Risks and causitive factors of rickets in in-patient children aged between 6-9 months: a case study of Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi
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Date
2012Author
Onyango, Isabella Atieno
Type
ThesisLanguage
en_USMetadata
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Rickets has become a significant problem, which needs special attention. The objective of the study was to determine factors contributing to rickets in children aged 6-59 months. This was with reference to Malnutrition, socio-economic status and some causative factors such as type of food fed to the children, exposure to sunlight, Heredity, birth order and birth condition. The study involved 144 children in-patient in Kenyatta National Hospital, Level 3 wards A, B, C and D. This study was Retrospective, cross sectional and analytic cohort. The study instruments and tools consisted of a structured questionnaire. This was administered to all respondents of studied children, including personal data, type of feeding,socio- economic data, exposure to sunlight and other risk factors to rickets.
Results indicated that Malnutrition was high. Global Acute Malnutrition was 63%.Those who were underweight were 69.9%, Stunting 14% and underweight 64%.There was relationship between feeding children with spinach and stunting (odds ratio 4.11), p-value 0.006.Feeding of children spinach and wasting was (odds ratio 1.25, p-value 0.0051, Children were also fed on mixed fours, which contained different ingredients .Consumption of mixed floors (O.R= 1.402, p-value 0.006). Feeding of children on foods rich in calcium was poor. Feeding on Amaranth was 67%, cyprinids was 11.1 %, cowpeas 12.5%. There was a correlation between spinach and stunting, and also underweight.
Socio- economic condition was poor in terms of education, 50% were housewives and education was up to secondary schools was 67%.Household sizes was 5-8 ,which was high at 67%. All these contributed to the children's condition. The exposure to sunlight which was at 81.9%, this was high though the children developed rickets the other risk factors were Heredity, birth condition and birth order. This study did not show any relationship between children developing rickets and heredity, birth order or birth condition. This study concluded that the main causative factors of rickets was socio-economic and socio - demographic situation of mothers, Nutritional status of children, non exposure to sunlight and feeding practices of the children's care givers.
Publisher
University of Nairobi, Kenya