Rachael Odhiambo

• MSc Medical Informatics. Bsc Computing
• Manager at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi

Background Engaging fathers(to-be) can improve maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes. However, father-focused interventions in low-resource settings are under-researched. As part of an integrated early childhood development pilot cluster randomised trial in Nairobi’s informal settlements, this study aimed to test the feasibility of a text-on...

Background Data on the burden and determinants of mental and substance use problems among women in urban and rural informal settlements in Kenya is sparse, thus limiting preventive and treatment efforts in these areas. To bridge the gap, we (a) determined the prevalence of depressive, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and a...

Several measures of adolescent optimism exist. However, none of these measures have been developed in the African setting, and only a few of the available measures have been validated for use in this setting. We aimed to develop and validate a culturally appropriate measure for this context. We employed an exploratory sequential mixed methods desig...

Background The psychometric properties of the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) are undocumented in Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) at large. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swahili version of the tool, S-PC-PTSD-5, in a community sample of adults 18 years and older drawn from Nairobi, Mombasa and Kwa...

Background: The psychometric properties of the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) are undocumented in Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) at large. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swahili version of the tool, S-PC-PTSD-5, in a community sample of adults 18 years and older drawn from Nairobi, Mombasa and Kw...

Background The spectrum of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) in Africa is still largely unknown. We thus set out to illustrate how we set up the PAFLAR JIA registry and describe the clinical profile of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis across various regions in Africa. Methods We carried out a retrospective observational cohort study where collabora...

Background The spectrum of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) in Africa is still largely unknown. We thus set out to describe the clinical-epidemiological profile of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis across the various regions in Africa. Methods We carried out a retrospective observational cohort study where collaborators were trained on use of the e...

Objective Focal epilepsy is common in low‐ and middle‐income countries. The frequency and nature of possible underlying structural brain abnormalities have, however, not been fully assessed. Methods We evaluated the possible structural causes of epilepsy in 331 people with epilepsy (240 from Kenya and 91 from South Africa) identified from communit...

Integrated early childhood development (ECD) programs boost child health and developmental outcomes. However, the factors contributing to the successful implementation of such programs in informal urban settlements are not well researched. We conducted 14 focus group discussions and 13 key informant interviews with 125 caregivers of children under...

Introduction Globally, 1.7 million children are living with HIV, with the majority of them residing in sub-Saharan Africa. Due to reduced rates of vertical transmission of HIV, there is an increasing population of children born to HIV-infected mothers who remain uninfected. There is a growing concern around the development of these children in the...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1123839.].

Background Nurses/midwives and Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) are exposed to chronic stressors putting them at risk of developing mental health problems. This has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is limited empirical evidence of the burden of mental health problems among health care workers partly due to the lack of adequately s...

Background: Despite the high burden of mental health problems during adolescence and its associated negative consequences, it has remained neglected especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The 2019 novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has placed additional stress on adolescent mental health. However, there are few studies documenting the burden...

Background Pediatric rheumatic diseases are chronic illnesses that impart a significant disease burden upon children and their families (1–3). Furthermore, they have the potential to cause physical disability, diminished quality of life and significant direct and indirect costs (1–3). Determination of the burden and clinical characteristics of pedi...

Children in urban informal settlements experience high risks for poor health and development. Understanding health seeking behaviors and childcare patterns of caregivers in urban informal settlements is important for devising effective interventions. This study describes household characteristics and aspects of nurturing care among caregivers of ch...

Background Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) is a prototype autoimmune condition characterized by systemic organ involvement, high morbidity and mortality (1-5). A pediatric rheumatology registry is critical in defining the spectrum of pediatric lupus within the region The Kenya Pediatric Rheumatology Registry (KAPRI ) registry of...

Background There is substantial evidence that immunization is one of the most significant and cost-effective pillars of preventive and promotive health interventions. Effective childhood immunization coverage is thus essential in stemming persistent childhood illnesses. The third dose of pentavalent vaccine for children is an important indicator fo...

Background Pediatric rheumatic diseases pose a significant disease burden upon children and their families (1–3). They lead to physical disability and diminished quality of life (1–3). Determination of the burden and clinical characteristics of these diseases is a critical first step to improving access to care and optimizing use of existing health...

The emergence of COVID-19 has profoundly affected mental health, especially among highly vulnerable populations. This study describes mental health issues among caregivers of young children and pregnant women in three urban informal settlements in Kenya during the first pandemic year, and factors associated with poor mental health. A cross-sectiona...

Objectives The prevalence of all epilepsies (both convulsive and non-convulsive seizures) in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), particularly sub-Saharan Africa is unknown. Under estimation of non-convulsive epilepsies in data from these countries may lead to inadequate and sub-optimal allocation of resources to control and prevent epilepsy. W...

Background Pediatric rheumatic diseases are chronic illnesses that impart a significant disease burden upon societies (1-3). Determination of the burden and clinical characteristics of these diseases is a critical first step to improving access to care and optimizing use of existing health systems for the well-being of these patients (4-6). A pedia...

Background There is substantial evidence that immunization is one of the most significant and cost-effective pillars of preventive and promotive health interventions. Effective childhood immunization coverage is thus essential in stemming persistent childhood illnesses. The main indicator of performance of the immunisation programme is the third do...

Objective: We determined the reliability of The Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children–Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL) for screening and diagnosing ADHD in children. Method: K-SADS-PL was administered to 2,074 children in the community. Psychometric properties, factorial structure, and clinical validity o...

Background There is substantial evidence that immunization is one of the most significant and cost-effective pillars of preventive and promotive health interventions. Effective childhood immunization coverage is thus essential in stemming persistent childhood illnesses. The main indicator of performance of the immunisation programme is the third do...

Background There is substantial evidence that immunization is one of the most significant and cost-effective pillars of preventive and promotive health interventions. Effective childhood immunization coverage is thus essential in stemming persistent childhood illnesses. The main indicator of performance of the immunisation programme is the third do...

Why was the cohort set up?In many resource-constrained settings, availability of reli-able vital statistics and health information is limited bylack of proper system for civil registration and health infor-mation. This is further limited by the fact that the majorityof population health events, such as births, morbidity andmortality, occur outside...

Background: In Africa, where access to specialist medical services is often limited, telemedicine, the use of information and communication technologies for the provision of healthcare at a distance, can contribute towards enhancing access to healthcare. Informed consent is considered the cornerstone of ethical practice, especially when technology...

Background: Acute symptomatic seizures and febrile seizures are common in children admitted to hospitals in Africa and may be markers of brain dysfunction. They may be associated with behavioural and emotional problems, but there are no published community-based studies in Africa. Methods: We screened 7047 children aged 1-6 years (randomly sampl...

Purpose: Acute seizures in young children in Africa may be associated with poor behavioural and emotional problems. It is unclear if behavioural and emotional comorbidities of acute seizures are related to the seizures, or shared genetic susceptibility and neurological damage. Method: We conducted a population-based study on 3,273 young children ag...

Background Despite bearing the largest HIV-related burden, little is known of the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. One of the factors contributing to this gap in knowledge is the lack of culturally adapted and validated measures of HRQoL that are relevant for this setting. Aims We set out t...

A list of the six excluded articles (DOCX)

Background: Three-quarters of the burden of mental health problems occurs in low-and-middle-income countries, but few epidemiological studies of these problems in preschool children from sub-Saharan Africa have been published. Behavioural and emotional problems often start in early childhood, and this might be particularly important in Africa, whe...

Objective To determine the prevalence of active convulsive epilepsy (ACE) and describe the clinical characteristics and associated factors among a rural Ugandan population. Methods The entire population in Iganga/Mayuge Health Demographic Surveillance Site (IM‐HDSS) was screened using two questions about seizures during a door‐to‐door census exerc...

Background Neonatal Tetanus (NT) is a preventable cause of mortality and neurological sequelae that occurs at higher incidence in resource-poor countries, presumably because of low maternal immunisation rates and unhygienic cord care practices. We aimed to determine changes in the incidence of NT, characterize and investigate the associated risk fa...

BACKGROUND: Neonatal Tetanus (NT) is a preventable cause of mortality and neurological sequelae that occurs at higher incidence in resource-poor countries, presumably because of low maternal immunisation rates and unhygienic cord care practices. We aimed to determine changes in the incidence of NT, characterize and investigate the associated risk...

We conducted a community survey to estimate the prevalence and describe the features, risk factors, and consequences of convulsive status epilepticus (CSE) among people with active convulsive epilepsy (ACE) identified in a multisite survey in Africa. We obtained clinical histories of CSE and neurologic examination data among 1,196 people with ACE i...

Objective People with epilepsy (PWE) develop complications and comorbidities often requiring admission to hospital, which adds to the burden on the health system, particularly in low-income countries. We determined the incidence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), risk factors, and causes of admissions in PWE. We also examined the predictors o...

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions globally, estimated to constitute 0.75% of the global burden of disease, with the majority of this burden found in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). Few studies from LMICs, including much of sub-Saharan Africa, have described the incidence, remission or mortality rates due to epile...

Background Epilepsy is common in developing countries, and it is often associated with parasitic infections. We investigated the relationship between exposure to parasitic infections, particularly multiple infections and active convulsive epilepsy (ACE), in five sites across sub-Saharan Africa. Methods and Findings A case-control design that match...

The epilepsy treatment gap is largest in resource-poor countries. We evaluated the efficacy of a 1-day health education program in a rural area of Kenya. The primary outcome was adherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) as measured by drug levels in the blood, and the secondary outcomes were seizure frequency and Kilifi Epilepsy Beliefs and Attitudes...

This diagram represents the design of the study.

Univariate analysis for factors associated with reduction in seizures adjusted to the intervention. Table S2 Univariate analysis for factors associated with positive changes in KEBAS adjusted for the intervention.

We estimated premature mortality and identified causes of death and associated factors in people with active convulsive epilepsy (ACE) in rural Kenya. In this prospective population-based study, people with ACE were identified in a cross-sectional survey and followed up regularly for 3 years, during which information on deaths and associated factor...

Epilepsy is common in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), but the clinical features and consequences are poorly characterized. Most studies are hospital-based, and few studies have compared different ecological sites in SSA. We described active convulsive epilepsy (ACE) identified in cross-sectional community-based surveys in SSA, to understand the proximate...

Purpose: Epilepsy is common in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), but the clinical features and consequences are poorly characterized. Most studies are hospital-based; few studies have compared different ecological sites in SSA. We characterized active convulsive epilepsy (ACE) identified in cross-sectional community surveys in SSA, to understand the clinic...

Background: The prevalence of epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa seems to be higher than in other parts of the world, but estimates vary substantially for unknown reasons. We assessed the prevalence and risk factors of active convulsive epilepsy across five centres in this region. Methods: We did large population-based cross-sectional and case-contr...

Many people with epilepsy in low-income countries do not receive appropriate biomedical treatment. This epilepsy treatment gap might be caused by patients not seeking biomedical treatment or not adhering to prescribed antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). We measured the prevalence of and investigated risk factors for the epilepsy treatment gap in rural Keny...