The Economic Burden of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDS) on Household Welfare in Kenya.

Abstract

The main non-communicable diseases include: cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, chronic pulmonary diseases and mental health. The main objective of this study is to investigate the economic burden of non-communicable diseases on households in Kenya, with the specific objectives being to examine the profile, trends and prevalence of NCD’s, to study the effect of NCD’s on household welfare as measured by expenditure per capita and to suggest the various policy recommendations that reduce the disease burden of NCD’s in the country. The study utilized the latest Kenya household health expenditure and utilization survey- KHHEUS (2018). To model the hypothesized relationship, the study employed Ordinary Least Square (OLS) estimation technique to test the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The diagnostic tests that were used included normality test, multicollinearity test and heteroscedacity test. Trends and patterns were purely descriptive and were analyzed as such. From the findings of the study it was found that presence of NCDs and household size were believed to be positively associated with the household welfare while place of residence and working status influenced the house expenditure per capita negatively. Contrary to expectations, variables such as marital status, age in years, age square and years of education were found to be insignificant predictors in determining household welfare with regard to the economic burden of NCDs in households. Out of pocket expenditure on treatment of non-communicable diseases is often a barrier when it comes to seeking care and services for this long-term conditions. They take a toll on a family’s monetary resources and time, leading to financial impoverishment. From the study, it is clear that that non-communicable diseases have a major poverty and economic impact on households. This indicates a need by the government for proper health financing to help deal with the burden of non-communicable diseases.