Factors associated with the occurrence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women in Embakasi Central Sub-County, Nairobi County

Abstract

Background: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) complications are the second leading cause of death in pregnant women globally, trailing only anaemia. Despite the fact that urinary tract infection (UTI) has been a threat to public health in Nairobi for the past five years, especially in the Embakasi Central sub-county, no studies on the occurrence of ASB and related factors have been conducted in Nairobi County.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional analytical design study was conducted in five wards of Embakasi central sub-county, Nairobi County, Kenya. A questionnaire and routine urine microscopy were used to collect data from 369 expectant women attending ANC in selected facilities. independent t test and chi-square tests were between the independent and dependent variables at p≤0.05.Results: The respondents were 26 years old on average, majority of the women had attained secondary education (46.7%, n=172), were married (66%, n=241) and professed Christianity (72.2%, n=265). The proportion of women in employment (52%, n=192) was slightly higher than the unemployed (48%, n=175). The occurrence of ASB was significantly higher in first trimester as compared to the other trimesters (p=0.000). Also, the occurrence of ASB differed significantly by religion (p=0.002) and by employment status (p=0.003). Most of the expectant mothers had heard of ASB, mainly from health care workers (58.9%, n=119) or the media (31.7%, n=64). ASB was more likely to occur in women who had never heard of ASB (p=0.000).Conclusions: The prevalence of ASB is relatively higher than the rest of the African continent. Knowledge levels, religion, family sizes, trimester of pregnancy and employment status were strongly linked to ASB. Consequently, a number of interventions and policy recommendations have been made in this paper.