiative between AMPATH and faculty from Moi University, Indiana University and the University of California, Los Angeles.Item Acceptability and feasibility of community-based provision of urine pregnancy tests to support linkages to reproductive health services in Western Kenya: a qualitative analysis(BMC, 2022-09-01) Kibel, Mia; Thorne, Julie; Kerich, Caroline; Naanyu, Violet; Yego, Faith; Christoffersen‑Deb, Astrid; Bernard, Caitlin; Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of MedicineBackground: The majority of women living in rural Kenya access antenatal care (ANC) late in pregnancy, and approximately 20% have an unmet need for family planning (FP). This study aimed to determine whether training community health volunteers (CHVs) to deliver urine pregnancy testing (UPT), post-test counselling, and referral to care was an acceptable and feasible intervention to support timely initiation of ANC and uptake of FP. Methods: We applied community-based participatory methods to design and implement the pilot intervention between July 2018 and May 2019. We conducted qualitative content analysis of 12 pre-intervention focus group discussions (FGDs) with women, men, and CHVs, and of 4 post-intervention FGDs with CHVs, each with 7-9 participants per FGD group. Using a pragmatic approach, we conducted inductive line-by-line coding to generate themes and subthemes describing factors that positively or negatively contributed to the intervention's acceptability and feasibility, in terms of participants' views and the intervention aims. Results: We found that CHV-delivered point of care UPT, post-test counselling, and referral to care was an acceptable and feasible intervention to increase uptake of ANC, FP, and other reproductive healthcare services. Factors that contributed to acceptability were: (1) CHV-delivery made UPT more accessible; (2) UPT and counselling supported women and men to build knowledge and make informed choices, although not necessarily for women with unwanted pregnancies interested in abortion; (3) CHVs were generally trusted to provide counselling, and alternative counselling providers were available according to participant preference. A factor that enhanced the feasibility of CHV delivering UPT and counselling was CHV's access to appropriate supplies (e.g. carrying bags). However, factors that detracted from the feasibility of women actually accessing referral services after UPT and counselling included (1) downstream barriers like cost of travel, and (2) some male community members' negative attitudes toward FP. Finally, improved financial, educational, and professional supports for CHVs would be needed to make the intervention acceptable and feasible in the long-term. Conclusion: Training CHVs in rural western Kenya to deliver UPT, post-test counselling, and referral to care was acceptable and feasible to men, women, and CHVs in this context, and may promote early initiation of ANC and uptake of FP. Additional qualitative work is needed to explore implementation challenges, including issues related to unwanted pregnancies and abortion, the financial burden of volunteerism on CHVs, and educational and professional supports for CHVs.Item The ACT Malaria Treatment Policy Change in Kenya(Association of Kenya Physicians, 2007) Akhwale, Willis S.; Association of Kenya Physicians Scientific Conference (11th : Mar. 2007 : Eldoret, Kenya)Objectives of the national Antimalarial treatment policy: •Enable population at risk access safe, good quality, effective, affordable & acceptable antimalarial drugs •Ensure rapid and long lasting clinical cure •Prevent progression to severe disease •Reduce the incidence of anaemia •Reduce consequences of placental malaria infection •Delay development of resistance to antimalarial drugs Key specific issues: •Limited data available on safety of ACTs in young infants (use of coartem <5kgs) •Lack of adequate safety and efficacy data on drug combinations in pregnant women (safety of lumefantrine in pregnancy) •Improving systems of forecasting of drug needs •Strengthening the management and drug supply system (procurement, distribution and use) according to the specificities of the new drugs (shorter shelf life and the course-of-therapy packs) •Complex treatment schedules poses challenge for ensuring compliance •Need for more friendly paediatric formulationsItem ‘Addressing HPV vaccine hesitancy: unveiling concerns and building trust’ perspectives of adolescent girls and parents in Kisumu County, Kenya(eCancer Global Foundation, 2024-08-05) Ochomo, Edwin Onyango; Tonui, Philiph; Muthoka, Kapten; Amboka, Sayo; Itsura, Peter; Orang’o, Elkanah Omenge; Rosen, Barry; Loehrer, Patrick; Cu-Uvin, Susan; Medicine, School of MedicineIntroduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer, and HPV vaccination is highly effective in preventing vaccine-targeted HPV infection. However, low HPV vaccination coverage in Kisumu County, Kenya, at about 10% for the first dose, highlights the critical issue of vaccine hesitancy, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Methods: This study explores the concerns, myths and barriers to HPV vaccine uptake among adolescent girls (aged 10-14) enrolled at human immune-deficiency virus comprehensive care clinics and their parents in Kisumu County. Focused group discussions were conducted with 48 participants. Results: Content analysis revealed limited knowledge about the HPV vaccine and widespread misconceptions regarding its safety and efficacy. Financial constraints, injection fears and negative clinic experiences emerged as additional barriers. Conclusion: The findings emphasise the role of effective communication strategies, including engaging parents through written materials and involving them in decision-making, to dispel myths, provide accurate information and encourage HPV vaccination. Collaborative efforts with community stakeholders are crucial to improve vaccine coverage and ultimately reduce the cervical cancer burden.Item Adjusting Mortality for Loss to Follow-Up: Analysis of Five ART Programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa(Public Library of Science, 2010-11-30) Brinkhof, Martin W. G.; Spycher, Ben D.; Yiannoutsos, Constantin; Weigel, Ralf; Wood, Robin; Messou, Eugène; Boulle, Andrew; Egger, Matthias; Sterne, Jonathan A. C.; Biostatistics, School of Public HealthEvaluation of antiretroviral treatment (ART) programmes in sub-Saharan Africa is difficult because many patients are lost to follow-up. Outcomes in these patients are generally unknown but studies tracing patients have shown mortality to be high. We adjusted programme-level mortality in the first year of antiretroviral treatment (ART) for excess mortality in patients lost to follow-up. Methods and Findings Treatment-naïve patients starting combination ART in five programmes in Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa were eligible. Patients whose last visit was at least nine months before the closure of the database were considered lost to follow-up. We filled missing survival times in these patients by multiple imputation, using estimates of mortality from studies that traced patients lost to follow-up. Data were analyzed using Weibull models, adjusting for age, sex, ART regimen, CD4 cell count, clinical stage and treatment programme. A total of 15,915 HIV-infected patients (median CD4 cell count 110 cells/µL, median age 35 years, 68% female) were included; 1,001 (6.3%) were known to have died and 1,285 (14.3%) were lost to follow-up in the first year of ART. Crude estimates of mortality at one year ranged from 5.7% (95% CI 4.9–6.5%) to 10.9% (9.6–12.4%) across the five programmes. Estimated mortality hazard ratios comparing patients lost to follow-up with those remaining in care ranged from 6 to 23. Adjusted estimates based on these hazard ratios ranged from 10.2% (8.9–11.6%) to 16.9% (15.0–19.1%), with relative increases in mortality ranging from 27% to 73% across programmes. Conclusions Naïve survival analysis ignoring excess mortality in patients lost to follow-up may greatly underestimate overall mortality, and bias ART programme evaluations. Adjusted mortality estimates can be obtained based on excess mortality rates in patients lost to follow-up.Item Aggressive breast cancer in western Kenya has early onset, high proliferation, and immune cell infiltration(Biomed Central, 2016-03) Sawe, Rispah T.; Kerper, Maggie; Badve, Sunil S.; Li, Jun; Sandoval-Cooper, Mayra; Xie, Jingmeng; Shi, Zonggao; Patel, Kirtika; Chumba, David; Ofulla, Ayub; Prosperi, Jenifer; Taylor, Katherine; Stack, M. Sharon; Mining, Simeon; Littlepage, Laurie E.; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of MedicineBackground Breast cancer incidence and mortality vary significantly among different nations and racial groups. African nations have the highest breast cancer mortality rates in the world, even though the incidence rates are below those of many nations. Differences in disease progression suggest that aggressive breast tumors may harbor a unique molecular signature to promote disease progression. However, few studies have investigated the pathology and clinical markers expressed in breast tissue from regional African patient populations. Methods We collected 68 malignant and 89 non-cancerous samples from Kenyan breast tissue. To characterize the tumors from these patients, we constructed tissue microarrays (TMAs) from these tissues. Sections from these TMAs were stained and analyzed using immunohistochemistry to detect clinical breast cancer markers, including estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor 2 receptor (HER2) status, Ki67, and immune cell markers. Results Thirty-three percent of the tumors were triple negative (ER-, PR-, HER2-), 59 % were ER+, and almost all tumors analyzed were HER2-. Seven percent of the breast cancer patients were male, and 30 % were <40 years old at diagnosis. Cancer tissue had increased immune cell infiltration with recruitment of CD163+ (M2 macrophage), CD25+ (regulatory T lymphocyte), and CD4+ (T helper) cells compared to non-cancer tissue. Conclusions We identified clinical biomarkers that may assist in identifying therapy strategies for breast cancer patients in western Kenya. Estrogen receptor status in particular should lead initial treatment strategies in these breast cancer patients. Increased CD25 expression suggests a need for additional treatment strategies designed to overcome immune suppression by CD25+ cells in order to promote the antitumor activity of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells.Item Anemia and Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Children Born to Mothers with HIV in Western Kenya(Sage, 2021-02-22) Oyungu, Eren; Roose, Anna W.; Ombitsa, Ananda R.; Yang, Ziyi; Vreeman, Rachel C.; McHenry, Megan S.; Pediatrics, School of MedicineThe objective of this study was to determine and compare anemia and iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) rates in young Kenyan children who are HIV infected (HI), HIV exposed, uninfected (HEU), and HIV unexposed (HU). Questionnaires, anthropometrics, and blood samples were collected from HI, HEU, and HU aged 18 to 36 months. Descriptive statistics, Fisher’s exact tests, and linear regression were used for analysis. Of 137 total participants, HI (n = 18), HEU (n = 70), and HU (n = 49), 61.1%, 53.6%, and 36.7%, respectively, were anemic, with mean hemoglobin levels highest in HU (P = .006). After adjusting for covariates, HI (β = −9.6, 95% CI:−17.3 to −2.0) and HEU (β = −7.4, 95% CI: −12.9 to −1.9) had lower hemoglobin levels compared with HU. The proportion of children with IDA did not differ significantly across groups (P = .08). HEU have rates of anemia and IDA similar to HI. Anemia risk is generally higher in HEU than HU, even after adjusting for covariates.