Metabollic syndrome components as a risk factor to the health status of university students in Kenya
View/ Open
Publication Date
2019Author
18. Kiganda Evans Ovamba, Tuvei Susan Mamusavu , Malesi Sheilla
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract/ Overview
An efficient healthcare system targets the
maintenance or improving the health position for
citizens that can be achieved through disease and
illness prevention based on curative and preventive
care. Kenya currently experiences a change in its
diseases burden from infectious to noncommunicable diseases. This has been fueled by
adoption of unhealthy lifestyles and other health risk
factors such as metabolic syndrome components
(MSCs) whose magnitude and impact especially
among young generations has not been documented
appropriately. The drive of the research was to
investigate the (MSCs) as a risk factor to the health
status of University students in Kenya. A cross
sectional study involving 430 students from Maseno
University, Kenya and anthropometric
measurements based on World Health Organization
(WHO) and American Heart Association were
adopted. Results indicated a high prevalence of ill
health at 52.6% for a period of up to 3 months among
the University students. The study concluded that
prevalence of ill health among University students
may be majorly attributed to the abnormality in the
MSCs of waist circumference, blood sugar and HDLC. The study therefore recommends appropriate
measures need to be undertaken by Kenyan
Universities including the adoption of health
education as part of the curriculum to sensitize
students on the significance of embracing healthy
lifestyles as a preventive measure against ill health