Knowledge, Practices and Perceptionss of Trachoma and its’ Influence (Association With) on Health Seeking Behaviour of Patients in Kajiado Central Sub County, Kajiado County, Kenya.

Abstract

Trachoma is an infection of the eyes caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. It is caused by the recurrent, chronic infection of the ocular surface and is a leading cause of infectious blindness in the world. The disease is endemic in over 30 counties (former districts) in Kenya including Kajiado. Strategies for elimination of the disease adopted by the Ministry of Health and various stakeholders include surgery, antibiotic treatment, facial cleanliness and enviromental changes (SAFE). This study aimed at determining the knowledge, practices and perceptions of trachoma and their influence (association with) the health-seeking behaviour of patients in Kajiado central division. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Kajiado central division among 271 trachoma patients with both infectious and blinding trachoma. A total of 18 clusters registered with the ongoing AMREF Kenya trachoma control programme in the sub county (former division) were used to estimate the number of trachoma patients in each cluster and a simple random sampling done to select 7 clusters. Recruitment of trachoma patients meeting the inclusion criteria was done and consecutive sequential sampling used. Data was collected through interviews of 271 trachoma patients and 269 successfully analyzed statistically using univariate and bivariate analysis. 6 FGDs and 10 key informants were done, with information grouped and analyzed thematically. The commonly-identified signs and symptoms of trachoma among children 0-10 (36%) and 10-17 years (46%) by child care takers were redness of the eyes and watery eyes (26% and 37%) while among adult patients the presence of watery eyes (36%), followed by redness of eyes (20%) and poor eye sight (21%). Among children and adults, nearly two thirds sought treatment and care from health clinics. One fifth of care takers sought for treatment when the signs and symptoms became critical (22% and 19%) while (18% and 15%) sought for treatment after failure from traditional healers. The factors significantly associated with seeking care from health facilities were: knowledge of link between trachoma and animals (OR=2.24, P=0.036), how long it takes them to water source (OR=0.42, P=0.036), compound clean (OR=5.05, P=0.0042), times they wash face (OR=0.25, P=0.0028), and have pit latrine (OR=0.19, P=0.036). The study findings show poor knowledge on trachoma and signs and symptoms (P=0.045). Community members preferred seeking for medical health late and poor practices towards treatment and management of the diseases. The study recommends improvement of knowledge and behavior change communication strategies to improve knowledge of the disease, causes and prevention and early health seeking effective and efficient treatment.