Kenya Methodist University crestKENYA METHODIST UNIVERSITYDigital Repository
 

Master of Science in Human Nutrition

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://41.89.31.6:4000/handle/123456789/62

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End date: 2018Has files: Yes

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    Evaluation of the Relationship between Dietary Patterns and Colorectal Cancer among Meru County Residents
    (KeMU, 2018-09) Kinanu, Grace Safari
    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth leading cause of death and third most commonly diagnosed cancer around the globe. Although diet plays an essential role in the development of colorectal cancer, there is little information on the role of diet in the rising CRC cases observed in Meru. The study sought to determine whether there is a connection between dietary patterns and colorectal cancer etiology in Meru County. The research was a retrospective case control study design involving 25 CRC patients and 50 CRC undiagnosed participants as controls. All stable CRC patients receiving treatment in the three cancer treatment and palliative care centers in Meru County between April and June 2017 were included in the study. Each CRC patient was identified and matched with two persons from the general population according to similarity by sex, date of birth, and place of residence. A food frequency questionnaire was used to collect data which was then averaged to daily consumptions. The data was analyzed using t-test, Chi-square and Odds Ratio. The study revealed that dietary patterns of Meru County residents include moderate intake of fruits (2.5 servings), vegetables (4.0 servings) , and starch staples (9.2 servings), low intake of pulses (1.5) , white meat (1.2), milk and its products(1.3) , and nuts and seeds (0.3) ,and high intake of red meat (5.1 ) servings for daily pattern intakes with no significant statistical difference between dietary patterns of CRC and non CRC persons (p- values > 0.05). No statistical association was established between dietary patterns of red meat and risk of developing CRC (p- values > 0.05) on chi-square test and Odds ratio (within the 95% CI). Our study therefore indicates that, there is no conclusive evidence associating dietary patterns and colorectal cancer etiology and incidences in residents of Meru County. This research recommends that other causes of cancer be explored so as to establish evidence based conclusions on the main causes of colorectal cancer in Meru County
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    Relationship between Feeding Practices and Nutritional Status of Children under the Age of Two Years in Mugunga, Democratic Republic of Congo
    (KeMU, 2018-09) Mafuko, Barigira Justin
    Malnutrition is the most common childhood nutritional disorder characterised by stunting and wasting in children below two years old due to inappropriate feeding practices. Proper infant and young child feeding practices can improve child survival and promote healthy growth and development. This study aimed at assessing the relationship between feeding practices and nutrition status of children under two years old in Mugunga, Democratic Republic of Congo. This was a descriptive case study involving a total of 206 women/care givers and their under two years old children who attended Mother Child Health clinic at Mugunga Health Centre between June and July 2017 located in Mugunga, one of slums surrounding Goma Town, in the East of the DRC. Breastfeeding initiation immediately after birth was only 7.3% and just 7.8% of children were exclusively breastfed for the first six months. The main reason for stopping to exclusively breastfeed the baby before six months was that women found out that baby continued to be hungry after breast feeding session. The main reason for stopping breastfeeding before two years was because of new pregnancy. Fewer children met the minimum dietary diversity (5.3%) and the minimum acceptable diet (7.3%). There was a high level of malnourished children compared to the acceptable level. The main reasons for not meeting the minimum dietary diversity and the minimum acceptable diet were poverty and lack of knowledge concerning good complementary feeding practices.Our findings, based on Chi-squared test’s results, showed that there is a relationship between feeding practices and nutrition status of children (p value <0.001). Thus, there is a need to institute interventions to improve feeding practices in Mugunga.